3 must-watch spring exhibitions Royals fans need to circle in their calendars

Under the shining Surprise, Arizona sky, the Kansas City Royals are gearing up for the 2026 season. Whether it is a returning star or a newly drafted player trying to break through on the backfields, spring action matters for everyone as they shake off the winter rust.

Yes, players have offseason programs and can find third party development help, but there are few things as valuable as live looks and game speed reps. There is always something new to learn to take the next step, including veterans getting a feel for the ABS challenge system ahead of 2026.

Cactus League play will keep the Royals busy until Opening Day, but there are a few non-league events fans should have circled.

Here are three games that sit outside the Cactus League schedule, and why each one matters for players and fans alike.

3 must-watch spring exhibitions Royals fans should circle in their calendars

March 3: Exhibition vs Team Cuba

World Baseball Classic teams will face MLB clubs in a slate of exhibition games across spring sites, including one that sends a Tigers squad to Santo Domingo.

The Royals’ entry on that schedule is hosting Team Cuba at Surprise Stadium on March 3. The game will not count toward Cactus League standings or statistics, according to Royals communications. It is simply a tune up for national teams as pool play begins on March 4.

Team Cuba’s roster includes the oldest player in this year’s competition, shortstop Alexei Ramirez. Royals fans remember him from his years with the Chicago White Sox, when his glove and steady bat made him a familiar presence in the division. Now 44, Ramirez last played in MLB in 2016, but he is back on the field wearing his country’s colors

March 20: Spring Breakout against Texas Rangers

March 20 already has a Cactus League matchup with the San Francisco Giants on the calendar, but Surprise Stadium will also host a different kind of game that day. The Royals and Rangers will each field a prospect heavy roster for the annual Spring Breakout event, a showcase designed to put the sport’s best young talent on the same field in real game settings.

The event has quickly proven it is not just window dressing. Last year’s Breakout rosters were loaded with future big leaguers, and the list of alumni who surfaced in the majors keeps growing. The Royals’ 2026 roster is still to be announced, but last year’s game offered a glimpse of the organization’s next wave.

Jac Caglianone and Carter Jensen were only the headline names. Noah Cameron and Luinder Avila also appeared in the Breakout and later made real big league noise. It is the kind of game that can feel like a novelty until a few months pass and you realize you just watched a future contributor before the rest of the baseball world caught up.

March 23-24: Texas Rangers in Globe Life Field

The Royals and Rangers cross paths often in Surprise because they share the complex, but they also share one last stage before the season begins. Kansas City will head to Arlington for a two game set at Globe Life Field on March 23 and 24, giving both teams a final tune up in a true big league environment.

The setting matters. Moving from the backfields and spring parks into an MLB stadium changes the feel instantly. The sight lines, the sound, the pacing, the routines. It is a small dress rehearsal that lands only days before Opening Day.

The Royals and Rangers split this two-game stint last spring, but Kansas City owned the regular-season series with six wins in seven games. And while spring results are never the point, it still beats the alternative. The Royals already got their first win of camp against Texas, a small early reminder that this group expects to play meaningful games again in 2026.