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Over a month has passed since the curtain fell on a dismal 2026 season the Kansas City Royals didn’t see coming. Fresh off two straight winning seasons, including their surprise 2024 return to the playoffs, the Royals sank to last place in the American League Central with a 93-loss campaign that left them a long list of critical questions for 2027.
At least one of those questions, though, should be easy for the club and general manager J.J. Picollo to answer, and answer quickly. That question — should the club bring back Nick Loftin? — requires little, if any, deliberation.
The answer is “Yes”. Loftin needs to be in Kansas City. He proved that convincingly in 2026.
Nick Loftin Brought Promise to the Royals
That the Royals considered Loftin a key part of their future became evident when they made him their second pick in the 2020 amateur draft. After grabbing pitcher Asa Lacy with the fourth overall selection, they took Loftin with the 32nd overall pick, a Competitive Balance Round A choice sandwiched between the first and second rounds. He’d just finished three collegiate seasons at Baylor with a nice .311/.370/.479 cumulative line. He performed well enough in the minors, including clubbing 16 homers, driving in 61 runs, and hitting .280 with a .362 OBP and .820 OPS in 88 games split between Double-A Northwest Arkansas and Triple-A Omaha, to earn a promotion to the majors when rosters expanded in September 2023.
But Loftin’s promise didn’t translate into a major role with the Royals. Instead, he spent 2024 and 2025 shuttling between Kauffman Stadium and Omaha, never making a showing sufficient to keep him in Kansas City.
Until 2026, that is.
Nick Loftin Breaks Out for the Royals
To understand how much Loftin meant to the Royals this season requires understanding how much Maikel Garcia unfortunately didn’t mean to them. After a spectacular 2025 campaign — he homered 16 times, drove in 74 runs, slashed .286/.351/.449, and won a Gold Glove and an All-Star berth — landed him a hefty new $57.5 million, five-year contract; injuries robbed third baseman Garcia of 80 games. To say the club missed Garcia understates the matter.
Loftin, however, helped ease some of the pain of losing Garcia for half the season. He made the best of his first extended opportunity to play regularly, parlaying the chance into a serviceable 118-game, 426-plate-appearance .240/.322/.388 line with career highs in doubles (27), home runs (8), RBI (45), and fWAR (1.3); he also posted a 98 wRC+, .710 OPS, and 100 OPS+.
And he blossomed defensively as a hot corner replacement for Garcia. Loftin’s 6 OAA and 5 DRP tied Boston’s Caleb Durbin and Minnesota’s Brooks Lee for the American League lead in both categories; he also had 6 DRS and, with Durbin and Brooks, is in the running for the AL’s third base Gold Glove to be awarded Nov. 1.
Nick Loftin Represents High Value to the Royals
As good as it was, Loftin’s 2026 performance doesn’t tell the entire story. He doesn’t strike out much or chase too many bad pitches, and his versatility — he played everywhere in 2026 except on the mound, behind the plate, or in center field — plays well for a club that places a high premium on that asset.
And unless things change in the new collective bargaining agreement the clubs and players' union are trying to hammer out, he won’t be eligible for free agency until after the 2030 season.
All things considered, Loftin has increased his value to the Royals at a time when they need every ounce of it they can muster. He’s a player the club needs to keep in Kansas City.
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