Royals Opening Day Roster Projections 2.0: Changes!

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After an offseason of considerable roster change, the KC Royals embark two weeks from today on a long season's journey they hope will restore them to baseball respectability. And from a player personnel standpoint, much must be determined before the club hosts Minnesota for both clubs' March 28 opener.

First and foremost is the roster work general manager J.J. Picollo and manager Matt Quatraro must complete before the campaign's first pitch — yet to be determined is who makes Kansas City's 26-man active roster and it's possible, if not probable, that the final decisions won't be made until just hours remain before first pitch at Kauffman Stadium.

No one knows yet how the two men most responsible for roster composition will fill all its spots. Speculation runs rampant, however, and we indulged in a bit of our own a couple of weeks ago when we took a first stab at projecting the Royals' Opening Day roster.

Now, it's time for a second shot. Here's Roster Projection 2.0, with comparisons to Projection 1.0.

Kansas City's rotation is settled ... or is it?

Royals starting rotation: Projection 1.0

Michael Wacha
Seth Lugo
Brady Singer
Cole Ragans
Jordan Lyles
Daniel Lynch IV

Royals starting rotation: Projection 2.0

Michael Wacha
Seth Lugo
Brady Singer
Cole Ragans
Daniel Lynch IV

Rotation slots 1-4 are safely set, with Lyles and Daniel Lynch IV vying for the final spot. For now, and unlike two weeks ago, our nod for the final spot goes to Lynch — after striking out five and working four scoreless innings against the Angels Wednesday and giving the Rangers only a run in three frames last Friday, Lynch owns a nice 2.77 ERA in five games. Because Lyles has been plagued with back stiffness and thrown only one Cactus League inning, Lynch will be more prepared when the club breaks camp. (More on Lyles in a moment).

To the bullpen and infield...

KC Royals Bullpen

Royals bullpen: Projection 1.0

Will Smith
John Schreiber
Matt Sauer
Jake Brentz
Chris Stratton
Nick Anderson
Carlos Hernández

Royals bullpen: Projection 2.0

Will Smith
John Schreiber
Matt Sauer
Chris Stratton
James McArthur
Alec Marsh
Sam Long
Jordan Lyles

The changes are obvious — Jake Brentz, Nick Anderson, and Carlos Hernández are out, while James McArthur, Alec Marsh, Sam Long, and Jordan Lyles are in.

First the "outs". Brentz put himself in a bind with some bad early pitching and although he's been better lately, he's still walked 11 in 4.1 innings, which means he isn't improving his historically questionable control. The Royals are better off starting him in Triple-A, where he can work on that control and his comeback from 2022 Tommy John Surgery. Hernández continues to deal with shoulder soreness, rendering his ability to pitch effectively in two weeks questionable. The Royals also need to make room for the "ins" and the pair of options Anderson has make him expendable.

And those "ins"? McArthur has been too good this spring (1.23 ERA, 0,68 WHIP, 10 strikeouts, and only one walk in 7.1 innings) to leave off the big league roster. The situation is the same with Marsh (0.90 ERA, 0.90 WHIP, 12 strikeouts in 10 frames) and Long (1.42 ERA, 0.79 WHIP, 12 strikeouts and one walk in 6.1 innings). Marsh can be a swingman and Long gives Quatraro the lefty he loses if Brentz heads for the minors. And Lyles? Expect him to begin the year in the bullpen stretching out until he's ready to start ... or continue working in relief if the starters are performing well.

KC Royals infield: Projection 1.0

Vinnie Pasquantino (1B)
Michael Massey (2B)
Bobby Witt Jr. (SS)
Maikel García (3B)
Adam Frazier (UTIL)
Salvador Perez (C)
Freddy Fermin (C)

KC Royals infield: Projection 2.0

No changes here. Everybody stays.

Moving on...

KC Royals Outfield

Royals outfield: Projection 1.0

MJ Melendez
Kyle Isbel
Hunter Renfroe
Dairon Blanco

Royals outfield: Projection 2.0

No changes in the outfield, either. However...

Melendez and Isbel remain safe, and although Renfroe is slashing a concerning .118/.250/.118 and hasn't homered or driven in a run in seven games, the Royals didn't sign him to a two-season contract worth $13 million just to let some poor Cactus League hitting get in the way of an Opening Day starting spot.

Blanco's status, on the other hand, is a bit clouded by a calf strain; it's not a dark cloud yet — Quatraro expects him to be ready for Opening Day.

But what if he isn't? The Royals could bring back Tyler Gentry, who they optioned to Triple-A Tuesday, but they probably want him playing every day, something he won't do in KC. If they want to get creative, however, and find a place for a hot bat, they could keep Nick Pratto when they head to Kansas City to begin the season. Pratto is primarily a first baseman, but he has minor league and major league experience in the outfield corners. And his nine-game .400/.444/.720 line, and two homers and nine RBI, are hard to ignore..

KC Royals Designated Hitter

Royals DH: Projection 1.0

Nelson Velázquez

Royals DH: Projection 2.0

No change here. Although he's still looking for his first home run and batting only .185 in 10 games, Velázquez remains the primary designated hitter.

KC Royals Bench

Royals Bench: Projection 1.0

Garrett Hampson

Royals Bench: Projection 2.0

Still Hampson. He's a good utility man and the club has several other players capable of playing multiple positions.

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Royals Opening Day Roster Projection 2.0: Changes!