4 Kansas City Royals with the most at stake in the 2026 World Baseball Classic

The Kansas City Royals are in the thick of Cactus League action now, but this is not the only exhibition baseball on the calendar.

The 2026 World Baseball Classic is right around the corner, and after an electric 2023 edition, expectations are high for the international stage. Team USA and Team Venezuela feature plenty of Royals mainstays, and Kansas City has more than 15 players from the organization joining different WBC rosters.

There will always be fan concerns about how the World Baseball Classic carries into the season that follows. Whether there is any real, measurable impact is still up for debate, but Royals fans will remember how “little playing time” on Team USA in 2023 became a common explanation for Bobby Witt Jr.’s slow start that year. It is one of those narratives that tends to stick, even when the evidence is thin.

Players go for pride and to represent something bigger than themselves. There is a reason the World Baseball Classic keeps growing and continues to attract the sport’s best talent. Moments like Shohei Ohtani striking out Mike Trout to clinch Japan’s 2023 championship are exactly why the event matters, both to fans and to players.

Ahead of camps opening, a few Royals representatives feel like they have something to prove in this tournament. Whether it is a prospect trying to pop against older competition or a big leaguer looking to shake off a rocky 2025, these four enter the WBC with a little extra edge.

4 Kansas City Royals with the most at stake in the 2026 World Baseball Classic

RHP Seth Lugo, Team Puerto Rico

Seth Lugo is the most established name on this list, and his motivation is the most straightforward. He is looking to recapture his 2024 form in 2026 after sliding from elite to more ordinary in 2025, a shift that helped keep Kansas City out of the postseason.

The Royals extended Lugo in late July, keeping him in the fold for at least two more seasons, but the finish to his year left a sour taste.

Lugo’s final six starts were brutal, and he did not pitch in September after landing on the injured list with a lower back strain, his second IL stint of the season.

He has already acknowledged he did not end the year the way he wanted. Now he gets a fresh stage, and Puerto Rico is not exactly a soft landing.

If Lugo is serious about mixing his fastball differently and reshaping his approach, the WBC is a clean first look. Royals fans may not want to overreact to a short tournament, but sharp command and conviction early would be the kind of signal worth filing away.

OF Jac Caglianone, Team Italy

There is no hiding Jac Caglianone’s 2025. The 2024 first-round pick struggled at the plate after reaching the majors, disappointing fans, the organization, and surely himself.

Those growing pains widened the range of outcomes for his 2026, which is why this tournament could matter more for him than most.

The power is not the question. The path to being a core bat in Kansas City hinges on swing decisions and how quickly he can turn raw force into consistent damage against major league sequencing.

If Caglianone can settle into quality at-bats in a lineup that also features Vinnie Pasquantino, it is a chance to build momentum and confidence in a setting that still comes with real intensity. Italy will have its hands full in pool play, but a few loud, controlled swings against top-tier arms would change the conversation quickly.

RHP Eric Cerantola, Team Canada

The Royals know a team can never have too many relief options on the 40-man roster, and Eric Cerantola is one of the more interesting swing-and-miss bets heading into 2026.

The former Mississippi State standout dealt with injuries in 2025, limiting him to 49.0 innings, his lightest workload since 2022. Even so, his first extended look at Triple-A offered encouraging signs. His 2.63 strikeout-to-walk ratio was a career best, and a 3.64 ERA in the offense-friendly International League is nothing to shrug at.

Cerantola’s calling card is still the slider. He throws it more than half the time and still coaxes big whiffs, giving him a legitimate weapon even when his command wobbles. The fastball and changeup remain less consistent offerings, and that is what keeps him from feeling like a finished product.

The WBC gives Cerantola a low-pressure environment to log meaningful outs, face quality hitters, and show that his step forward is real.

LHP Oscar Rayo, Team Nicaragua

Oscar Rayo took a statistical step back in 2025, but context matters. He still held his own in his first full season at Double-A as a 23-year-old, logging bulk innings out of the bullpen and setting career highs in appearances and innings for Northwest Arkansas.

The Royals have been deliberate with his progression, yet the trajectory still points toward Triple-A sooner rather than later.

The story of Rayo’s season was more uneven early than broken overall. He looked more like himself in the second half, but he still lacks that true, consistent put-away pitch that can erase mistakes at higher levels.

Nicaragua should give him opportunities to face more polished hitters, and that is the point here. If Rayo can show sharper separation, better finishing counts, and a plan that holds up, it is another nudge toward being ready for the next rung.