ARLINGTON -- With two days until Opening Day, the Royals' roster has come into focus.
Kansas City made several moves Tuesday before its exhibition game against the Rangers at Globe Life Field, optioning infielder Nick Loftin and outfielders Joey Wiemer and Drew Waters. The Royals also reassigned infielder Harold Castro, infielder/outfielder Tyler Tolbert, right-hander Taylor Clarke and catcher Brian O'Keefe.
That leaves the Major League camp roster at 26 players. And those 26 players are expected to break camp with the team:
Catchers (2): Salvador Perez, Freddy Fermin
Infielders (5): Vinnie Pasquantino, Jonathan India, Michael Massey, Bobby Witt Jr., Maikel Garcia
Outfielders (3): MJ Melendez, Kyle Isbel, Hunter Renfroe
Bench (3): Mark Canha, Dairon Blanco, Cavan Biggio
Rotation (5): Cole Ragans, Seth Lugo, Michael Wacha, Kris Bubic, Michael Lorenzen
Bullpen (8): Carlos Estévez, Lucas Erceg, Hunter Harvey, John Schreiber, Chris Stratton, Angel Zerpa, Sam Long, Daniel Lynch IV
This isn¡¯t official yet, as the Royals still want to get through Tuesday¡¯s game in Arlington and Wednesday's workout at Kauffman Stadium without any further injuries. Pasquantino¡¯s status in the next two days as he works his way back from a right hamstring strain might change the plan, but he took batting practice on the field on Tuesday. All signs point toward him being on the roster for Opening Day, but the Royals won't make that decision until Thursday morning.
¡°We¡¯ve trimmed down the roster,¡± manager Matt Quatraro said. ¡°But there¡¯s nothing guaranteed. We¡¯ve still got a game today. We've got to work out tomorrow. We¡¯ve got to evaluate Vinnie¡¯s health and see where we are.¡±
Most notably, Biggio earned the final bench spot, beating out Loftin, Wiemer, Waters and Castro. The Royals will still need to add him to the 40-man roster (there are two spots available), but that¡¯s expected to happen Thursday morning.
¡°Whenever you get a chance to be on a big league roster, it¡¯s very humbling,¡± Biggio said. ¡°Being with one team for so long, and then being with four different teams in one year -- now, coming to Spring Training and being able to get familiar with the staff and the players, it just made me want to be a part of this team that much more, just because of what we've got going on here. Very excited about it, granted everything goes well.¡±
The 29-year-old Biggio bats from the left side and can play all over the field, two things that worked to his advantage. If Pasquantino can¡¯t play first base right away, Canha and Biggio will be able to fill in on the days Perez is catching.
Biggio hit just .182 (6-for-33) in spring play, but his on-base percentage was .449. He drew 12 walks in 49 plate appearances. That skillset is what helped his case to begin the season in Kansas City. The Royals signed Biggio -- the son of Hall of Famer Craig Biggio -- to a Minor League deal this offseason after he spent 2024 with three teams: The Blue Jays (who selected him in the fifth round of the 2016 Draft), Dodgers and Braves. His production has dwindled, but he¡¯s only two years removed from a .340 on-base percentage, which is what the Royals are looking for out of their bench.
Quatraro will likely tab Biggio for late-inning pinch-hit opportunities against right-handers, while Canha will step in against lefties. The Royals were also pleased with some of Biggio¡¯s behind-the-scenes work and the swing changes he showed this spring.
¡°The biggest thing when I¡¯m walking and seeing the ball well, it¡¯s being on time and taking good swings at the ball,¡± Biggio said. ¡°So, that was my offseason, just for me to put myself in a good position to see the ball like I have in the past and being able to put aggressive swings on it.¡±
The Royals opted to go with Biggio over young outfielders such as Wiemer and Waters, who would have brought more of a speed element to the bench. Wiemer is right-handed, though, and Waters, a switch-hitter, is more productive from the right side. Kansas City also feels good about where Blanco, its main pinch-runner, is at with his health after dealing with a right Achilles tendon injury earlier this spring. The club believes he can be a backup center fielder, along with Garcia.
Loftin, also a righty, had a solid spring, but he has Minor League options remaining, giving the Royals more flexibility later in the season.
¡°Extremely tough [decisions],¡± Quatraro said. ¡° ... And we¡¯re going to need more than 26 guys. That¡¯s why keeping guys in the right frame of mind to come back and perform when they¡¯re needed is really important.¡±