The Case For Tyler Tolbert Being In The Royals' 2027 Plans

[Mike Gillespie]

Image courtesy of Denny Medley-Imagn Images

Seven months from now — March 27, 2027, to be precise — the Kansas City Royals will open their 2027 season by hosting the Minnesota Twins at Kauffman Stadium. How different from this season’s underperforming, injury-riddled roster that day’s team will look remains to be seen, but the disappointment that is 2026 means some familiar faces won’t be at The K when the 2027 campaign kicks off.

Don’t expect Tyler Tolbert to be among the castoffs. Although winning an everyday job is unlikely, the swift Tolbert should be a shoo-in for a key utility role as the Royals try to rebound and put any lingering bad memories of the 2026 season behind them.

To be sure, and despite the naysayers who decry his obvious power deficiency at the plate, Tolbert has earned at least another year.

Here’s why.

Tyler Tolbert Is Putting Together Another Good Season For The Royals

To understand why Tolbert will be back is to understand how well he’s performed since breaking into the majors last season. He debuted late in the Royals’ fourth game, an 11-1 beatdown of Milwaukee, but struck out in his only at-bat. Not until his 14th appearance of the season did he get his first big league hit, and it took him another 10 games to get his second.

Fortunately, Tolbert came around and finished his 64-game rookie season with serviceable numbers — in 57 trips to the plate, he slashed .280/.321/.380.

But his speed added considerable value. Tolbert stole 21 bases, a total less than only Bobby Witt Jr.’s 38 and Maikel Garcia’s 23, and was caught stealing just twice.

He’s even better this season. Through Sunday's action, Tolbert was slashing .286/.356/.775 with a 117 wRC+ in 61 games and 122 plate appearances. Per Baseball Savant, he’s walking more (9.0 BB% this season compared to last year’s 1.8) and striking out less (18 K% in 2026, 19.3 in 2025).

And he hasn’t slowed down on the basepaths. The base he swiped Thursday gave him 18 steals for the season — only three times has he been gunned down — so he’s a cinch to finish with more steals than last season.

That speed (Baseball Savant places his sprint speed in the 93rd percentile) also serves Tolbert well defensively, especially in the outfield where it’s enabled him to make some spectacular plays and avoid even a single error in 27 appearances.

Tolbert also checks another critical box — versatility, an asset near and dear to general manager J.J. Picollo’s heart, and one to which he pays close attention when considering his roster construction options. This year, Tolbert has played every outfield position, spent time at second, third, and shortstop, and even pitched five times. He’s not an overwhelmingly good defender anywhere, but he can hold his own everywhere.

Blocking Tolbert’s path to an everyday job, however, is his glaring shortage of power. He’s homered only four times in the majors; the 10 home runs he hit at Double-A Northwest Arkansas in 2023 offer some hope for improvement, but not much.

He also doesn’t drive in many runs — only 14 so far in two big league seasons — but that’s excusable considering his primary role as a reserve, and the fact he’s come to the plate with runners in scoring position only 48 times.

What Does Tyler Tolbert’s Royals Future Look Like?

Good. Although his bat isn’t powerful or his glove stellar, his speed, ability to punch hits, knack for getting on base, and versatility will keep him in the majors. Unless another team so covets what he gives the Royals and makes an offer for him Picollo finds too attractive to reject, Tolbert will be at The K next Opening Day.        

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