Anne Rogers
MLB.COM
Spring Training is now in the past, and Opening Day is just a few days away. That feels crazy to type out, but it is true!
The Royals will get their season started on Friday night in Atlanta, with Cole Ragans on the bump and Salvador Perez behind the plate. Bobby Witt Jr. will man shortstop, Maikel Garcia will be next to him at third and Vinnie Pasquantino will anchor first. This is the Royalsâ core, and this organization wants nothing more than to win with it in 2026. After a disappointing â25 in which they missed out on the playoffs, the Royals are hungry to get back in October and prove that they are here to stay.
The quest to do that all starts on Friday.
The Royals were good for a lot of reasons in 2024, but the main one was because their rotation was one of the best in baseball -- and the five starters who opened the season in the rotation made the majority of starts. It was the complete opposite in â25, which is more the norm across the league, but the Royals really struggled when they didnât have their ace Ragans on the mound, as well as when Seth Lugo, Kris Bubic and Michael Wacha all missed time.
Kansas City is better set up with depth if that happens again in 2026, with Ryan Bergert leading the group in Triple-A Omaha. The young right-hander probably deserved to be on the staff for Opening Day, but the Royals know theyâll be relying on him this season. Theyâll also have Stephen Kolek there when he returns from his left oblique strain, and other depth includes Luinder Avila, Mitch Spence, Mason Black, Ben Kudrna and others.
But the reality is this club needs their main starters to take the ball every five days for most of the season. The Royals are at their best when their pitching is leading them to wins.
Great Unknown: How much will the offense actually improve?
The Royals made some moves this offseason to add to their lineup with the signing of Lane Thomas and the trade for Isaac Collins, more to deepen the lineup than provide true impact in the middle. Perhaps the biggest move of all had nothing to do with the roster: The fences are coming in at Kauffman Stadium, trying to make the ballpark a more âneutralâ venue and not so homer-unfriendly like it has been. How much that helps remains to be seen.
Kansas City will still need its stars -- Witt, Garcia, Pasquantino and Perez -- to star. And theyâll need to get something from young sluggers Jac Caglianone and Carter Jensen (MLBâs No. 18 prospect per MLB Pipeline/Royalsâ No. 1) in 2026. Caglianone looked much calmer and more confident this spring and in the World Baseball Classic -- could that translate to a more successful sophomore season for the 23-year-old? Jensen had a standout September last year and brings some very good plate discipline and power skills to the Majors. Can the rookie stay consistent enough in his first full season?
An improved offense is crucial for this season. Or ⊠we could still be talking about the Royals needing an impact bat by the time the Trade Deadline rolls around on Aug. 3.
Team MVP will be ⊠SS Bobby Witt Jr.
This isnât a crazy prediction, no. In fact, Iâve probably predicted this each of the last three seasons and will continue to do so as long as Witt plays for the Royals. How can I not? The guy is good at baseball. He had a really good 2025 season, yet it didnât live up to the otherworldly play we saw in â24 that some called it a âdownâ year -- despite leading the league in hits (184) and doubles (47). But with Wittâs work ethic and competitiveness, plus the fences coming in at The K and a good supporting cast around him, that otherworldly play is not out of reach for this season.
Heâs only 25 years old, but Witt has established himself as a perennial MVP candidate. Hereâs thinking â26 will be no different.
Team Cy Young Will Be ⊠LHP Cole Ragans
Weâve already established that Ragans needs to be healthy and pitching well for the Royals to get to where they want to go. And there are a ton of reasons to think that Ragans will be the kind of pitcher he was in 2023 and â24 with the Royals before injuries got in the way.
Every time I think about Ragansâ role on this team, I go back to last September when he came off the injured list to make three final starts. The Royals were out of it by then, but you could tell something was different when Ragans took the mound. They had their guy back.
Pitching depth is key, and all five starters in a rotation are important. But thereâs nothing like having an ace.
Bold Prediction: Witt wonât be the only MVP-caliber player on the roster this year
Witt said at the end of last season that he never felt like he had those stretches where everything was clicking, like we saw many times in â24 when he would essentially carry the team on his back. Those stretches probably do need to happen for the Royals to get to the postseason, but it doesnât always have to be Witt.
Whether itâs Garcia or Pasquantino continuing to establish themselves after breakout seasons, or Perez continuing to buck Father Time, or Caglianone breaking out for himself, someone is going to take it to the next level this season.
The Royals will be all the better for it.