Latest spring training roster update heightens Royals' current catching conundrum

While some teams are dealing with major injury issues as players start to report to camp, the Kansas City Royals have managed to avoid getting majorly bit by the injury bug. However, there are different issues plaguing Kansas City's roster at the moment.

After using three catchers for a majority of the 2025 season, following Luke Maile hitting the free agent market at season's end, the potential need for a third catcher or major league capable catching depth in general was an area the Royals had to address in the offseason.

And between re-uniting with Luke Maile and adding former promising prospect Jorge Alfaro, both on minor league deals, it appeared the Royals had a pair of candidates in the running to back-up Salvador Perez and Carter Jensen.

However, in their first bit of roster news since pitchers and catchers first reported on Tuesday, MLB.com's Anne Rogers offered an update on the status' of their two veteran catching non-roster invitees and it didn't do anything to ease the concerns around their current catching conundrum.

According to Rogers, Alfaro has yet to report to camp due to visa issues that have yet to be sorted. And Luke Maile has reportedly been removed from the spring training roster due to a personal issue. Rogers says that the Royals "are open to return if the time comes."

Royals third catcher's role in limbo after latest updates on Jorge Alfaro and Luke Maile

While the Royals have no shortage of catchers in big league camp this spring, considering their prior big league experience, Alfaro and Maile seemed as though they were the frontrunners for the job should the Royals opt to take that route of three catchers.

However, given his poor showing in limited big leaue run in 2025 with the Washington Nationals - where he posted just a 54 wRC+ and .564 OPS - a late start to camp, while already slated to miss time for the World Baseball Classic, won't help his chances of cracking this Opening Day roster.

It should be noted though that this isn't the first time Alfaro has had visa issues in spring training. Back in 2023, while in Red Sox camp, he arrived late due to similar circumstances.

On Maile's end, there's a lot of ambiguity with his situation as no specifics were revealed on the personal issues he's currently going through.

While the hope is that everything is okay with Maile first and foremost, the fact he was removed from the roster entirely for the time being, as well as Rogers' statement of "if the time comes" when referring to the Royals' willingness to add him back to the roster, doesn't make things seem very hopeful at the moment.

How the Royals handle this early adversity remains to be seen as lot will rely upon when and if both Alfaro and Maile can make it to camp. Could this open the door for a Triple-A name like Luca Tresh? Or could fellow Kings of Kauffman writer, Mike Gillespie be correct in his assessment that the Royals could opt only carry a pair of catchers on their Opening Day roster rather than a trio?