6 KC Royals players fighting for their futures heading into 2024 season

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The KC Royals are once again chasing a Cactus League pennant, but spring training successes offers little solace to fans. Years of losing, finishing in the AL Central's bottom healf, and aimless rosters have Royals fans starving for meaningful improvement. The free agent additions, namely pitchers Seth Lugo and Michael Wacha, brought some optimism to The City of Fountains.

Plenty of KC Royals players have something to fight for in 2024.

The Royals, fans and team alike, are hoping for major improvements in the win-loss column this coming season. After all, what was the point of the 2023 evaluation season? As spring training hits the back nine, let's look at some Royals players with something to fight for in 2024.

RHP Carlos Hernández

How many times have we hammered Carlos Hernández this offseason? The fireballer had a great opportunity following the 2023 trade deadline but stumbled down the stretch. Now a shoulder injury has hampered the Venezuelan in spring training.

“You get the injection, and then there’s a rest period to let it do its job," Quatraro said Feb. 27. "It is something that’s been nagging him since he got into camp. He tried to throw through it, but it didn’t feel comfortable at this time pushing forward."

Royals fans know how spring injuries seemingly sideline a player for a longer time than normal. Hernández could either be a premier trade candidate this season or a non-factor in the Royals bullpen. His 2023 season proves there is no inbetween for him.

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