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 take a peek at what the club¡¯s farm system looks like at each position. Earlier this week, we featured the catching tandem set for this season.

Today, we¡¯re focusing on the infield. There¡¯s still plenty of time for this to change, too, before spring. If the Royals are going to make another offseason move, they could deal from their infield depth, or third base is an open spot for them to upgrade.

Projected starters: 1B Vinnie Pasquantino, 2B Jonathan India and Michael Massey, SS Bobby Witt Jr., 3B Maikel Garcia
One thing we¡¯ve learned about the Royals in recent years is that except for a select few, they¡¯re going to move people around to get the best lineup they can on each night. As it stands, these five seem like the infielders who will play every day, even if it¡¯s not at the same position or if the outfield becomes an option.

The obvious: Witt will play as many games as he can at shortstop, although he could get a few more days off or at designated hitter this year. Pasquantino is the Royals¡¯ everyday first baseman, but Salvador Perez can be considered the ¡°backup¡± there.

A major storyline this spring will be whether India or Massey can play more than just second base, like Kansa City advertised when it acquired India, and that includes the outfield. It seems more likely that India would be the one who could move to third base or left field, but the Royals won¡¯t really know until they see both out there.

It¡¯s fair to consider Garcia the everyday third baseman right now, but his playing time decreased last year when he struggled. Garcia can also be considered the backup shortstop and second baseman (if India or Massey are playing elsewhere or unavailable). Kansas City also believes Garcia can play center field, and he¡¯s gotten reps out there in previous springs. But it wouldn¡¯t be shocking if the club asked him to increase his versatility this season.

Bench options competing for a spot: UTIL Nick Loftin, 1B Nick Pratto, INF Braden Shewmake, UTIL Cavan Biggio
Pratto spent 2024 with Triple-A Omaha and posted a .734 OPS there. He¡¯s out of options in '25, which means he needs to make the 26-man roster or he'll be designated for assignment and have to pass through waivers before going to the Minor Leagues. For this reason, it wouldn¡¯t be surprising if Pratto is on the Opening Day roster as a bench bat, but he needs to earn it.

The Royals still have high hopes for Loftin, and it helps that he¡¯s able to play around the infield and the outfield. The 26-year-old struggled with the jump to the Majors last season but slashed .302/.409/.462 in 58 Triple-A games. Kansas City must decide if it wants him to get everyday at-bats in Triple-A to begin the year or if he brings value to its bench.

The Royals signed Biggio to a Minor League deal and invited him to Spring Training, giving him a chance to compete as a utility man. The 29-year-old bats left-handed, has shown the ability to get on base in the past and can play third base, so he fills a need for Kansas City, but there¡¯s still time for them to find other options that would bring more offensive impact. The Royals would have to clear roster space if Biggio makes the team, but that¡¯s a problem for late March.

Shewmake is on the 40-man roster after Kansas City claimed him off waivers from the White Sox on Jan. 8, so that helps his case. But he¡¯s viewed as more Triple-A depth, especially at shortstop.

Having India, Massey and Garcia able to move around a bit on the field, along with one other utility player, means the Royals might not need another infield bench bat, but the bench will be a major competition this spring.

Shortstop Cam Devanney and infielder/outfielder Tyler Tolbert were also on the Royals¡¯ non-roster-invite list for Spring Training and are good depth pieces, with Tolbert having more versatility.

Top 30 prospects: 1B Jac Caglianone (Royals¡¯ No. 1 prospect; No. 17 in baseball), SS Yandel Ricardo (Royals¡¯ No. 8 prospect), 2B/OF Javier Vaz (No. 13), 3B/SS Austin Charles (No. 14), 3B/SS Jhonayker Ugarte (No. 18), SS Daniel Vazquez (No. 23)
The headliner here is Caglianone, who received a big league camp invite last week and will focus only on hitting and his defensive work at first base early on this year. If his bat progresses as quickly as some think it might, Caglianone could start getting reps in the outfield to increase his versatility and ensure there¡¯s a spot for him in Kansas City. But for now, he¡¯s a first baseman.

Vaz, who was drafted in the 15th round of the 2022 Draft out of Vanderbilt, will also be in big league camp and could be in Triple-A to start '25. The 24-year-old slashed .263/.375/.379 in 115 games with Double-A Northwest Arkansas last season, playing mostly second base (773 2/3 innings) while also getting some time in left field (133 2/3 innings) and shortstop (45 1/3 innings). Vaz is known for his contact rates and plate discipline; he struck out just 60 times in 523 plate appearances last year and walked 73 times. Vaz would have a hard time finding playing time in Kansas City as the roster stands, but there¡¯s a world where he could force the Royals¡¯ hand in the next year.

Kansas City has quite a bit of depth on the left side of the infield in its farm system. Ricardo and Ugarte played their first seasons in the Rookie-level Dominican Summer League in 2024. Charles and Vazquez made strides in Single-A Columbia last year, and Vazquez did well in the Arizona Fall League, hitting .298 in 47 at-bats.