The biggest questions the KC Royals must answer in 2025

Only one question really mattered when the Kansas City Royals opened the 2024 major league season — would they be better than the 2023 club that thoroughly embarrassed itself by losing a franchise record-tying 106 games? The answer was a resounding "Yes!" as the Royals clinched their first playoff berth since winning the World Series in 2015.

Such shocking success raises expectations and — in the case of the 2025 Royals — more questions, the answer to which may tell the tale for a team striving to accomplish even more this season. Here, in no particular order, are the biggest of the bunch.

Can the KC Royals stay healthy?

The Royals owe much of last year's striking success to avoiding serious injuries to major stars. Bobby Witt Jr. played in all but one game, Salvador Pérez sat out only three, and pitcher Seth Lugo started 33 contests while Cole Ragans started 32. Although a freak thumb fracture sidelined Vinnie Pasquantino for the final month of the regular season, he still drove in 97 runs, slugged 19 homers, and returned for the playoffs.

Kansas City can survive some injuries, but not several that sideline their best players for extended periods. If the injury bug strikes, this team may be on the outside looking in when October rolls around.

Can Seth Lugo do it again for Kansas City?

The Royals brought Lugo to town last season to start and win a lot of games. And that's just what he did — his 33 starts paced the rotation and produced the excellent 16-9, 3.00 ERA performance that kept him in the American League Cy Young award race for the entire season.

Counting stats, yes, but even in this pitching era a 16-win season still means a lot and turns heads. The Royals wouldn't have reached the playoffs last season without Lugo and his victories. If he wins 16 again — or even comes close — the club should be in pretty good shape.

Will Bobby Witt Jr. have another giant season?

That's the main question confronting Witt on the eve of his fourth major league season. Already MLB.com's favorite to win the AL Most Valuable Player award, Witt is certainly capable of equaling, if not bettering, his 2024 performance that produced a .332 average and 211 hits (both major league bests), his second consecutive 30-30 season (32 homers and 31 steals), 109 RBI, and a Gold Glove award.

Witt is so good, that the Royals can absorb some drop-off in his performance. But it can't be much — he'll need to be at the top of his game at the plate if the club gets less offensive production from its outfielders than it received last year.

Can the KC Royals avoid promoting Jac Caglianone too soon?

They must. Yes, Caglianone, probably the most written-about prospect to grace spring training this year, slashed .500/.609/.1.167 and homered three times in 18 Cactus League at-bats. However, he posted those numbers against what Baseball-Reference considered much closer to Double-A-quality pitching than Triple-A work, suggesting his spectacular stats should be taken with a grain of salt.

But not a very big grain. Caglianone is a superstar in the making. Still, he requires seasoning — recognizing that and moving cautiously, the Royals will start him this season at Double-A Northwest Arkansas, a level at which he hasn't played but is vital to his progression. He'll probably move on to Triple-A Omaha before the club seriously considers bringing him up to Kansas City.

Could a torrid early season minor league performance spur the Royals to expedite Caglianone's big league debut? Could he end up in The Show before the All-Star Break? Perhaps, but only if the club's offense falters so much that general manager J.J. Picollo has no choice but to risk Caglianone's orderly development by rushing his bat to the big leagues.

And that's something the organization should avoid at all costs. Caglianone will be ready soon enough.

Will Kansas City's bullpen stand up?

It better. Although the Royals made it to the playoffs last season despite an inconsistent bullpen, they might not get back without better performance from their relievers. Fortunately, though, the pen should be better.

Lucas Erceg, who helped save the pen last season after arriving via a trade deadline swap with the then-Oakland Athletics, is back and should be ready despite some rough Cactus League moments. The club added proven late-inning man Carlos Estévez during the offseason. Veteran reliever Hunter Harvey, who pitched only briefly for Kansas City last year before losing his season to injury, seems ready to go after giving up only one run, walking no one, and striking out eight in the eight Cactus League innings he worked during spring training.

And the Royals also return Angel Zerpa, John Schreiber, Daniel Lynch IV, and Sam Long, all of whom made good contributions to last year's pen.