Champlain will start Thursday's Cactus League game against the Brewers, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.
Champlain isn't a serious contender for a rotation spot out of spring training, but the 25-year-old righty will serve as rotation depth this season. Last year, Champlain was excellent at Double-A (29.5 K-BB%, 0.92 WHIP) as an older pitcher but was much less effective after a promotion to Triple-A (5.6 K-BB%, 1.40 WHIP). Still, he covered 140.1 innings last year, so he's ready to handle a significant workload again, and it's possible he can take a step forward in a return to the highest level of the minors.
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Royals' Dairon Blanco: Dealing with Achilles tightness
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Blanco is day-to-day with right Achilles tightness after getting scratched from Monday's game against the Athletics.
Joey Wiemer got the start in center field in Blanco's absence Monday. Wiemer and Blanco are competing in camp for a bench outfielder role.
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Royals' Dairon Blanco: Scratched from Monday's lineup
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Blanco was scratched from Monday's lineup against the Athletics.
It's unclear what the reason was for Blanco's removal from the lineup less than two hours before first pitch, but in the spring, healthy scratches are more common than in the regular season. Joey Wiemer will start in center field and bat eighth.
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Royals' Jac Caglianone: Shows off power
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Caglianone hit a 435-foot home run with a 115.4 mph exit velocity in Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the White Sox, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.
The No. 6 overall pick in the 2024 First-Year Player Draft, Caglianone has at least 70-grade raw power and is in his first big-league camp. The Royals coaches were very complimentary of Caglianone, who is working on not swinging as hard as he can every time, and letting his natural raw power do the work while chasing less. If he can develop even just a 50-grade hit tool, Caglianone could annually be among the league leaders in home runs. He is likely to open the year at Double-A, but from there, he'll climb as quickly and as far as his talent takes him.
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Royals' Kris Bubic: Leading fifth starter candidate
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Bubic is seen as the frontrunner for Kansas City's fifth starter role, MLB.com reports. He gave up one run over two innings with two strikeouts in his spring debut Sunday.
Bubic also debuted a new sinker, which he hopes to use against lefties, the MLB.com report adds. It was Bubic's first spring training start in two years as he spent the first three months last season rehabbing from April 2023 Tommy John surgery. The lefty thrived out of the bullpen last season, working his way into high-leverage innings and collecting seven holds and a save. His 32.2 percent strikeout rate was by far his career best, but it's not clear he'll be able to handle a starter's workload or maintain that high a strikeout rate with more usage.
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Royals' Jonathan Bowlan: Tabbed for bullpen role
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The Royals are viewing Bowlan as a reliever, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.
Two of Bowlan's three big-league appearances to date have come in a starting role, though he's gone a mere 4.2 innings combined in those outings. The right-hander has worked almost exclusively as a starter in the minors as well, but the Royals appear set to deploy him out of the bullpen when he's with the big-league club. Bowlan has one minor-league option remaining, which gives the team some flexibility in terms of managing a relief corps that is comprised of mostly veteran arms.
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Royals' Nick Loftin: In mix for utility role
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Lofton will compete with Cavan Biggio and Harold Castro for a utility role this spring, the Kansas City Star reports. He's 3-for-4 in his first two spring games.
Loftin had a .803 OPS in his first taste of the majors in 19 games in 2023, but he struggled last season with a .518 OPS in 57 games. He still hit .302 with a .857 OPS at Triple-A last season. He can play several positions in the infield and outfield -- he played second base Saturday -- but the Royals may prefer a left-handed hitter in the role (both Castro and Biggio hit lefty). At just age 26 this season, Loftin may have the most upside among the group.
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Royals' Blake Mitchell: Breaks bone in right wrist
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Mitchell has a broken right hamate bone and will need 4-to-6 weeks to recover, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.
Mitchell was the eighth overall pick in the 2023 First-Year Player Draft and spent most of last year at the Single-A level, slashing .240/.375/.443 with 18 home runs, 50 RBI and 24 stolen bases in 31 attempts while posting a 30.4 percent strikeout rate and 17.0 percent walk rate over 461 plate appearances. He finished the campaign with five games in High-A ball and was expected to begin 2025 at that level, though it's unclear when he'll be ready to play given the wrist injury.
