As the Royals reach the final stretch of the season, they’re already sorting through a 2027 question that doesn’t have an obvious answer: who handles the fourth outfielder job?
For now, the clearest internal names in the mix are John Rave and Isaac Collins. Neither one is going to jump off the page, and that’s part of the appeal.
That spot usually belongs to a player who can do a little bit of everything without demanding the spotlight. Right now, Rave and Collins both fit that mold in different ways.
Rave has made a strong case with limited opportunity. In 145 plate appearances, he’s hitting .228/.315/.441 with an OPS of .756 and a 109 wRC+. He has also kept his approach steady, posting an 11.0% walk rate while showing more pop than expected with a .213 ISO.
The underlying numbers back up the production. Rave has barreled the ball at a 9.7% clip, his expected numbers are up from last season, he isn’t chasing much, and his bat speed is above average.
The power has also come with a notable shift in how he’s hitting the ball in the air to the pull side. In 2025, his pull air% was 10.9% at the majors, and in 2026 it has jumped to 21.3%.
He’s done more than just hit. Rave has handled all three outfield spots, and while his defense is technically a step back from last season, the drop is small.
Most of his work has come in right field, where he’s posted 5 DRS, 3 OAA, and 2 FRV. In center and left, he’s been slightly below average or right around average in 2026, which is perfectly workable for a fourth outfielder.
He’s also chipped in on the bases. Rave has seven stolen bases and has been caught only once, and he’s added two baserunning runs on the year.
That combination makes him an easy internal candidate if the Royals want to avoid reaching outside the organization, prospect considerations aside. If the power sticks, he checks a lot of boxes for the role: enough glove, enough speed, and enough offensive progress to matter.
Collins, though, brings his own argument - even if this season hasn’t gone the way the Royals hoped after trading for him last offseason. He arrived fresh off a fourth-place finish in Rookie of the Year voting, but he hasn’t come close to that level in 2026. He’s slashing .217/.323/.329 with an OPS of .652 and a 86 wRC+.
What makes the comparison interesting is how similar the two players actually are in some respects. Collins also draws walks at a strong rate, sitting at 12.3%.
His bat speed is solid at 73.5 mph, and he doesn’t expand the zone much, with a 21.8% chase rate. The problem is that the quality of contact just hasn’t been there, and he hasn’t been able to drive pitches consistently.
Defensively, Collins has been serviceable but not special, which matters in a ballpark like Kauffman Stadium. He’s been average in left field with 4 DRS, 0 OAA, and 1 FRV.
The stronger DRS number is likely tied to his ten outfield assists. Beyond that, he’s been an average outfielder and has also seen limited time at second base, where he hasn’t stood out.
There have been stretches where Collins looked like he might turn things around. After a slow start, he posted a 99 wRC+ in June, then followed it with a 136 wRC+ in July.
That made it look like he might be building toward a strong finish. Instead, the back half has gone the other direction.
His August wRC+ dropped to 56, and September has been even tougher, with a 23 wRC+ so far in the final month.
Even so, Collins isn’t without a path back. He still walks, he still defends well enough, and his contact profile is better than Rave’s. The issue is that he hasn’t shown that ceiling often enough outside of a couple of hot months.
So the Royals have a real competition brewing for that fourth outfield role. Both players have something to offer, but that’s only part of the picture.
The bigger issue is that Kansas City is still likely to be hunting for an impact bat in the outfield, and there are prospects pushing for a look too. That means this could be headed for a Spring Training battle before anything is settled.
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