Kansas City Royals rookie Carter Jensen received a major award from MLB.
There is no doubt this year has been a disappointment overall for the Kansas City Royals. They were out of playoff contention essentially by the first half and have fallen well short of expectations.
That being said, there have still been plenty of bright spots in terms of their young core, and the future remains bright in Kansas City despite this step backward in 2026.
One of the players who has emerged as a foundational piece of that future is catcher Carter Jensen. His cup of coffee in 2025 showed he was ready for MLB as he hit .300 with a .941 OPS across 20 games.
This year he has not hit quite as well but has still been a plus player at a demanding position. Jensen's emergence has been huge for several reasons.
He has taken over as the team's primary catcher, which has led to more days at first base and designated hitter for Salvador Perez, something that should help extend Perez's longevity considerably.
Jensen has also been an excellent left-handed hitting backstop, especially valuable at a position where offense is typically hard to come by at the big-league level.
Last week, Jensen had the best week of his big-league career. The 23-year-old rookie hit .421 with three home runs and three doubles, posting a ridiculous 1.634 OPS while driving in six runs across the week. That performance earned him his first-ever American League Player of the Week Award.
"The KC Kid! Carter Jensen has been named the American League Player of the Week!" the Royals wrote on X.
For Jensen it has all come together in the second half. The former top-ranked prospect and third-round pick is a Kansas City native, making it especially meaningful to accomplish this with the team he grew up rooting for.
Doing it at this level, against big-league pitching, in front of a fan base that has embraced him as one of their own makes the recognition even more special.
Jensen is not the only young player giving the Royals hope for the future. Outfielder Jac Caglianone has also emerged as an irreplaceable part of Kansas City's lineup this year.
Both players are under team control for multiple seasons after this one and should provide the foundation for a Royals team looking to build back into contention in 2027 and beyond. This season has not gone the way anyone in the organization hoped, but the development of Jensen and Caglianone is a meaningful silver lining heading into the offseason.
