3 hot Royals prospects on verge of key big league breakouts in 2026

The Kansas City Royals lingered on the fringes of the late-season playoff hunt but, when all was said and done in a campaign that began with high expectations and much promise, headed home to watch postseason play unfold without them. Left behind were the disappointing results of the Jonathan India-Brady Singer trade, a devastating series of injuries to the club's rotation, and unresolved problems posed by a frustratingly incomplete offense.

Fortunately, the Royals' failure to reach the playoffs doesn't mean their fans settled into the offseason without some satisfaction. Closer Carlos Estévez thrilled them by leading the majors in saves. Bobby Witt Jr. once again paced the big leagues in hits. And Jac Caglianone and Carter Jensen made their much-anticipated debuts to set the stage for things to come from both in 2026.

But Caglianone, whose future seems bright despite his struggles at the plate this season, and Jensen, whose solid September introduction to the majors propelled him to the top spot of MLB Pipeline's top 30 KC prospects rankings, aren't the only prospects potentially poised for stellar 2026 seasons in Kansas City. Three stand out in particular.

Luinder Avila should be ready for a big season with the Royals

General manager J.J. Picollo will spend much of the offseason searching for what he didn't land last winter — an established major leaguer with a big bat to solidify an offense that too often held his club down and played such a prominent role in its failure to make the 2025 playoffs.

But securing the services of such a player won't guarantee the Royals October baseball next season. Good pitching isn't the lock so many thought it would be in 2025 — the rotation must avoid the injuries that decimated it this season and the bullpen still has soft spots.

And that's where Avila could make a major difference. His 2025 campaign that began at Triple-A Omaha and ended with a bang in Kansas City's bullpen suggests Avila could relieve or start — or both — for the Royals in 2026.

A nearly two-month stay on the injured list may have significantly impacted Avila's somewhat concerning Triple-A numbers. He went 2-3 with a disappointing 5.23 ERA across nine starts and five relief appearances. But the Royals saw enough in the right-hander to give him a brief mid-August call-up (he pitched a scoreless inning against Washington) and make him a part of their September roster expansion.

And he excelled down the stretch. Working exclusively in relief, Avila, ranked 14th on MLB Pipeline's latest list of top 30 Royal prospects, held opponents to a measly 1.29 ERA, 0.938 WHIP and .140 average, and struck out 16 in 14 innings across 13 games. Pitching so startlingly well signals a promising 2026 campaign with the Royals.

Outfielder Gavin Cross may be ready to make an excellent Royals debut

Especially considering he's never played above Double-A ball, Cross' four-season .242/.321/.426 minor league career slash line doesn't cry out for an immediate promotion to the big leagues. But in the "what have you done for me lately" environment, Kansas City's top 2022 draft pick stands out.

Cross, you may recall, started miserably this season. Beginning his second year at Double-A Northwest Arkansas, he slashed .182/.247/.261 in April and .152/.167/.313 in May.

But he broke out in June with a far better .265/.321/.469, improved to .306/.363/.458 in July, slashed ..298/.375/.577 in August, and finished his resurgence with a .283/.278/.415 September.

He also established career highs in homers (17), RBI (64), and doubles (23), tied his career-best with three triples, and recorded his second-best steals campaign with 23. He's also averaged almost 15 home runs over his last three seasons.

Cross is a shoo-in for moving up to Triple-A to begin next season. A good performance at Omaha, especially if it comes early, should pave the way for a trip to the majors.

A.J. Causey is positioning himself for a spot in the Royals' 2026 bullpen

In case anyone's missed it, we've been pretty high on Causey, so much so that we've wondered whether he's Kansas City's closer in the making, and proclaimed him a currently untouchable prospect.

And with plenty of good reasons. Pitching in only his first professional campaign this season, he broke out spectacularly by going 11-5 with a 1.72 ERA and nine saves spread over 48 combined High-A and Double-A relief appearances. Only two of 17 runners he inherited scored, and he finished the year with a 9.20 K/9, 2.21 BB/9,4.177 K/BB ratio, and 0.90 WHIP.

Some might conclude it's too early to project Causey as a 2026 major leaguer. But if his dominance continues in what should be a season-beginning promotion to Triple-A, he could very well find himself making an impact on the Kauffman Stadium mound before the campaign ends.