3 KC Royals players with most to gain at spring training

Teams across MLB are gearing up for spring training, with camps due to open in just over a month. On January 10, the Kansas City Royals announced their list of non-roster invites to spring training, and while multiple prospects will be battling to impress the powers that be, there are also a number of major league players going in with a lot to prove.

From position battles to showing they deserve a second chance, here are the three Royals players with the most to gain at spring training.

Alec Marsh, RHP

Less than a week ago, Alec Marsh was the frontrunner to be the Royals' fifth starter in 2025, but things have changed. On January 6, Kansas City re-signed veteran Michael Lorenzen to a one-year, $5.5 million deal, and considering the right-hander's successful stint with the team last season, his return to the Royals may push Marsh out of contention for a role in the rotation.

That is, unless Marsh — who was recently dubbed a "breakout player to watch in 2025" — can prove himself deserving of a spot over Kris Bubic.

In 2024, Marsh started the season in the Royals' starting rotation, but a string of underwhelming outings in June and July — 6.14 ERA in 11 appearances — saw him optioned him to Triple-A on July 31. Lorenzen, who the Royals had just acquired at the trade deadline, took Marsh's place in the rotation, but when a hamstring injury sidelined the veteran just a month later, Marsh was recalled from Triple-A for another shot.

Despite strong stats during his brief reset in the minors, Marsh was only marginally better when he rejoined the Royals at the end of August. He finished the 2024 season having thrown 129 innings for Kansas City, accumulating a 9-9 record, 4.53 ERA, and 1.26 WHIP.

Now, Marsh is going into spring training with a goal of redemption. Since the Royals traded away Brady Singer in November, the three rotation spots behind Cole Ragans, Seth Lugo, and Michael Wacha have been in contention, with Bubic and Marsh as the frontrunners. With Lorenzen returning to the roster, only one spot remains — so can Marsh beat out Bubic?

Bubic spent 2024 in the bullpen after undergoing Tommy John surgery the year prior, and to say he had a breakout season would be an understatement. In 2022 — his last full campaign as a starter — Bubic posted the highest WHIP (1.70), worst OBP-against (.381), and highest percentage of line drives (25.8%) among all big-league pitchers, but in 30.1 innings last year as a reliever, he accumulated an impressive 2.67 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, and .261 OBP-against, with a walk rate of just 4.1%.

This winter, manager Matt Quatraro has said the Royals want to transition Bubic back to starting, which obviously complicates things for Marsh. Still, Bubic will need to prove that his newfound talent as a reliever will transfer to the longer outings, and if Marsh impresses enough to make it a difficult decision, the Royals may just leave Bubic in the bullpen where they know he can thrive.