The Royals currently have a full 40-man roster. Here are some of the decisions they will need to make in the next few months.
Players to be activated from the 60-day Injured List
Players currently on the 60-day Injured List do not count against the 40-man roster limit. But at the conclusion of the World Series, those players must be activated and placed on the 40-man roster. For the Royals, those players are:
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Kris Bubic
Alec Marsh
James McArthur
Free agents
These players will immediately become free agents after the conclusion of the World Series. There is an exclusive five-day negotiating window that teams can use to re-sign players. The Royals used that period last year to re-sign Michael Wacha. Royals free agents include:
Adam Frazier
Hunter Harvey
Mike Yastrzemski
Contract options
Randal Grichuk has a $5 million mutual option for 2026 with a $3 million buyout that the Royals are responsible for. Mutual options are rarely exercised by both parties, but the difference in amount between salary and buyout is so small that it is possible the Royals bring back Grichuk.
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Michael Lorenzen has a $12 million mutual option with a $1.5 million buyout. Lorenzen will likely become a free agent that the Royals could choose to re-sign.
Salvador Perez has a $13.5 million club option that the Royals will exercise, bringing the captain back for his 15th season.
Players to be tendered or non-tendered
These players are eligible for arbitration, which can increase their salary significantly based on service time and performance. The Royals can tender them a contract and work out a deal, or head to arbitration if the two sides cannot come to an agreement. Or the Royals can non-tender them, making the player a free agent. Here are the players eligible for arbitration:
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Kris Bubic
Lucas Erceg
Bailey Falter
Jonathan India
Kyle Isbel
Maikel Garcia
Sam Long
Daniel Lynch IV
Michael Massey
James McArthur
MJ Melendez
Vinnie Pasquantino
John Schreiber
Kyle Wright
Players to be added to the 40-man roster
These are the players that would need to be added to the 40-man roster or risk being selected in the Rule 5 draft in December. Players are eligible if they are not on a 40-man roster and turned professional at age 18 or younger in 2021 or at age 19 or older in 2022.
Will be added
Ben Kudrna
Likely to be added
Felix Arronde
Gavin Cross
Could be added
Tyson Guerrero
Frank Mozzicato
Shane Panzini
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Hunter Patteson
Luca Tresh
Javier Vaz
Henry Williams
Steven Zobac
Longshots to be added
Chandler Champlain
Brandon Johnson
Chazz Martinez
Oscar Rayo
Ryan Ramsey
Ben Sears
Daniel Vazquez
Beck Way
Peyton Wilson
Potential DFA options
The Royals could create more 40-man roster space by designating players for assignment, which would expose them to waivers. If they go unclaimed, the Royals could still try to keep them in the organization by signing them as a minor league free agent. These players could be on the 40-man roster bubble.
Dairon Blanco
Eric Cerantola
Luke Maile
Drew Waters
John Rave