Carter Jensen

Given the lack of position player talent on the Royals roster, Jensen and Salvador Perez could each play nearly every day in 2026 while splitting starts at catcher and designated hitter. Jensen, a 22-year-old lefty hitter, put up eye-popping power metrics at Triple-A and the big leagues after getting off to a slower start at Double-A. The highlight of his season was hammering a 482-foot homer -- the fourth-longest homer hit in the majors in 2025, behind a pair of Mike Trout homers and a Nick Kurtz moonshot. He slashed .288/.404/.647 with 14 home runs, a 16.3 BB%, 28.3 K% and .359 ISO in 43 games at Triple-A before getting a September call-up. In the majors, Jensen slashed .300/.391/.550 with three home runs, a 13 percent walk rate and a 17.4 percent strikeout rate in 69 plate appearances. His contact and swinging-strike rates were better in the majors than at Triple-A, as Jensen seemingly got better as the season went along while earning multiple promotions. He has stolen between 10 and 17 bases in the minors the last three years, but he only attempted three steals at Triple-A and attempted zero steals in the majors, so he may only attempt a handful of steals in 2026. Jensen's talent and upside may be greater than his name value, although he won't be undervalued by anyone who puts a lot of stock in red Statcast bars. Read Past Outlooks