Why The Royals Could Be Ready For A New Center Fielder

[Mike Gillespie]

The 2026 season will end, some say mercifully, for the Royals on Sunday when they wrap up a three-game series with Cleveland at Kauffman Stadium. Win or lose, the contest will bring the curtain down on a disappointing campaign marred by an inconsistent offense, an injury-plagued starting rotation, and an embarrassing bullpen, and punctuated by a last-place finish in the American League Central.

Sunday’s game could also mark the end, or the beginning of the end, of Kyle Isbel’s sixth season as KC’s everyday center fielder. Time will tell, but that possibility can’t be ignored.

It may be time for a change … one of several the Royals must so obviously consider if they want to challenge for playoff berths sooner rather than later.

Why The Royals May Be Ready For A New Regular Center Fielder

The reasons aren’t difficult to understand. Although Isbel is an extremely competent defender to whom the Royals have justifiably entrusted center field, his bat leaves much to be desired. So much so, in fact, that some might be tempted to think he’s been an outfield placeholder until the club could obtain a better hitter with similar defensive skills.

Isbel’s numbers reflect his offensive shortcomings and explain why manager Matt Quatraro almost invariably bats him ninth. The .215/.260/.317 line he carried into Wednesday night’s game against the White Sox speaks loudly for itself; his half-dozen home runs aren’t much, and his career .283 OBP falls far short of where the Royals need their regulars to be. He had a 57 wRC+ and a 0.0 fWAR. He looked good early in the year, entering May with a .292 average, but hasn’t batted better than .217 in any month since and was slashing .118/.135/.118 in September. He hadn’t managed an extra-base hit in almost a month.

But his weak offense doesn’t alone explain why the Royals may be closing in on replacing Isbel in center field; after all, baseball history is replete with outfielders whose stellar gloves kept them in the majors despite their ills at the plate. Now, however, the club appears to have a center fielder with a nice glove and a pop-packed bat.

Carson Roccaforte could be ready to make the jump from the minors to the majors.

Carson Roccaforte Could Change Center Field For The Royals

Unlike Isbel, Roccaforte, who Royals Keep considers KC’s ninth-best prospect, wields an impressive bat. He just completed a 35-homer, 96-RBI, .257/.338/.519, .857 OPS, 112 wRC+ season split between Triple-A Omaha and Double-A Northwest Arkansas. He also stole 34 bases in 2024, 43 last season, and 32 this year. 

Defensively, Roccaforte certainly holds his own. Primarily a center fielder, he’s made only three errors there across 994 chances and almost 3,400 minor league innings.

Whether Roccaforte, who has yet to make his big league debut, is ready for the majors — especially in a starting role — remains to be seen. But he deserves a shot when the 2027 season begins.

And he just might take that spot away from Isbel. If he does, the Royals might be wise to consider retaining Isbel as an extra outfielder.

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