Kansas City Royals OF Prospect Gavin Cross Playing His Way into September Call-up Discussions.

The first-round pick back in 2022 has put together a solid 2026 season in hopes of getting his first cup of coffee at the Major League level.

Gavin Cross earned International League Player of the Week honors for his play from July 20 to July 26. | Minda Haas Kuhlmann

As it is the last day of August, September call-ups are right around the corner, and a former first-round pick of the Royals is eyeing a spot at the Major League level. Gavin Cross has had a tumultuous career so far, with years filled with inconsistency and injuries. This season began with him continuing that trend, but as the summer scorched on he too turned up the temperature.

On the year, Cross is slashing .253/.318/.444 for an OPS of .762. If he were to stay at AAA Omaha for the rest of the year, he is on pace to have career highs in home runs, stolen bases, and RBIs, and already has a career high in triples with five. Let's dive a tad deeper into his profile at the minor league level.

Power and Speed Aplenty

Cross came into the Royals system with an intriguing blend of power and speed while potentially developing into a solid outfield glove. He has had sparks of that skill set in his time within the Royals system, but it hasn't quite come together until this season. This year, he has got the power going with an average exit velocity of 88.8 mph to go with a solid hard hit rate at 41.1%.

The biggest catalyst for his power surge, however, is his pull air% being an absurd 20.5%. His batted-ball profile also suggests why the power has been on display this season, as Cross has been more balanced between fly balls and line drives (28.1% FB rate and 23.7% LD rate). Another interesting number for Cross is the fact that he pulls the ball a ton (46.6%), goes up the middle a ton (41.9%), while not going the opposite way (11.5%). The profile suggests that the power is there for Cross and he has tapped into it for 2026.

Throw in that he has shown prowess on the basepaths throughout his career, and the Royals have an intriguing 25-year-old with power and speed. He has had at least 23 stolen bases in four straight seasons, including 2026. Cross has shown efficiency on the stolen bases as well, because over the last four seasons he is 86-for-99, or an 86% rate.

He has also played solid outfield defense in the corners, as he has a combined five outfield assists with no errors during this season. His three standout skills in the 2022 draft are on display this season, but it didn't begin like that.

Tale of Two Seasons

The first couple of months for Cross in 2026 looked like it was going to be another lost season, as he had an OPS of .523 at the end of May. The power was not there in the slightest to begin the year, as he had a slugging percentage of .258. That poor play continued until August 13, when his OPS bottomed out at .517.

Then something clicked, and he slowly got it together to end August with an OPS of .596. That momentum carried into July, as by the midway point in the month, that OPS rose to .638. Then from July 20-26, he went nuclear at the plate, going 12-for-29 with five home runs and ten RBIs and earned International League Player of the Week Honors. Since July, he has crushed at the plate and he even has a recent seven-game hit streak to raise his OPS to .766 on the year. It fell back to .762 after a hitless outing on August 30.

Since August 13, Cross has improved just about everything in his profile, especially any power-related ones and it shows in his percentiles (by TJStats).

Gavin Cross percentiles from 6/13 onward. | TJStats

He has completely revamped the conversation around his prospect status and it warrants the question of if it is time for a cup of coffee at the big leagues.

The Downside of Cross's Game

Despite all the positive changes, there are some major holes in Cross's game at the plate. For one, he is striking out a ton, at a 29.5% K-rate, while not walking a lot either, at a 7.6% walk rate. He whiffs on 31.1% of pitches he swings at and despite the power surge he doesn't barrel the ball a lot with a 6.3% barrel rate.

There are concerns as well with his contact on pitches in the zone, as it sits at an 81.3% zone-contact rate. He doesn't have an advanced approach at the plate currently and he is overperforming compared to his expected numbers, but he has been on a tear since the middle of June.

Conclusion

With September call-ups coming up, it shouldn't surprise many fans if Gavin Cross gets his first cup of coffee at the major league level. He has flaws in his game, but the potential of his power, speed, and defense could provide more value to offset the flaws. He is a 25-year-old prospect who is having a career year at AAA Omaha, it is time to give him a shot to see what he's got.

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