Royals announce their first wave of roster cuts as spring training heats up

It's been two weeks since the Kansas City Royals held their first full-squad workout of 2025, and with 11 spring training games now behind them, it's officially time to get down to business. On March 3, the Royals announced on social media that they'd made their first roster cuts of spring training, with eight players being assigned to minor league camp.

KC Royals make first roster cuts at spring training

The first wave of cuts at spring training — all non-roster invitees — didn't come with any major surprises. Pitchers Ben Kudrna, Chandler Champlain, Tyson Guerrero, Beck Way, and Steven Zobac will all be heading to minor league camp, as will catchers Blake Mitchell, Kale Emshoff, and Omar Hernández.

While Champlain and Guerrero — Nos. 20 and 24 on the Royals' top prospect list, respectively — are expected to debut in the majors at some point this season, making the Opening Day roster was always a long shot. Still, both will likely be called up for bullpen appearances later in the year.

Mitchell (No. 2) is the highest ranked prospect amongst the group cut from camp. Unfortunately, the catcher suffered a broken right hamate bone on February 22 and had to undergo surgery, sidelining him for an estimated 4-6 weeks. Mitchell isn't expected to debut in the majors until 2027 so this is unlikely to set back any timeline for the future star.

Kudrna (No. 4) and Zobac (No. 7) are also top prospects in the Royals' system, and should spend this season in the upper minors before debuting in 2026. Way, Emshoff, and Hernández are all unranked and are unlikely to be called up this season.

With just over three weeks until Opening Day, the Royals are now down to 60 players in major league camp. Plenty more cuts will come over the next days and weeks, and even for the players certain to stay in the majors, the team has been experimenting with different position options.