Royals could get a second chance at ROY after Jac Caglianone’s disappointing season

The Kansas City Royals have plenty of young talent that's both spent some time playing at Kauffman Stadium and some that are almost certainly going to spend plenty there in 2026.

One of the nice things about the way KC does business is that this promising young talent is given a chance to shine. To that end, Carter Jensen is the latest who could compete next summer for an AL Rookie of the Year nod.

Despite being called up to Kansas City late in the year, Jensen didn't play enough or spend enough time in the Majors to lose his rookie designation. Considering how well he played in his cup of coffee, he could have an inside track to being one of the favorites. Especially since good young catchers come at an absolute premium these days.

Carter Jensen is the next candidate for Royals' Rookie of the Year

In Jensen's MLB stint after his September call-up he truly hit the ground running. In 69 plate appearances across 20 games he slashed .300/.391/.550 with three homers, 13 RBI and a 159 wRC+.

Reliever Luinder Avila is in a similar boat. Despite posting a 1-1 record and a 1.29 ERA, he only pitched 13 games, and that's enough for him to keep his rookie status.

Both he and Jensen will be the big hopes for the Kansas City Royals, especially since slugger Jac Caglianone is no longer eligible. Neither are other potentially intriguing names like Noah Cameron and Ryan Bergert.

There was a time when Caglianone seemed like he'd be a shoo-in for ROY, after his meteoric rise through the minor leagues before his June promotion.

However, he struggled mightily when he got the call, looking nothing like the hitter that destroyed the minor leagues. The Florida Gators alum slashed just .157/.237/.532 over 62 games, hitting just seven home runs.

While he played enough in 2025 that he won't count as a rookie in 2026, but despite his struggles, the hope is that he learned enough from his stint with the Royals this summer that he can fix whatever the issues were and be the slugger Kansas City thinks he can be.

If that happens, he could be quite the complementary piece (and protection in the order) as Carter Jensen forges his bid for Rookie of the Year.