Royals Prepare for 2021 Season, Decisions Yet to be Made

KANSAS CITY – The Royals entered their final off-day of Spring Training having made some roster decisions ahead of Opening Day, including reassigning top prospect Bobby Witt Jr. to Minor League camp. But some decisions remain for the final stretch of Cactus League games, like the bullpen and who will be in the starting lineup come April 1.
Who is the 26th man?
This is one of the more intriguing decisions the Royals have to make heading into Opening Day. There are a few factors involved, the biggest one being the Royals don’t need a fifth starter until April 16, which opens up a spot on the 26-man roster for an extra reliever or an extra position player.
Royals pitchers will be well rested, so they could choose to have an extra bat off the bench.
The names here are the most likely to break camp with the Royals as that 26th man. Ryan McBroom has fared better in Spring Training lately, hitting .306/.297/.639 with three home runs in 18 games.
Ryan O’Hearn shot out of the gate this spring but has tailed off recently, so he’ll need to get back to being the hitter he was at the beginning of camp.
Another position player name to think about: Bubba Starling. He’s a non-roster invitee, so the Royals would have to clear a spot for him. But his defense is something teams would love to have, especially as a late-inning replacement. If the Royals choose to go that route, he’d be an intriguing choice.
Will the Royals choose to go with a lefty and bring Richard Lovelady into the fold? He has impressed this spring, striking out eight in seven innings. So has Jake Brentz, a lefty who throws 100 mph, but he is a non-roster invitee who would have to have a 40-man spot cleared for him to make the roster. The Royals are preparing Carlos Hernández for a bullpen role, and the young right-hander has shown nasty stuff this spring.
Veteran right-hander Brad Brach, another non-roster invitee, has struggled mightily with location in his past few outings, but he still offers a different look because of that funky delivery.
All of those decisions will be determined soon.  KC begins the year one week from tomorrow, hosting Texas, at Kaufmann Stadium.