4 Rule 5 prospects Royals will be thrilled are still in organization for 2026 season

The Kansas City Royals have been quiet at the Winter Meetings to say the least, as Royals fans have had to solely rely on the rumor mill for excitement this week.

And while their may've been hope things would change a bit when Wednesday's Rule 5 Draft came along, Royals fans hoping for a bit of new life on the active roster would have been a bit disappointed that Kansas City passed on both the major and minor league phases of the event.

For those unfamiliar of all the ins and outs, the Rule 5 Draft provides a way for players who haven't been able to land a spot on their team's 40-man roster during their minor league career with an opportunity to do so elsewhere.

If a team selects an eligible prospect in the major league rounds, the selecting team must pay the team their picking that player from $100,000 and then keep that player on their major league roster for the entire season or offer them back to their former club for $50,000.

Then, in the minor league phase, any prospect is available for selection with no roster restrictions, other than the fact they cannot appear above Double-A for the season. The cost to make a pick here sits at $24,000.

Luckily for the Royals, while they didn't make a selection this year, they also didn't lose anyone they left unprotected. And in a few cases, they'll likely be relieved by that.

4 prospects Royals will be thrilled are still in organization after 2025 Rule 5 Draft

Gavin Cross - Outfielder

Given the fact he was a former first round pick and ended the 2025 season in Double-A Northwest Arkansas with a bang, there seemed like a realistic possibility that someone might've taken a flier on Cross.

After all, he's only a year removed from an above average season where he participated in the Futures Game and in 2025, from June onwards, he managed to sport a .291/.345/.496 slash line with a 130 wRC+.

He'll need to conquer Triple-A before he can take his shot at the majors, but with double-digit homer potential and 20+ stolen base capabilities, given how shallow the Royals' big league outfield depth looks, he's likely a piece the Royals wanted to keep in their depth chart.

Luca Tresh - Catcher

Luke Maile was the Royals primary third catcher for the Royals this past season, but now that he's hit free agency and Kansas City's need for three catchers is still present, a name like Luca Tresh could play a huge role for them in 2026.

Our Jacob Milham already discussed earlier this week why Tresh makes so much sense as the Royals' third catcher for the upcoming season.

He doesn't carry prospect pedigree any more to really warrant consistent game time, but he posted a respectable .259 AVG, .794 OPS and 103 wRC+ which is certainly enough to think he can hold his own in a reserve role. He also held a strong 77th percentile xSLG, 79th percentile barrel rate and 91st percentile in-zone contact rate last season.

The Royals don't need anything spectacular from a seldomly used player like a third catcher would be, so the fact they still have an internal option and don't have to scour the market for one if they don't want to could be a subtle game changer this winter.

Javier Vaz - Second Baseman/Outfielder

The Royals love versatility on their bench and two of the positions they could stand to have as much depth as possible is second base and the corner outfield.

Enter Javier Vaz, Kansas City's 25th overall prospect according to MLB Pipeline, who played considerable time at both spots last season.

With a 99 wRC+ in 2025, Vaz's bat took a step back, but previously he'd been noticeably above average the three seasons prior.

Then, there's fact that he remains an incredibly disciplined hitter with an 11.5% walk rate, 9.2% K-rate and a 25-30 stolen base threat on the basepaths.

He has all the hallmarks of being a future valuable bench piece, whether that's sometime in 2026 or beyond.

Chazz Martinez - Left-Handed Relief Pitcher

Lastly we move to the mound with Martinez, who isn't a shoo-in for the majors by any means in 2026, but is someone certainly worth monitoring this season.

He looked strong in Double-A this year, sporting a 1.85 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and .207 BAA in 43.2 innings before he unfortunately put together a rough Triple-A season, posting a 5.64 ERA and 1.52 BAA in 30.1 innings of work.

With a bit more run in Triple-A, perhaps he can start to replicate his form in Northwest Arkansas, he could become valuable bullpen depth for the Royals who reportedly seem to desire adding left-handed arms.