Why the Royals shouldn't shut the door on Luke Maile for 2026

Luke Maile couldn't have harbored any hope of getting big chunks of playing time when the Kansas City Royals' signed the veteran big league catcher to a minor league contract for 2025.

Nine-time All-Star, five-time Gold Glover, and five-time Silver Slugger Salvador Perez wasn't going anywhere and roster mainstay Freddy Fermin was one of the majors' best backup catchers. Even the timing of the deal — spring training was a day away from starting when Maile inked his one-season pact — reflected the high demand he wasn't in.

Spending the season in Kansas City simply wasn't in the cards for Maile. Carrying three catchers, one of whom would play rarely, wasn't a luxury the Royals could afford, and Maile's lack of versatility didn't help.

Instead, he offered the organization catching depth after spending most of the previous nine seasons in the majors establishing his bona fides as a serviceable backup catcher. Triple-A Omaha, where he could catch part-time and mentor prospects, beckoned.

Now, with just a few games left in Kansas City's season, that's close to how things turned out for Maile. Yes, he's been back in the majors since July 4, and spent a couple of weeks with the Royals in May, but he's played only 23 times for the Royals and 24 for the Storm Chasers.

His work behind the plate for the Royals has been decent but his bat hasn't — through Thursday, he's hitting just .220. And rookie Carter Jensen is starting to get the catching reps Maile was getting before the club's playoff hopes evaporated.

On the surface, none of that bodes particularly well for Maile if he wants to return to the Royals next season. But his lack of playing time and weak bat aside, the Royals shouldn't summarily slam the door shut on Maile.

The Royals should consider Luke Maile for next season

It may seem counterintuitive for the Royals to think seriously about keeping Maile for another year, but hanging onto him makes some sense. He's an asset they may well want to retain.

As he did this season, Maile can provide valuable organizational depth in 2026. Jensen will more than likely begin the season in Kansas City, where he'll back up Perez and probably take the majority of turns as the Royals' designated hitter. Re-signing Maile, even to just another minor league deal, will preserve him as a temporary replacement if injury befalls Perez or Jensen.

And that's especially critical considering the franchise's current catching situation. While the organization is rich with talent behind the plate, Fermin is gone and KC's top prospects aren't major league-ready.

Blake Mitchell, Kansas City's No. 1 prospect per MLB pipeline, and the club's top 2023 amateur draft pick, hasn't played above High-A and missed much of this season on the Injured List. Ramon Ramirez and Hyungchan Um both boast much promise and potential but have yet to advance past Single-A. Luca Tresh is, at Omaha, closest to the majors, but probably needs a bit more time there.

Maile, on the other hand, knows the big leagues after debuting in 2015 with Toronto; only in 2020, when a fractured finger sidelined him for the entire pandemic-abbreviated season, has he not spent time in The Show.

Although his career .208/.277/.319 big league line isn't impressive, he seems to handle pitchers well — until the Royals' playoff hopes dimmed significantly, he, and not Jensen, was manager Matt Quatraro's choice to work behind the plate when Perez didn't — and his career caught stealing rate is above league average.

And re-signing Maile won't strain Kansas City's finances. An inexpensive minor league deal is his most likely path to playing anywhere in 2026; even a guarantee above the 2026 $780,000 major league minimum salary called for in the current collective bargaining agreement won't break the bank.

Whether the Royals choose to offer Maile a return ticket to Kansas City remains to be seen. But it's a move the club shouldn't dismiss out of hand.