There's just over two weeks left until pitchers and catchers report to spring training camps on February 12, with all other players arriving five days later on February 17. The Kansas City Royals' camp will feature the usual suspects, as the large majority of players from 2024 are returning this season, but there will also be a list of non-roster invitees competing to prove themselves worthy of a spot on the major league squad.
The Royals have a lot of questions to answer in Arizona, with position battles needing to play out and multiple players uncertain as to where they'll be starting in 2025. If they put on a strong showing, most players have everything to gain at spring training — but which two Royals have the most to lose?
Michael Lorenzen, RHP
After being acquired by the Royals at the 2024 trade deadline, Lorenzen added a reliable presence at the back of the rotation as the team pushed into the playoffs, despite a hamstring strain landing him on the IL for a brief stint. The 33-year-old threw 28.2 innings for Kansas City during the regular season, accumulating a 2-0 record, 1.57 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, and 22 strikeouts, while holding opposing hitters to an average of just .183. During the Royals' postseason campaign, Lorenzen made two appearances out of the bullpen, posting a 3.86 ERA with 3 strikeouts in 2.1 innings of work.
The right-hander became a free agent at the end of 2024, but after a few months on the market — including a bizarre moment where he considered marketing himself as a two-way player — Lorenzen re-signed with the Royals at the start of January on a one-year, $5.5 million deal with a $12 million mutual option for 2026 or a $1.5 million buyout. Now it's just a question of whether Lorenzen goes back into the rotation this season, or if the team decides to send him to the bullpen instead.
Going into spring training, only three pitchers are locked in as starters for the Royals — Cole Ragans, Seth Lugo, and Michael Wacha. After a strong campaign last season, Lorenzen is an obvious frontrunner to be the team's fourth starter, but Kris Bubic, Daniel Lynch IV, Alec Marsh, and Kyle Wright will also be contending for one of the remaining two rotation slots. Considering Lorenzen's extensive experience as a reliever and swingman, it'll be only too easy for the Royals to send him to the bullpen if he doesn't impress enough in Arizona.
Hunter Renfroe, OF
On October 31, Hunter Renfroe expectedly exercised his $7.5 million player option to stay with Kansas City in 2025, but despite going into spring training as the team's starting right fielder, his position on the roster is a long way from certain. After his abysmal 2024 campaign, Renfroe is on extremely thin ice, and it likely won't take much for the Royals to finally give up and cut their losses on the 32-year-old.
In 424 plate appearances last year, Renfroe posted a disappointing .229/.297/.392 line with 15 home runs and 52 RBI. He certainly didn't make up for his poor batting stats on defense, either, recording -7 Outs Above Average (OAA) to rank in the bottom 6% of all qualified fielders, and a Fielding Run Value (FRV) of -4 to rank in the bottom 21%.
Despite the Royals' woes in the outfield being well-known and highly discussed this winter, Kansas City has done very little to improve the situation, which is really the only thing keeping Renfroe on the roster. If a better option becomes obvious at spring training — for example, Michael Massey moving to the outfield, or utility men Cavan Biggio and Harold Castro proving themselves worthy of a permanent position — things could quickly change.