Kansas City Royals catcher/designated hitter Carter Jensen is showing why he’s the organization’s top prospect this spring, as he’s 6-for-20 with two homers, five RBIs, one walk, and three runs scored. The 22-year-old is also coming off his first big-league call-up in September, when he slashed .300/.391/.550 with three homers and 13 RBIs over 20 contests.
However, the Royals sent Jensen to the Dominican Republic for extra work after the regular season. The 6-foot, 210-pounder opened up about the experience on Tuesday, via The Kansas City Star’s Pete Grathoff.
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“When I went down to play in the Dominican for a month after the season, I was able to play into what would be past the World Series,” Jensen said. “So kind of getting my body used to playing deep in the playoffs and stuff like that because, obviously, that’s what we’re striving for. Then just continue to work on all parts of the game: catching, hitting.”
“It was good. I learned a lot about myself, for sure,” he continued. “It was difficult at first, just kind of learning how to navigate being in a different country and stuff like that. But it was definitely different. Learned a lot about myself, how to prepare myself, take care of my body when I’m outside of my comfort zone. So I took a lot of things from it.”
Kansas City Royals catcher/designated hitter Carter Jensen (22) and catcher Salvador Perez (13).© Dennis Lee-Imagn Images
Jensen played for Águilas Cibaeñas in his Dominican excursion to get him more plate appearances and prepare him for a full season, per Grathoff. The club is one of the most successful in the nation’s history, as it has won six Caribbean Series and 22 national titles.
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While MLB and its minor-league levels are the premier professional baseball leagues globally, the Dominican Republic is the highest foreign producer of MLB players (9.79% in 2025), per World Population Review. Playing in that country’s professional league is no cakewalk, and Kansas City’s decision to send Jensen there shows creativity and foresight.
The 2021 third-round pick could have rested in October after playing 111 minor-league games and 20 MLB contests, but a prospect trying to prove themselves needs as many reps as possible. Getting those reps in the Dominican Republic is one of the best options globally, as the Dominican Professional Baseball League is littered with current and former MLB players. For example, Águilas Cibaeñas previously had Edwin Encarnacion and Dellin Betances.
Jensen’s career is going as well as the Royals could’ve hoped for so far, as he is ranked No. 18 on MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 Prospects list. The Missouri native is only one of two Kansas City players on the list, with the other being fellow catcher Blake Mitchell (No. 75).
When combining Jensen with other promising young players like Jac Caglianone and Isaac Collins, the organization has an exciting future. If it keeps coming up with creative ways to develop players, there’s no reason not to believe in the long-term outlook.