In the midst of a most disappointing season, the Royals received some hope in the form of catcher Carter Jensen.
Jensen, the 23-year-old local kid out of Park Hill, emerged as the team’s primary catcher in 2026 and looks to play even more games behind the plate going forward. This year, he started 97 games at catcher while appearing in another nine. His bat played so well that he appeared in an additional 42 games as the DH, of which 40 were starts.
While he won’t win the Rookie of the Year Award,
he gives the Royals another building block for the future, another piece of the core around which the front office can build. No longer will the Royals have to rely on the aging Salvador Perez to suit up every day. Instead, it’s the young man with the fresh legs and lively bat. He’s a piece of the lineup for years to come, joining Bobby Witt Jr., Jac Caglianone, Maikel Garcia, and (probably) Vinnie Pasquantino.
Jensen picked up a cup of coffee in 2025, but he made the team out of the gate in 2026. He had some issues during the season, of course, including allowing a league-leading nine passed balls. As of June 6, which was the 80th game of the season, his batting average dipped to an ugly .211. His other numbers weren’t a whole lot better—.288 on-base percentage, .368 slugging, add that up and what do you get, why it’s an abysmal OPS of .657.
After that, though, he improved, first gradually, then suddenly. He finished the season by capturing the September American League Rookie of the Month and Player of the Month. He broke the Royals record for home runs by a rookie with 27, which also led the team. With 64, he broke Witt’s record for most extra-base hits by a Royals rookie. In the midst of that, he set a team record for most consecutive hits for extra-bases with a cool dozen.
Final slash line: .239/.323/.467 for an OPS of .790, which was 20% above the league’s average.
Sure, there are some things he can improve. Behind the plate, he leaves plenty to be desired. His 170 strikeouts topped the team by 26.
But that’s nitpicking. It may not all be linear, but he will continue to improve.
Then again, it’s hard to top a season where one leads his team in home runs, RBIs, and doubles.
Here’s to hoping the Royals can fill in the rest of the gaps around Witt. With Jensen, the team no longer has to worry about catcher.
