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WEST SACRAMENTO – The Royals will be without two young starters whom they expected to contribute for them in 2026, including one who was at the top of the starting depth chart.

Josh Hammond is on fire in his first professional season.

The Royals’ No. 5 prospect is riding a seven-game hitting streak, going for three more hits -- including a long home run -- Wednesday for Single-A Columbia in a 6-2 win over Augusta. Hammond now has multiple

With 20 members of MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 Prospects list starting the 2026 season in the big leagues, change was bound to come. As those graduations continue to take place, Minor Leaguers on the upswing are inserted in their spots.

Meet the newest addition to that list:

KANSAS CITY – The Royals switched their lineup around about an hour before their game against the Twins on Thursday, scratching catcher Carter Jensen and instead having Salvador Perez catch. Perez was scheduled to be the designated hitter following a marathon slog of a game Wednesday night.

The reason

With the Minor League season kicking off, here's where the Royals’ Top 30 Prospects are projected to start:

1. Carter Jensen (MLB No. 16), C -- Kansas City (MLB)
2. Blake Mitchell (MLB No. 72), C -- Quad Cities (High-A)
3. Kendry Chourio, RHP -- Columbia (Single-A)

ATLANTA -- Carter Jensen flashed the kind of power he could bring to this Royals team with his three homers last September in his first taste of the big leagues.

This year, the Royals are expecting much bigger and better things from their rookie catcher and No. 1 prospect,

ATLANTA -- Eight months ago, catcher Carter Jensen's equipment was stashed in a different locker inside the visiting clubhouse of Atlanta’s Truist Park. He was here for the Futures Game, part of the American League squad and impressing scouts with his massive power in batting practice and making Royals fans

SURPRISE, Ariz. -- The last time the Royals had a pitcher atop their MLB Pipeline preseason prospect rankings was 2019 in Brady Singer. Catcher Carter Jensen’s Major League ascent and success kept the armless streak alive for 2026, but teenage hurlers Kendry Chourio (No. 3 on their current

SURPRISE, Ariz. – Following a 9-2 win over the Rangers prospects at Surprise Stadium, Royals prospects were lined up signing some autographs when a few decided to get in line themselves.

What better way to commemorate a Spring Breakout win than having your buddies and teammates sign your cap?

SURPRISE, Ariz. -- Two roster moves Friday afternoon bring the Royals’ Opening Day pitching staff into focus, with the club optioning right-handers Luinder Avila and Steven Cruz to Triple-A Omaha.

Both were competing for roster spots this spring, and the Royals think highly of both of them, knowing that they’ll be

SURPRISE, Ariz. -- The Royals’ farm system is filled with prospects in both the upper and lower levels of the Minor Leagues. There are different positions, backgrounds, ages and skill levels. But for one day, the top prospects are coming together to field a team that represents the Royals in

PHOENIX, Ariz. – Blake Mitchell, the Royals’ No. 2 prospect, arrives at Surprise Recreation Campus for Spring Training at 6:30 a.m., ready to lift weights. By the time he arrives, veteran catcher Salvador Perez is already halfway through his session.

For Perez, whose mornings often start an hour or

SURPRISE, Ariz. -- Shortstop Daniel Vazquez arrived at his first Major League camp this spring carrying momentum from a breakout season in the Arizona Fall League.

Playing for the Surprise Saguaros, Vazquez finished third in the AFL with 21 RBIs while posting a .329/.459/.468 slash line and swiping 11 bases across

The 2025 Royals debuted two of their top hitters in the system last year with Jac Caglianone and Carter Jensen, and now the two homegrown sluggers are going to get the opportunity to establish themselves in '26 as a crucial part of this core that the Royals want to win