Royals could use immense pitching surplus to deploy bold rotation strategy in 2026

The Kansas City Royals have more major league capable starters than they know what to do with currently. We are all well aware of that at this point.

Many thought one or more of those names could have been dealt this winter to improve other areas of this team, and while unlikely, perhaps that could still be the case before Opening Day.

However, another optioned may've just surfaced as the Royals are now just a day away from their first Cactus league game action.

According to Jack Johnson of Locked on Royals, when asked about the possibility of deploying a 6-man rotation in 2026, manager Matt Quatraro didn't discount the possibility.

Could the Royals use their starting pitching surplus to deploy a six-man rotation in 2026?

In his repsonse, Quatraro didn't commit to any such plan whole-heartedly, but admitted it had been a point of discussion already.

"It’s certainly something we talked about this offseason," Quatraro told Johnson. "It’s tough to manage when you don’t have a ton of relievers to option."

"But it is something we’ve talked about, especially in longer stretches of games," he said.

While many may have thought the only way to handle their immense big league depth at the position was to subtract from it and allocate the returns elsewhere, perhaps it could become one of their biggest on-field strengths.

The Royals faithful are unfortunately well aware of how a starting staff can deteriorate due to injury throughout a season, as all five of their Opening Day rotation members from 2025 landed on the IL at some point or another last season. This forced them to rely on some unlikely names like Noah Cameron, the trade deadline duo of Ryan Bergert and Stephen Kolek and even spot starters like Daniel Lynch IV.

So, in long-stretches of games with few off-days, perhaps their surplus will be their best form of protection, whether it be names like Bergert or Kolek again or some of their new desirable optionable depth like Mitch Spence or Mason Black.

And looking beyond the injuries, with the way both Bergert and Kolek looked down the stretch after arriving in Kansas City from San Diego, it almost seems like a disservice to both them and the team in general to have them spend exteded run in Triple-A Omaha when it's already known just how well they can handle the major leagues.

Is this a sustainable everyday practice? Probably not, especially given the Royals bullpen that's not bad by any means, but certainly has some question marks. Shortening it for prolonged period of time may not be the wisest options.

However, that's not how it's seemed to be pitched in conversations based on Quatraro's remarks. So, while it may be bold, perhaps a six-man starting staff could be the secret weapon to ensuring their rotation's overall longevity in a crucial contention year.