Kyle Karros Stealing Show for Rockies After Red Hot Start at Spring Training

The Colorado Rockies want competition across the diamond for their young players. The new leadership wants them to earn roles.

Safe to say Kyle Karros got the memo.

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The third baseman might be the hottest player in Rockies spring training right now. He wasn’t in the lineup for Saturday’s game, but he had a great game Friday against the Athletics. He went 2-for-3 with two RBI and two runs scored. He also slammed a two-run home run. That boosted his spring training slash to .467/.500/.1.000 with two home runs and six RBI. He also has a triple and has scored six runs.

Kyle Karros Building Case for Third Base

See ya! 👋⚾

Kyle Karros makes it 7-1 Rockies. pic.twitter.com/RGODVYFpy5
— Colorado Rockies (@Rockies) March 6, 2026

The depth chart at third base is pitting Karros against Willi Castro, who is off at the World Baseball Classic. That will give Karros more at-bats this spring training. He received plenty of at-bats last spring, as he played in 17 games and slashed .243/.317/.297 with no home runs and six RBI. His performance so far shows a more mature approach at the plate, something he likely cultivated during is late-season call-up and this offseason.

If Karros wins the job, that’s not a big issue for Castro. He can play other positions, including both middle infield positions and the outfield. Karros can only play the corner infield positions and if competition leads him to locking down the third base job, that’s better for the Rockies long-term.

When Karros was called up last year, Colorado was sorting through options at third base after the trade of Ryan McMahon to the New York Yankees. The Rockies immediately called up Warming Bernabel. Karros followed from Triple-A Albuquerque shortly after. Bernabel switched between first and third base. Karros stuck close to third base.

As Karros got more playing time, he got more comfortable in the Majors. He appeared in 43 games. He slashed .226/.308/.277 with one home run and nine RBI.

Colorado has plenty invested in Karros. He was the Rockies’ fifth-round pick in the 2023 MLB draft out of UCLA. He’s the son of former Major League star Eric Karros. He rose quickly through the minor league system and after his promotion he had a career minor league slash of .304/.393/.459 with 21 home runs and 121 RBI. He doesn’t have the ideal power for a third baseman, but he appears to have the defensive chops.

Ideally, Karros won’t be adding to those minor league numbers to start the 2026 season. He’ll be adding to his Major League numbers in Colorado. So far, his spring training speaks to his improvement from a season ago.