Carter Jensen has done enough this season to make one thing clear for the Royals: there’s no need to start shopping him around the field just yet.
The rookie catcher added another line to his breakthrough year this weekend against the Cleveland Guardians, launching his 19th homer and setting the Royals’ rookie record for home runs by a primary catcher in a season. It’s the kind of milestone that only sharpens the case for keeping him right where he is.
Jensen’s first full big league season has already turned into a legitimate offensive showing. He’s carrying a .719 OPS with 19 homers and 61 RBI, production that has stood out all year for a Kansas City club trying to claw its way back into relevance. For a team dealing with the sharp decline of Salvador Perez, Jensen has become a badly needed source of offense.
The defense has fueled some of the outside conversation. Jensen has had rookie growing pains behind the plate, including a first percentile -11 blocks above average.
But the full picture is more encouraging than the noise suggests. He has above-average marks in framing, caught stealing above average and pop time, which makes him look less like a problem and more like part of the answer as Perez’s role continues to age.
That hasn’t stopped the speculation. ESPN’s Jeff Passan raised the idea earlier this month that the Royals might eventually have to move Jensen to the outfield, pointing to catching prospects like Blake Mitchell and Ramon Ramirez moving through the system. But that idea feels a little backwards when the player in question is already helping the big-league club and isn’t struggling enough defensively to force a switch.
The bigger point is what Jensen does with the bat, especially when he’s catching. The numbers say he’s been even better offensively behind the plate, and that matters. If the Royals have a young hitter producing at a level that could put him in Rookie of the Year territory at catcher, why create a new problem by moving him somewhere else?
Kansas City also needs to think beyond the immediate moment. Mitchell and Ramirez are not expected to solve anything next season, and they shouldn’t be rushed. The Royals need to keep developing them while letting Jensen keep growing in the role he’s already handling at the major league level.
He’s also become a useful lineup piece in ways that go beyond the catching conversation. Jensen has hit in every spot in the order except Bobby Witt Jr.’s locked-in second slot, and the Royals have mostly used him in the leadoff spot and in the five hole. That kind of flexibility matters.
The leadoff work has been especially valuable. Kansas City has spent a long time looking for someone reliable to set the table, and Jensen has at least given them a workable option.
A 107 wRC+ from the top of the order, even with a .220 AVG, gives the Royals something to build around. And if pitchers try to work around him, they risk turning the lineup over to Witt.
Batting fifth has its own appeal. For years, the Royals have had trouble connecting the top and bottom of the order, even with names like Witt, Perez, Vinnie Pasquantino and Maikel Garcia doing their part. Jensen gives them another bat that can keep an inning moving instead of letting rallies die.
So yes, the Royals have room to get creative with Jensen. But the cleanest path is also the most obvious one: keep him behind the plate, let him keep hitting, and give him a full season as the primary catcher from Opening Day onward so the organization can see exactly what it has.
In Other News...
Royals Make A Surprising Bullpen Move That Changes One Relievers Future
The Royals are making an unusual bullpen decision with right-hander John Schreiber, placing him on waivers even though he remains eligible to pitch for Kansas City in the meantime. The move gives the rest of the league 48 hours to decide whether to claim him, and it adds another layer of uncertainty to a bullpen that has already had to account for Schreibers uneven production this season after he came over in a trade from the Red Sox.
If he clears waivers, Schreiber would be expected to stay with the Royals through the 2026 season before potentially reaching free agency in the offseason. For Kansas City, it is a quietly significant roster move because it opens the door to another club while still leaving the option to keep him around, and it suggests the team is at least exploring what his future looks like beyond the immediate bullpen mix. [Read more 🡒]
Royals Winning Streak Cant Hide One Offseason Problem Anymore
The Royals have played their way into a much better spot over the last couple of weeks, winning 13 of 15 and giving themselves a little breathing room in the standings. Even with that surge, one issue has stayed stubbornly in place: the bullpen. Kansas City still sits 29th in relief ERA, and the contrast between the clubs recent results and its late-inning numbers is hard to ignore.
Alex Langes season has been part of the problem, with a 5.81 ERA and 1.50 WHIP, and he was the only Kansas City reliever to allow runs in the most recent game. The broader concern is bigger than one outing, though. The Royals have already taken some swings on the bullpen through free agency and trades, and the returns have been mixed enough that the offseason may have to bring a more meaningful answer. [Read more 🡒]
Royals Lineup Flipped A Shaky Night Fast And The Guardians Cracked
Daniel Lynch IV gave the Royals a short but survivable start, working 3.1 innings while allowing three hits, two walks and striking out three. From there, the bullpen settled things down and kept Cleveland off the bases until the ninth, giving Kansas City enough runway to let its offense take over after a shaky opening.
The lineup answered with a tie in the fifth and then strung together the kind of inning that can flip a game in a hurry in the sixth, with Bobby Witt Jr., Salvador Perez and Nick Loftin all contributing key hits. The Guardians also helped the cause with defensive mistakes, and by the time the dust settled, the Royals had turned an uneasy night into a lead they could protect. [Read more 🡒]