Royals Rookie, Local Boy Makes Bold Statement With Two-Homer Game
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Silver linings are about all the Kansas City Royals can look for at this point in the season, and rookie catcher Carter Jensen provided plenty of those on Tuesday.
In a 12-5 loss to the surging Seattle Mariners, Jensen crushed his first career home run against starter Logan Gilbert. Then, facing Carlos Vargas in his next at-bat, he repeated the feat, putting together a two-homer, 10-total-base performance.
Not bad for a kid who hat three hits to his name entering play.
Carter Jensen on his big day at the plate
The loss dropped the Royals to 75-76 and likely extinguished their last flickering flame of playoff hope. But the 22-year-old Jensen, a Kansas City native, gave the hometown crowd plenty to be excited about as the offseason approaches.
Jensen put the night in perspective once the action concluded, showcasing his team-first mentality.
“It’s sweet in the moment,” Jensen said, per Anne Rogers of MLB.com. “During that game, I couldn’t let that feeling linger and just coast the rest of the game. I had to try to do everything I could both offensively and defensively, because we were trying to make a comeback.”
What was all the more impressive was the fact that Jensen bounced back from a strikeout in a big spot in his first at-bat with multiple runners on base to deliver a big night.
“I was pumped up, and I got a little too aggressive,” Jensen said, per Rogers. “I chased pitches that weren’t in my zone. … I knew going into the second at-bat that I had to buckle down and be a little bit more patient, see the ball a little bit deeper.”
The kid who grew up with fond memories of Royals playoff games knows it shouldn't be acceptable to miss out on October after entering the year with the kind of expectations this Kansas City team had.
If he has a few more two-homer games to his name in 2026, it will go a long way toward ensuring the Royals aren't met with a similar disappointing fate.
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Jackson Roberts is a former Division III All-Region DH who now writes and talks about sports for a living. A Bay Area native and a graduate of Swarthmore College and the Newhouse School at Syracuse University, Jackson makes his home in North Jersey. He grew up rooting for the Red Sox, Patriots, and Warriors, and he recently added the Devils to his sports fandom mosaic. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding "Kansas City Royals On SI," please reach out to Scott Neville: scott@wtfsports.org
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