After missing the playoffs in 2025, the Kansas City Royals have their sights set on returning to the postseason this year with help from their youth movement. But one of their top prospects, catcher Carter Jensen, overslept on Thursday and was scratched from the lineup against the Minnesota Twins as a result.
Now, the Royals must decide if there will be any sort of additional consequences for the 22-year-old catcher. Jensen, who bats from the left side, had a brief cup of coffee in the majors in 2025 but played in just 20 games, which meant that he maintained his rookie eligibility for this season.
Jensen was unexpectedly removed from the Royals lineup prior to the game on Thursday, but manager Matt Quatraro announced afterwards that Jensen was scratched due to a “oversight”, with that oversight being that Jensen overslept and showed up late (Joel Goldberg, Kansas City Royals).
Of course, Jensen was already punished for his “oversight” in the form of being removed from the starting lineup, and lapses in proper judgment and discipline are to be expected from young major leaguers. But it would not be surprising if the Royals opt to send a message and bench Jensen for another game or two.
If Jensen starts to make a habit out of being late, however, they could take more drastic measures. In 2017, the New York Mets suspended Matt Harvey for three games when he failed to show up to a Saturday game after being out late the Friday prior (h/t ESPN).
That’s not to say that Jensen’s situation has approached the severity of Harvey’s, but rather that there are a multitude of ways the Royals could choose to handle this situation.
Kansas City Royals catcher Carter Jensen (22)© Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
(© Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images)
Ultimately, though, it is probably in the Royals’ best interest not to alienate one of their most important players with an overly aggressive punishment when a benching or a fine would send enough of a message. Jensen is currently the top-ranked Royals prospect and the #16-ranked prospect in all of baseball (h/t MLB Pipeline), boasting an impressive bat with plus-power out of the catcher position.
Jensen dominated Triple-A in his age-21 season, slugging 14 home runs and batting .288 with a 1.051 OPS in 184 plate appearances. He continued to perform in his brief time in the majors, clubbing 3 home runs and batting .300 in 69 big-league plate appearances in 2025.
Through 18 plate appearances this season, Jensen has just two hits, although one of them was a home run.
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This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Apr 2, 2026, where it first appeared in the MLB section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.