Bobby Witt Jr. has been nominated for the Roberto Clemente Award, adding another honor to a season that’s already put his name front and center in Kansas City.
Witt’s off-field work is the reason he’s in the mix. He has made ongoing philanthropic contributions around the Kansas City community, supports organizations fighting ALS, and plays an active role in the Royals’ efforts to promote kids’ literacy through educational reading programs. He is also a classroom champion in the club’s literacy league.
“Just like all Royals fans and Kansas Citians, I’m grateful for the way Bobby has personally embraced and lifted our hometown,” Royals owner John Sherman said in a news release. “He doesn’t just show up for the photo op or put his name on something.
“We have children in our public schools, young baseball and softball players, and others facing significant challenges in their lives who’ve been touched by Bobby’s inspiration.”
If Witt wins, he would become the Royals’ second Roberto Clemente Award recipient, joining Salvador Perez. Perez took home the 2024 honor for his humanitarian work in Kansas City and Venezuela.
Elsewhere around the Royals’ orbit, Chris Higgins at the KC Star detailed which development firms will help build the stadium. Minneapolis-based Mortenson brings a long track record in sports and entertainment construction, with projects that include T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Energizer Stadium in St. Louis, Allianz Field in Saint Paul and the future ballpark for the Athletics in Las Vegas.
Kansas City-based McCownGordon also has a wide portfolio, including the Kansas City Symphony’s future performing arts venue, the Barney Allis Plaza renovations and several other corporate and municipal projects in the region and beyond.
“We’re honored to have the opportunity to help build the new home for the Royals and be part of a transformational project that will have a lasting impact on Kansas City,” Logan Gerken, Mortenson sports and entertainment vice president, said in a statement. “Together with McCownGordon, we bring deep sports construction experience and capacity, forming a partership with longstanding roots and relationships in this community.”
In other Royals notes, David Lesky recapped the Boston series, first-round pick Zion Rose is headed to the Arizona Fall League, and Tristan Peters drew an 18-pitch walk yesterday.
Around baseball, Nick Krall, the Reds’ team president, expects to return for the 2027 season even though the club is last in the standings after making the playoffs last year. Teoscar Hernández is on a heater, and the Yankees and Dodgers have both clinched postseason berths.
In Other News...
Royals Late-Season Push Is Clarifying A Tough Roster Picture
The Royals have spent the past week sorting through the kind of late-season stretch that can sharpen a front offices view of the roster without making anything simple. Kansas City went 2-4, but the wins over the Diamondbacks and Red Sox offered some useful signs, from Michael Wacha turning in a strong six-inning start to Salvador Perez continuing his late offensive surge. Noah Cameron has also taken a real step forward after changing his pitching approach, while Michael Massey, Carter Jensen and Nate Pearson have each given the club more to think about in a good way.
The harder part has been separating that progress from the names who have slid the other direction. Nick Loftin, Craig Kimbrel and Kyle Isbel have all struggled lately, which is the kind of uneven finish that can make September feel less like a sprint and more like an audition. For a Royals club trying to balance present-day competitiveness with longer-term decisions, these final games are doing exactly what they usually do: clarifying a few answers, while leaving a few important spots very much up for review. [Read more 🡒]
Royals Are Back To Facing The Same Isaac Collins Doubt
Isaac Collins has given the Royals a reminder that a good rookie season does not always carry cleanly into year two. After coming over in the trade involving Angel Zerpa, he was expected to help lengthen the lineup and offer some versatility, but his 2026 production has trailed the promise he flashed as a rookie. The decline has shown up across pitch types, leaving Kansas City with a player whose bat has not been as dependable as the front office likely hoped.
The deeper concern is not just the drop in results, but the way Collins is getting there. His swing decisions have been less sharp, and his batted-ball profile has shifted in the wrong direction, with a reduced line drive rate and a heavier lean toward fly balls. For a Royals team trying to piece together offense wherever it can find it, that creates an uncomfortable question about how much impact Collins can realistically provide unless the underlying approach starts to turn. [Read more 🡒]
Royals Prospect Watch Shifts As One Affiliate Starts Turning Heads
The Royals farm system keeps offering a little bit of everything as the minor league schedule moves toward its finish, with Omaha, Northwest Arkansas and Quad Cities each providing its own storyline. The Storm Chasers have been part of the recent attention, while the Naturals and River Bandits have added their own wins, pitching lines and late-season context to a system that is still worth following closely.
Quad Cities, in particular, has started to turn some heads as the River Bandits continue their playoff push and help shift the conversation beyond the usual prospect rankings. With series still ahead and more room for the picture to change before the minor league seasons wrap up, there is still plenty left to sort out in Kansas Citys pipeline, and a fuller read on who really separated themselves will have to wait until the calendar runs out. [Read more 🡒]