4 KC Royals veterans desperately seeking redemption in spring training

After the Super Bowl's conclusion, all Kansas City sports eyes and ears should turn to Arizona. The Kansas City Royals' season continues to creep closer and closer, and the excitement of spring training will bring baseball back to the forefront of many fans' minds.

Among the players wearing Royals uniforms in Surprise, some remain in precarious roster positions, desperately needing great spring training performances to lock in a major league spot. Who are these players, and how can they change their fortunes for the 2025 season?

Hunter Renfroe, OF

There may not have been a more polarizing Royals player last season than Hunter Renfroe. When he arrived, he was expected to raise the team’s offensive floor in the outfield, helping to offset the glove-first nature of Kansas City’s center fielders. But a brutal start at the plate had fans calling for his job early — until a scorching June and July temporarily silenced the criticism. Ultimately, though, his season was a disappointment.

Now, with a fresh start, Renfroe has the chance to prove that 2024 was an outlier in the worst way.

Renfroe’s struggles have been well-documented, and his return in 2025 was all but inevitable due to his player option. Royals fans may be hoping, out of spite, that he stumbles early and forces the team’s hand, but the more productive outcome — for both Renfroe and the team — is that he rebounds to at least league-average production and no longer serves as a black hole in the lineup.

So what can he show in spring training to boost his perceived value heading into 2025? Oddly enough, being more aggressive at the plate could help. Renfroe posted a career-best 0.43 walk-to-strikeout ratio last season, but it came at the expense of his power. He finished with just 33 extra-base hits — his lowest total since his brief 2016 debut — snapping a seven-year streak of at least 50. While he made more contact, the quality of that contact suffered.

It’s unlikely Renfroe is left off the Royals’ Opening Day roster, but his starting job in right field is far from secure. The front office has aggressively pursued outfield upgrades via free agency and trades, and the 40-man roster already includes alternative options. If Renfroe can’t shake off last season’s struggles quickly, fans won’t hesitate to call for his replacement once again.