Grading Every 2026 Royals Player: Outfielders & Designated Hitters

With the 2026 season behind us, it’s time to review each player's performance. This series will also look at infielders, starting pitchers, and relief pitchers.

The Royals fielded 11 different players in the outfield, eight of whom will be reviewed here as primary outfielders, and the other three will be graded with the infielders. Eleven outfielders is a noticeable decrease from the 17(!) outfielders that the Royals trotted out in 2025. With this year’s group much more consistent than the previous year, did the consistency translate to good grades?

Below you will find the eight primary outfielders and one primary designated hitter listed in order of most to least plate appearances with a few lines to explain their grades.

Salvador Perez: D

Perez has officially ceded the catching role to Carter Jensen with 44 appearances behind the plate. Only four qualified hitters had a lower wRC+ than Perez’s mark of 77, and only Bobby Witt Jr. had more plate appearances than Perez. His slash line of .229/.274/.383 all became new career lows. A team that had playoff aspirations in 2026 needs more production from the DH position. The only thing saving his grade was that he became the franchise leader in home runs by hitting home run #318 in July. 

Jac Caglianone: A

Caglianone had an excellent bounce-back after a rookie season that did not live up to expectations. He led all Royals in batting average (.289), slugging percentage (.494), weighted on-base average (.360), and wRC+ (129). Caglianone proved that he can be a middle-of-the-order threat in a major-league lineup. The next step in his progression is to become more consistent and avoid months like May and July where he had an OPS of .638 and .614, respectively. While Caglianone is not expected to be an elite fielder, there can be more improvement in his fielding, though that is admittedly nitpicking.

Isaac Collins: C

While the trade for Collins was graded a B-, his performance this season is graded on a different rubric. The Royals needed every left fielder, but Collins left a lot to be desired at the plate. His 83 wRC+ ranked second-to-last among qualified left fielders, and his .320 OBP is a significant drop from his .368 mark in 2025 with the Brewers. General manager J.J. Picollo mentioned that the team will look for offensive upgrades in the outfield, which would imply Collins’s role with the 2027 Royals may be in jeopardy. 

Lane Thomas: A

Thomas was brought in to be a platoon option for Kyle Isbel but was forced into a bigger role when Isbel landed on the injured list. Without the stability that Thomas offered, the Royals’ center field situation would likely have been much worse. His slash line of .232/.326/.393 with a 101 wRC+ helped make him an attractive trade piece, and he was ultimately sent to the Atlanta Braves. The Royals received a couple of minor-league pitchers in return. This was probably the best-case scenario for a one-year rental player on a team out of the playoff picture.

Kyle Isbel: D+

Isbel missed a large chunk of the season with plantar fasciitis. When healthy, his production at the plate was poor. He slashed .224/.268/.323 with a 61 wRC+. While his defense is still solidly above league-average, he saw regression in his fielding run value and, most notably, his arm strength. Since 2022, his arm strength has decreased each year and reached 81.2 mph, which places him in the 27th percentile. With his defense trending in the wrong direction, the Royals would prefer more output from the plate. Unless he can prove to be a bigger threat at the plate, Isbel may also be displaced by potential outfield acquisitions this coming offseason.

Starling Marte: F

Marte was signed to offer a platoon option for Caglianone in right field against left-handed starters. However, by only a couple of months into the season, Caglianone was outpacing Marte’s lefty splits. He slashed a career low of .242/.298/.314 across 168 plate appearances. With no defined role in the offense, Marte was released on August 15th.

John Rave: B-

Rave saw limited opportunities at the major-league level with only 161 plate appearances. He slashed .232/.314/.430 with a 105 wRC+ and 1.0 fWAR, which is a noticeable improvement from his rookie season in 2025, and finished the season with hits in eight of his last nine appearances. It is difficult to grade a player with limited opportunities, but his production in Triple-A Omaha makes it difficult not to give him opportunities in the majors. 

Kameron Misner: D

Misner showed promising signs with strong performances in Omaha, slashing .286/.378/.563 with a 137 wRC+. However, he was not able to continue that level of production in the majors, where he slashed .220/.256/.244 with a 37 wRC+. Unlike Rave, his Triple-A performance did not translate well to Kansas City, and he was designated for assignment in July. 

Matthew Lugo: Incomplete

Lugo only had 15 plate appearances in 2026 and reached base three times. It is nearly impossible to grade a player with such a low sample size, but if he had hit the ground running when called upon, the Royals would have found a way to give him more opportunities late in the season.

What do you think about my grades? Who would you grade differently? Share your thoughts in the comments, and check back soon to read about more Royals grades.

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