Royals Speedster Garnering Strong Consideration For Bench Role

The Royals have some competition for a few roster spots.

Mar 12, 2024; Salt River Pima-Maricopa, Arizona, USA; General view of Kansas City Royals hats and gloves in the first inning against the Colorado Rockies during a spring training game at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-Imagn Images | Matt Kartozian-Imagn Images

The Kansas City Royals have a few interesting roster battles taking place as spring training draws to a close. They have yet to decide on their fifth starter for 2025, and are also currently trying to figure out who takes the final bench spot.

Right now, the battle for the last bench role is a race between multiple candidates. Among them is speedster Tyler Tolbert.

Tolbert is a super utility player that can play second base, shortstop and center field. Anne Rogers of MLB.com notes that the Royals are intrigued by that.

Manager Matt Quatraro had some high praise for Tolbert on Thursday.

"[He's] a bon afide base-stealing option," Quatraro said of Tolbert. “He’s done everything he possibly could to show his value, and the way we use our roster, he’s definitely in the mix.”

Rogers notes that Tolbert isn't much of an offensive threat, but that he can change a game with his legs and his speed. His positional versatility doesn't hurt either.

He has a 93.8 percent success rate in terms of stolen bases, having swiped 241 bags over five minor league seasons and only being caught 16 times. He could potentially serve as a late-inning defensive replacement or be used as a pinch runner at times.

The Royals clearly like Tolbert's speed enough that they are considering him for the final bench spot. Having him on the roster does create a little flexibility for Kansas City as they try to make another trip to the postseason in 2025.

More MLB: Royals Southpaw Predicted To Break Out In 2025: 'Ready To Make His Mark'