Even in a lost first half, three Royals gave fans real reasons to watch.
The Kansas City Royals reached the 2026 All-Star break at 38-59, tied with the Los Angeles Angels for the worst record in baseball and sitting fifth in the American League Central, 13 games out of first place.
This was supposed to be a bounce-back season after the 2024 playoff run and a winning record in 2025, but the losses piled up early and the front office is already weighing what to sell before the August 3 deadline.
Even in a summer this rough, three players stand out for beating expectations instead of falling short of them.
Michael Wacha Became an All-Star Again at 35
Nobody penciled in a 35-year-old as the most dependable part of this roster, but that is exactly what Michael Wacha has been.
He earned his second career All-Star selection, his first since 2015 with St. Louis, joining Bert Blyleven and Schoolboy Rowe as the only players with ten or more years between selections.
Wacha carried a 3.77 ERA over 19 starts into the break while leading the American League with 119 1/3 innings pitched, and he racked up 12 quality starts.
He also picked up his 1,500th career strikeout on June 27.
With Cole Ragans and Kris Bubic hurt for much of the half, Wacha held a thin rotation together, which is a big reason the Royals say they have no intention of trading him even as contenders keep calling.
Jac Caglianone Turned His Power Into Production
Jac Caglianone hit .157 with seven home runs in 62 games as a rookie last season, so any step forward would have counted as progress.
He gave the Royals far more than a step, reaching the break with a .260 average, 15 home runs, and a .782 OPS, including a .309 average and a 1.036 OPS in June when he was one of the hottest hitters in the sport.
His average home run distance of 418 feet is among the longest in baseball, and that power earned the 23-year-old a spot in the Home Run Derby in Philadelphia, where his father threw him every pitch on a night he said he had always dreamed about.
Carter Jensen Looks Like the Catcher of the Future
Carter Jensen might be the biggest bright spot here.
The 23-year-old rookie from Kansas City ripped off a 20-game hitting streak that set a franchise record for a rookie and stood as the longest by an American League rookie since 2014, batting .346 with five home runs and 18 RBI during the run.
He reached the break with 13 home runs while pacing the team in RBI, and he has been honest about the losing, saying the club is simply not getting the results it wants.
Between his bat and the way he has taken over the regular catching duties from Salvador Perez, Jensen has planted himself in the middle of the Rookie of the Year race and the middle of Kansas City's future plans.
The second half will probably bring a sell-off, but these three gave the Royals a reason to believe the next good team in Kansas City is closer than the record suggests.
