This story was excerpted from Anne Rogers' Royals Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

KANSAS CITY -- In the buildup to Spring Training, we¡¯ll utilize this newsletter to go around the horn to assess the Royals¡¯ roster for 2025 and look at what prospects are on the rise at each position. Last week featured the catchers and the infield.

This edition is about the outfield. Kansas City has work to do out there.

In 2024, Royals outfielders slashed .222/.281/.367, their on-base percentage the worst in the Majors. The group had a 79 wRC+, which was tied with the White Sox for the second-lowest in baseball. Kansas City's 6.9% walk rate was fourth-worst, while its 22.2% strikeout rate was actually sixth-best.

It¡¯s an obvious place to upgrade. So far, the Royals haven¡¯t been involved in the slugging outfielders on the market. Young outfielder Joey Wiemer came over from the Reds as part of the Jonathan India trade and will compete for an Opening Day roster spot. Whether India or Michael Massey are able to play left field remains to be seen; that will be explored in Spring Training, but they should both be considered infielders.

Remember the middle-of-the-order bat the Royals said they wanted? The outfield is a perfect spot for that. But as spring nears, it¡¯s unclear where it might come from. Here¡¯s where the group stands right now:

Projected starters: LF MJ Melendez, CF Kyle Isbel, RF Hunter Renfroe
Improvement from Melendez and Renfroe in the corner outfield can solve the Royals¡¯ power absence in the middle of the order.

Renfroe¡¯s .689 OPS was the lowest of any full season in his career (2020 being the exception). When the Royals signed him, they were hoping they¡¯d get the 2021-22 version -- when he slashed .257/.315/.496 with 60 homers for Boston and Milwaukee -- or even the ¡®23 version (.713 OPS) of the veteran outfielder, but Renfroe dealt with injuries last year and was unproductive, though his defense did help out in right field.

Melendez is the most interesting part here, because he still boasts tremendous power potential. It hasn¡¯t clicked in his first three seasons, and the 26-year-old slashed .206/.273/.400 with 17 homers in 2024. The Royals, thinking back to Melendez¡¯s 41-homer Minor League season in 2021, believe there is more in there, but consistency is key. If Melendez¡¯s power potential becomes reality, Kansas City¡¯s lineup would look vastly different. So as long as Melendez is on the roster, the Royals won¡¯t give up on him.

Isbel will be the Royals¡¯ everyday center fielder again this year, providing Gold Glove-caliber defense. There is still more to be desired with his bat, but if Kansas City can shore up other positions in the lineup, it can slot Isbel near the bottom of the order again and focus on getting on base and moving runners over. His defense -- 5 Defensive Runs Saved and plus-9 Outs Above Average in center last year -- is too valuable to not have out there.

Bench options competing for a spot: Joey Wiemer, Dairon Blanco, Tyler Gentry, Nelson Velázquez, Drew Waters, Cavan Biggio, John Rave
Blanco brought a unique asset to the Royals¡¯ bench last year as a pinch-runner -- and performed so well in that role that Kansas City didn¡¯t want to give it up even when there was an argument to bring in more offense.

Wiemer is similar in that he brings speed and can play center field, so it¡¯ll be interesting to see how the Royals might use him in 2025.

Gentry, Vel¨¢zquez and Waters will also be competing for Opening Day bench spots, with the chance to hit their way into more playing time. Waters had a great 2024 in Triple-A, hitting .290 with an .873 OPS, but he hasn¡¯t been able to replicate that performance yet in the Majors. Vel¨¢zquez, too, has struggled with the jump from Triple-A to the big leagues. Gentry, the Royals¡¯ 15th-ranked prospect -- who got a small taste of the Majors last year -- needs to cut down on his strikeout rate (30.5%) and be more consistent to carve out a role.

Biggio has the ability to play a bunch of different positions, including the corner outfield, which helps his shot at the Opening Day roster. Rave, another non-roster player in camp, will likely return to Triple-A -- where he had an .815 OPS last year -- and is solid center field depth for the Royals.

Top 30 prospects: Gavin Cross (No. 6), Tyler Gentry (No. 15), Asbel Gonzalez (No. 20), Carson Roccaforte (No. 28)
Cross should get his first taste at Triple-A this season after slashing .261/.342/.428 across 101 games in Double-A last season, with 15 homers, 19 doubles and 30 stolen bases. And he might get a shot at the big leagues by the end of the year. The Royals¡¯ first-round pick in 2022, Cross needs to cut down a bit on his strikeouts, but he¡¯s got power and can handle the corner outfield positions well.

Roccaforte was the Royals¡¯ 2024 Defensive Player of the Year in the Minor Leagues, a true center field prospect who gets high marks for his speed and reads. Double-A will be a good test for him this year, both at the plate and in the field.

Gonzalez just turned 19 and performed well in his first season stateside, hitting .285 in Rookie ball. His best tool is his speed, making him a defensive asset in center field. Gonzalez still has a long way to go in his development, but he¡¯s someone to watch in the coming years as he grows.