3 KC Royals roster decisions that may be getting easier to make

After sending infielder Javier Vaz to minor league camp on March 8, the Kansas City Royals still have almost 60 players working on the big league side of their Surprise, Arizona, spring training complex. That leaves the Royals with a lot of moves to make between now and their March 27 Opening Day match with the Cleveland Guardians — the club must get its active roster down to 26 players by that morning. Many roster decisions, some of which could come on the heels of the Royals' two March 8 split-squad Cactus League games, will be difficult.

Others, though, are getting easier to make. Here are just three.

Tyler Gentry is probably headed back to the minor leagues

Gentry appeared to have squeezed himself into the Royals' complicated outfield picture after going 3-for-5 in the club's first two Cactus League games. But that early splash, which included a three-run eighth-inning homer that proved to be the winner in KC's 5-2 opening game victory over the Texas Rangers, has turned into a mere ripple.

Gentry is 1-for-9 since going 2-for-3 and stealing a base the day after his heroics against Texas. That — along with the decent, roster spot-solidifying spring MJ Melendez is having, the simple truth that Hunter Renfroe's guaranteed contract means he'll at least start the season in Kansas City, and the experimental but encouraging Cactus League outfield play of Jonathan India and Michael Massey — leads to the near-inescapable conclusion that Gentry won't break camp with the Royals.

Instead, expect Gentry to be a late assignee to minor league camp and return to Triple-A Omaha. That he has minor league options left also helps make those moves logical.

Joey Wiemer is also destined for a minor league assignment

Unlike Gentry's early effort, Wiemer's spring play hasn't given the Royals much reason to consider him for a major league roster spot. Unlikely to make the club even before spring training began, Wiemer isn't making a strong case for himself in Cactus League action — he has a homer and three RB, but is only 3-for-17 (.176) in 10 games. Wiemer has also walked five times, but that won't be enough to put him into Kansas City's Opening Day picture.

Jonathan Bowlan is building a good case to spend Opening Day with the KC Royals

Until last season, Bowlan's Kansas City future seemed to be as a starting pitcher. Headed into 2024, and since he began pitching professionally in 2019, he'd worked out of the bullpen only six times in the minors, and once in his miniscule three-game major league career.

But last July, the organization made what could for Bowlan prove to be a career-changing decision. After he'd started in all 17 of his appearances at Triple-A Omaha — and gone 7-5 with a concerning 5.58 ERA — he pitched a scoreless relief inning against the Indianapolis Indians (the Pittsburgh Pirates' Triple-A affiliate) on July 19. His starting days apparently over, at least for the Storm Chasers, he made 18 more relief appearances and finished the campaign with an impressive 5-0, 2.77 ERA bullpen record.

And he's pitching quite well this spring. He's struck out six and yielded only one run in five innings. Opponents are hitting only .118 against him and his 1.00 WHIP is excellent.

Together with his fine relief work at Omaha, those numbers trend in the direction of an Opening Day spot in Kansas City's bullpen. Bowlan has some work to do to firm that outcome up, but he could be a valuable addition to manager Matt Quatraro's relief corps. And beyond that, he would give the third-year KC skipper a pitcher capable of making an occasional start.