Royals Urged To Protect Top Catching Prospect From Rule 5 Draft

The Royals will have some decisions to make this offseason.

Aug 12, 2023; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Detailed view of a Kansas City Royals hat and glove before a game against the St. Louis Cardinals at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter Aiken-Imagn Images | Peter Aiken-Imagn Images

The Kansas City Royals have played much better baseball as of late and have found their way back into postseason contention. At 66-64, they are only three games back of the third and final American League Wild Card spot. They made some key moves to bolster their roster at the trade deadline after they were expected to be sellers.

They have also seen some players step up into bigger roles this season. Players such as Maikel Garcia, Kris Bubic and Noah Cameron have been revelations this season. They also have some top prospects in their system that have been making strides.

However, they could lose some prospects via the Rule 5 Draft in December. Catcher Carter Jensen has performed well in Triple-A Omaha, but he may not be safe from the Rule 5 Draft. Caleb Moody of Kings of Kauffman urged the Royals to try their best to protect him from it.

Royals Urged To Protect Top Catcher From Rule 5 Draft

Feb 22, 2024; Surprise, AZ, USA; Kansas City Royals Carter Jensen (74) during photo day at spring training in Surprise, AZ. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

"Across the upper minors in Northwest Arkansas and Omaha this season, Jensen is slashing .283/.366/.478 with 17 home runs, 67 RBI and a 129 wRC+ in 465 plate appearances," Moody wrote on Sunday.

"J.J. Picollo and the Royals' front office arguably shouldn't even wait until the offseason to add Jensen to the 40-man roster, as given the current struggles their veteran backstops in Salvador Perez and Luke Maile are having at the plate in August - they sport an 83 wRC+ and -41 wRC+ respectively - there's a strong case that Jensen could receive somewhat regular big league at-bats now."

Jensen has proven that his bat has come along since being drafted. It may not be long before the Royals decide to give him a shot and make him part of their Major League roster.

Offense has been hard to come by this year, and if Perez and Maile continue to struggle, the Royals will need to try something else in order to generate some offense from the catcher position.

This could help them potentially turn things around after back-to-back losses and keep them on pace to grab a Wild Card spot. Regardless though, the Royals need to make sure they protect him this winter. Perez is aging, and Jensen might be the next best thing in terms of catchers in their system.

We'll see if the Royals try to keep him around.

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