By MATT PIKE
Ahead of Friday's Opening Day game against the Atlanta Braves, the Kansas City Royals have announced the team's 26 man roster for Opening Day, along with roster moves.
Kansas City’s 26-man roster includes 14 players who made the Royals Opening Day roster last season, including pitchers Michael Wacha, Seth Lugo, Carlos Estévez, John Schreiber, Kris Bubic, Cole Ragans, Daniel Lynch IV and Lucas Erceg, catcher Salvador Perez, infielders Jonathan India, Bobby Witt Jr., Vinnie Pasquantino and Maikel Garica and outfielder Kyle Isbel.
Five players will make their Royals debut with their 1st appearance, including pitchers Alex Lange and Nick Mears and outfielders Starling Marte, Lane Thomas and Isaac Collins. Another five, have made the Opening Day roster for the first time in their career, including Mears, Tyler Tolbert, Noah Cameron, Jac Caglianone and Carter Jensen. Bailey Falter made his fifth straight Opening Day roster but first with Kansas City. Nick Loftin is on the Royals Opening Day roster for the second time in his career and first since 2024.
Three players were placed on the Injured List, retroactive to March 22, including pitchers James McArthur and Stephen Kole and infielder Michael Massey. Right hander Alec Marsh was placed on the 60-day Injured List on February 12th. Right-handed pitcher Eli Morgan was selected to the 40-man roster and optioned to Triple-A Omaha. In a corresponding move, outfielder Drew Waters was designated for assignment.
Ragans will become the sixth pitcher in Royals history to start on Opening Day in at least three consecutive seasons, following Gil Meche, Jeff Suppan, Kevin Appier, Bud Black, and Dennis Leonard. Ragans’ run of three straight Opening Day starts is tied for the third longest active streak by a pitcher with the same team, joining Tarik Skubal, Nathan Eovaldi, and Kyle Freeland. They trail only Zac Gallen and Logan Webb.
With a start behind the plate on Friday night, Perez would be making his 12th career Opening Day start at catcher, extending his franchise record for the position. His 12 career Opening Day starts will match Amos Otis for the fifth most in franchise history behind George Brett (18), Frank White (15), Alex Gordon (13) and Hal McRae (13).
Matt Strahm, who spent the first two seasons of his career with the Royals from 2016-17 and made Kansas City’s Opening Day roster in 2017, will become the 43rd player in franchise history to appear with the team, leave the organization and return. Wacha has made the Opening Day roster in each of the last 13 seasons since 2014, which is the longest active streak among pitchers, according to Elias, two more than any other pitcher. This will be Marte’s 14th consecutive season on an Opening Day roster.
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