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Royals' Maikel Garcia: Leading off in spring game Saturday
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Garcia (elbow) is starting at third base and batting leadoff in Saturday's Cactus League contest against the Dodgers.
Garcia underwent surgery to remove bone spurs from his right elbow in early December, but the procedure won't affect his ability to hit or to play the field early this spring. The soon-to-be 25-year-old posted a poor .613 OPS over 157 regular-season games for Kansas City last season, though he showed some signs of growth with a career-best 16.5 percent strikeout rate and 37 stolen bases in 39 attempts. Garcia is slated to open 2025 as the Royals' starting third baseman, but it remains to be seen if he'll hit atop the lineup after registering a paltry .281 OBP last year.
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Royals' Noah Cameron: Contending for rotation spot
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Cameron is a candidate to make the Royals' Opening Day rotation with a strong spring, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.
Cameron entered camp as a long shot to make the Opening Day roster, primarily due to the amount of talent the Royals already have in their big-league rotation. However, with Alec Marsh (shoulder) and Kyle Wright (shoulder/hamstring) both dealing with injuries, the competition for the fifth starter job has thinned out, opening the door for Cameron. The 25-year-old southpaw only reached Triple-A in July of last season, but he turned in a 2.32 ERA and 1.02 WHIP alongside a 62:11 K:BB in 54.1 innings over nine starts at Omaha -- good enough land a spot on Kansas City's 40-man roster this winter. He showed no signs of slowing down during his spring training debut, throwing two scoreless innings against the Rangers on Friday.
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Royals' Evan Sisk: Battling bug
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Sisk is dealing with an illness that has been going around the Royals' clubhouse, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.
Sisk was originally expected to pitch in the Royals' Cactus League game versus the Rangers on Friday, but his illness kept him out of action. The 27-year-old southpaw was added to the 40-man roster in November after posting a 1.56 ERA and 1.03 WHIP across 57.2 innings at Triple-A Omaha, and he'll make his spring debut once he's feeling better.
Marsh (shoulder) is slated to throw a bullpen session Friday, MLB.com reports.
Marsh first experienced tightness in his right shoulder during his offseason throwing program and has been brought along slowly early in camp. Returning to mound work Friday offers him time to ramp up ahead of Opening Day, although he probably can't afford any setbacks. Marsh is competing for the final spot in the Royals' rotation.
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Royals' Jonathan India: In left field for Cactus opener
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India is starting in left field and batting leadoff Friday versus the Rangers in the Royals' Cactus League opener.
It was known that India would be getting reps in the outfield during camp, but it's interesting that his first start this spring is in left field. India has never played anywhere other than second base at the major-league level, and the keystone could still be his primary position this season. However, India getting starts in left field opens up second base for Michael Massey, who will start at that position Friday.
Wright (shoulder) is dealing with a mild right hamstring strain, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.
Wright suffered the injury while throwing recently. He has been able to continue playing catch, but the hamstring issue will set his throwing progression back a bit as he returns from shoulder surgery. Wright will be re-evaluated next week. The righty had already seemed like a long shot to win a spot in the Royals' rotation, and this setback won't help his case.
Stripling agreed to a minor-league contract with the Royals on Wednesday that includes an invitation to spring training.
Stripling has been a successful swingman at times throughout his career but had to settle for a minor-league deal after posting a 6.01 ERA across 85.1 innings with the Athletics last season. While the veteran right-hander will compete for a place on the Opening Day roster, he should be considered more likely to begin the campaign at Triple-A Omaha.
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Royals' MJ Melendez: Showing off revamped swing in camp
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Melendez said Tuesday that he spent the offseason in Miami revamping his swing during workouts, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.
Specifically, Melendez has adjusted his positioning at the plate, decreased his leg kick and demonstrated a more balanced stance in the batter's box. Melendez is hopeful that the change will simplify his movements and allow him to be more consistent at the plate, after he struck out at a 25.1 percent clip and slashed a career-worst .206/.273/.400 in 450 plate appearances a season ago. Melendez doesn't believe the adjustment will result in him sacrificing power, which was his main calling card during his minor-league career and through his first three seasons in the majors. The lefty-hitting Melendez should be poised to open the 2025 campaign as a strong-side platoon player in left field, though after catching in 10 games in 2023, he will no longer carry eligibility at catcher in any fantasy league since he didn't see any action behind the plate in 2024.
