Predicting 3 Kansas City Royals prospects most likely to debut in 2026

Not one baseball player’s story is exactly the same. Sure, players can share a home state or that one experience down in the minors. Sure, there are familiar traits and shared archetypes – franchises have their “types,” like the Kansas City Royals and their run of soft-hitting, glove-first middle infielders and center fielders – but nobody is truly copy-and-paste. But no matter where a player’s path starts or ends, they were once a prospect.

Merriam-Webster defines “prospect” as “something that is awaited or expected,” and that feels tailor-made for a player yet to make their MLB debut.

Even the most casual fans get swept up in prospect hype – refreshing box scores for a recent first-rounder, or daydreaming about a corner outfielder becoming the franchise's savior. But once that anticipated name goes from prospect to player, the expectations shift instantly.

If you need an example, look no further than how quickly the narrative changed around outfielder Jac Caglianone from the end of May to the end of September. That’s how fast the lens flips.

But that reality will never stop fans from entering that vicious cycle over and over again. After all, why should it? A prospect can be anything until they aren't, ranging from that future All-Star to a disappointment. The range of outcomes, even with the probabilities, will never stop fans from seeing the best of a player until said player proves what they are at the major-league level.

First impressions go a long way with prospect debuts. Think about how outfielder Drew Waters, who hasn't had an above-average batting season since his first 32 games back in 2022, continues to draw some hope from fans. It isn't much, but it is still arguably more than what Waters' track record suggests is true.

Odds are, Kansas City will have to turn to a new face, that new name, a prospect in 2026 when injuries hit, or underperformance makes a change necessary. Which players are primed for that coveted promotion in 2026, and why do they make sense?

Predicting 3 Kansas City Royals prospects most likely to debut in 2026

RHP Ben Kudrna

Is catcher Carter Jensen going to get his former draft-class peer and batterymate back at the major-league level? If pitcher Ben Kudrna can reset himself in Triple-A Omaha, a debut for the Blue Valley Southwest graduate should absolutely be on the table.

Kudrna started the season in Double-A Northwest Arkansas and improved upon his 45.2 innings pitched at that level in 2024. Kudrna amassed 94 innings pitched for the Naturals, with a solid 1.29 WHIP and unsightly 4.21 ERA. But a strong July and two starts in August, including seven shutout innings on Aug .13, saw him make his way north to Triple-A Omaha.

The jump was not kind to Kudrna, where a bat-friendly International League setting saw him be shellacked in 11 innings, walking more batters (17) than he struck out (10). The learning curve is steep, but that is why there is always next season.

MLB Pipeline ranks Kudrna as Kansas City's seventh-best prospect and the top pitching prospect above Low-A. Kudrna did lose some luster after his first foray into Triple-A, but pitcher Luinder Avila had a similar story one year earlier. The Venezuelan had a so-so Double-A showing in 2024, was shelled in Triple-A in abbreviated action, but still made his debut in 2025. Now, Avila feels like an Opening Day roster lock for the bullpen.

Minor-league results are not the end-all, be-all, and the Royals felt that Avila had improved where they needed him to for a big-league call-up. Considering Kudrna is already on the 40-man roster as well, a debut feels more likely than not. But only if Kudrna gets back on track in his age-23 season.

The question remains if a promotion would see Kudrna perform as a starter or as a reliever. Avila was a starter for most of his professional career leading up to his call-up, but transitioned seamlessly to the bullpen, suiting the Royals' needs.

Evaluators have wondered how well Kudrna's stuff would perform in abbreviated outings. The changeup and slider have been clean in recent seasons, but it is his four-seam fastball that gets him into trouble. Perhaps a bullpen move is for Kudrna's benefit, but neither he nor the Royals will give up on his rotational ceiling easily.

OF Carson Roccaforte

Is this more manifestation or prediction? Maybe a bit of both. Outfielder Carson Roccaforte ripped the monkey off his back from 2024 and put together a superb 2025 season.

The 2023 draftee posted OPS marks north of .800 at both High-A Quad Cities and Double-A Northwest Arkansas, all while playing a center field that filled up the highlight reel. If there were any lingering doubters after his 45-game look in Double-A, Roccaforte kept the momentum rolling in the Arizona Fall League, where he posted an .878 OPS in 18 games.

MLB Pipeline has Roccaforte as Kansas City's 20th-best prospect, but a ranking update before the season should push him up that list. He garnered a 65-grade evaluation for his fielding, with a 60-grade speed tool. Both were ever-present in Roccaforte's 2025 performance, where he swiped 43 bags in 127 games and was the Frank White Defensive Player of the Year for a second consecutive season.

Royals fans have rolled their eyes at the idea of another glove-first, left-handed-hitting centerfielder, but the fact is Roccaforte has hit better at every minor-league level than Kyle Isbel did in his ascent. Roccaforte offers a similarly high level of defense, while the batting and stolen base production push his batting ceiling higher, too.

Roccaforte could make a promotion undeniable later on in the season, but an injury should make him the next man up in the Royals outfield. Watch how he stacks up against the field once action starts in Surprise this coming spring.

RHP Steven Zobac

Pitcher Steven Zobac started turning heads as a reliever with Low-A Columbia, but the former two-way athlete has made a name for himself with his move to the starting rotation.

The Royals drafted Zobac out of California back in the 2022 draft, and he started his professional career just about as well as could be expected. But an injury-hampered 2025 season cooled his red-hot rise through the organization. Still, a healthy offseason and trust from the organization should see Zobac find his former stature in this system.

Zobac was Kansas City's Paul Splittorff Pitcher of the Year back in 2024, after an exemplary first season without innings limitations. He totaled 126 innings pitched across High-A and Double-A.

He performed best in Northwest Arkansas, with a 3.25 ERA and 1.08 WHIP in 55.1 innings at that level. His strikeout numbers rose significantly following the promotion (10.57 K/9 in Double-A, 7.39 in High-A), and that caught the attention of many fans. He rose to the top half of MLB Pipeline's Royals prospect rankings, coming in 11th. Baseball America put Zobac ninth on their list, and gave him the organization's best slider with a 60-grade.

The catch? 2025 was a statistical wash for Zobac. He missed considerable time with injuries, and, namely, a knee injury that put him on the shelf. He was not effective when he was on the mound, with a 7.25 ERA and 5.89 FIP in 44.2 innings pitched.

His strikeout-to-walk ratio still spelled an effective pitcher, but he struggled with giving up home runs and had some lousy batted ball luck (.397 BABIP). The home runs and batted ball metrics are all outliers for Zobac, so it is not fair to think that is who he is now. Rather, chalk it up to injury and see who Zobac is when the season starts in 2026.

Zobac is already on Kansas City's 40-man roster, protected from the Rule 5 Draft along with Kudrna. Zobac's stuff and control are up there in the Royals' system, so if he comes back healthy and a spot on the 26-man roster opens up, it is hard to discount Zobac's chances of getting the call.