Where will KC Royals prospect Tyler Gentry play this season?

Welcome back to Kings of Kauffman's KC Royals 2024 player projection series. Over the next few weeks, we'll be reviewing the 2023 performances of various Royals and predicting how they might fare this season. Up today is outfielder Tyler Gentry.

Brady Singer commanded much of the attention Tuesday when the Royals squared off against the Cubs, and understandably so. Reports that he's adding pitches to his previously too-limited pitch repertoire has been the talk of the town lately, making the focus on how his new weapons would behave only natural.

Singer didn't disappoint. Everything was in order as he struck out three and didn't walk anyone in three scoreless innings, a performance fueld KC's 4-0 victory that tied them with the Dodgers for the best record in the Cactus League.

Not to be lost in the news of Singer's excellent outing, however, is the short but impressive at-bat outfield prospect Tyler Gentry put together late in the game. Playing for the seventh time this spring, Gentry, who's listed as the organization's eighth-best prospect in MLB Pipeline's latest rankings, belted former Kansas City reliever Richard Lovelady's first pitch for his first home run of the spring, a three-run shot that also gave him his first RBIs.

The homer alone won't propel him to a spot on an Opening Day roster that appears set, but it came at a time when Gentry probably needed it most — he came into Tuesday's game 1-for-9, so a boost of any kind was welcome. What he does before the Royals break camp may not bear heavily on where he begins the season, but his performance wherever he plays in 2024 needs to be fairly consistent with his three-year minor league career numbers — an excellent .282/.394/.473 line and 43 homers, including 16 at Triple-A Omaha last year and 21 in Double-A the campaign before.

What should fans expect from Gentry this season?

How FanGraphs believes Tyler Gentry will perform in 2024

FanGraphs (Depth Charts) predicts Gentry will hit three homers, drive in 13 runs, and slash .245/.333/.385 in 26 games for Kansas City this season.

What will Tyler Gentry actually do for the KC Royals?

FanGraph's prediction that Gentry will play only 26 times for the Royals is probably in the ballpark. The club's outfield is, as it has been at this point for several years, crowded with players battling for what might at most be four openings. And with Kyle Isbel, MJ Melendez, Hunter Renfroe, and Dairon Blanco ahead of him, there isn't enough room for Gentry to start the season in Kansas City.

Instead, he'll open the campaign back in Omaha's starting outfield and play well enough to earn a call-up to the big club before the season ends. Look for some nice, but not overwhelming, numbers when he makes his major league debut — don't be surprised if in 30-40 games he hits five or six homers, collects 15 RBI, and hits .260.

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