2 Royals relievers who deserve to crack Opening Day bullpen, 2 who don’t

Entering the final week of Cactus League action, the Kansas City Royals are starting to whittle down their major-league camp roster and hone in on that 26-man group.

Many of the Royals’ best players are still wrapped up in World Baseball Classic action, which has made some of these lineups look more like a Triple-A series opener than a big-league spring game. But that is not much of a surprise, because so much of the Royals’ Opening Day roster already feels set, or safe at least.

Four of the five rotation spots are all but guaranteed, the infield is set, and the outfield pieces are assembled even if they still need to be rearranged. All in all, it feels like 23 of the 26 roster spots are already in good shape. While the final bench spot is a worthy conversation, the Royals could also still go a few different directions in the bullpen.

Kansas City has a litany of veteran relievers with no minor-league options remaining, likely pushing several worthy arms down to Triple-A Omaha in the process.

Guys like Carlos Estévez, Matt Strahm, and Lucas Erceg are all too integral to Kansas City’s late-inning plans to be in any danger of a roster crunch. John Schreiber and Nick Mears have too much MLB experience to think the Royals would designate either for assignment ahead of Opening Day. Outside of those five, though, the bullpen still has some wiggle room.

Spring training stats are not everything, but they are not nothing. If the Cactus League process and results are any indication of the Royals’ plans, these are the pitchers who do and do not deserve a spot on Kansas City’s first 26-man roster of the 2026 season.

Royals still have plenty of decisions to make in their bullpen ahead of Opening Day

Do - LHP Daniel Lynch IV

The Royals went all in on collegiate pitching in the 2018 MLB Draft, with mixed results at best. Lefty Kris Bubic is the lone pick to make an All-Star team, and the premier selections, Jackson Kowar and Brady Singer, are wearing different uniforms now.

Left-handed pitcher Daniel Lynch IV is sandwiched between Singer and Bubic in that draft order, and he scuffled for much of his big-league career as a starter. But he has transitioned into a relief role over the past two seasons with much better results. The predictive numbers do not love Lynch as a high-leverage option, but he has at least solidified his place in the 2026 bullpen picture.

Lynch turned heads this spring with a big jump in fastball velocity, surpassing 97 mph and averaging about one mph above his 2025 marks. He has primarily used it in 0-0 counts, then turned to the changeup or slider after that. His extension is way down this spring, something worth monitoring as the season progresses. But he has largely performed well against MLB-quality hitters and should get another chance to prove he is better suited for the bullpen than the rotation.

Don't - LHP Helcris Olivárez

There may be no non-roster invitee who has raised his stock more this spring than left-handed pitcher Helcris Olivárez.

The Dominican southpaw is still only 25 years old, but he has bounced around three organizations in the last three seasons, including losing all of 2023 to shoulder surgery. He came into the Royals organization with a clear identity: the velocity is eye-popping, but the control has been eye-rolling. His strikeout-to-walk ratio last season was nearly one-to-one, hardly the place a pitcher wants to be.

Kansas City adding him this offseason was a very minor move, but the lefty has not looked out of place in big-league camp. He has shown improved command without sacrificing the velocity.

Even so, there is still too much work left before Olivárez is ready for a big-league call. He still struggles to miss bats in the zone and needs a better feel for his changeup to get those whiffs. Olivárez is absolutely a player the Royals should continue developing in Triple-A, but carrying him on the 26-man roster would be foolish.

Do - RHP Steven Cruz

Right-handed pitcher Steven Cruz made a career-high 47 appearances in 2025 and performed well in his first full MLB season. The Dominican was better before the All-Star break, but he still brought value against left-handed hitters and featured one of the hardest-thrown cutters in the game.

Still, with the aforementioned veteran options in the mix, Cruz’s roster flexibility could push him back to Omaha to begin the season. His performance this spring, though, looks like that of a right-hander who deserves an Opening Day roster spot.

Cruz has allowed only one hit, a home run, and one walk in 4.1 innings this spring. Spring stats should never be trusted on their own, but Cruz is showing much better control, especially with his four-seam fastball. That has come with some decreased velocity, but a 70 percent whiff rate and a consistent ability to land pitches on the zone’s edges and shadow make Cruz look far more polished and much less like an erratic fireballer.

I would be more worried about the reduced velocity if not for the slider still holding its 2025 average, while only the cutter and four-seam have dipped. It is worth watching whether that carries into the season, but right now it gives Cruz a very different feel in Arizona.

Don't - RHP Héctor Neris

World Series ring? Check. Winning pedigree? Check. Recent success? Not so much. That is why the Royals were able to add 12-year veteran Héctor Neris on a minor-league deal this offseason.

The longtime Philadelphia Phillies reliever struggled across three stops last season after showing signs of decline in 2024. Father Time remains undefeated, and the 36-year-old Dominican could not stave him off much longer.

Still, his experience made him worth a spring look. Unfortunately, those chances have not translated to success and should not lead to an Opening Day roster spot.

Neris has pitched 6.0 innings in Arizona, allowing nine hits and five earned runs in that span. On top of that, his four walks against zero strikeouts do not paint the picture of a savvy veteran able to nibble around the zone or induce weak contact.

His bread and butter for years was a potent split-finger fastball, but that pitch has lost some bite and command in 2026. A fastball averaging just 91.2 mph with shaky command is not going to get it done in a big-league game.