Here's what to watch in the Royals' 2026 opening series.
The Kansas City Royals and Atlanta Braves will play on Friday in both teams' first game of the 2026 season. It should be a good series. The Braves are dealing with injury trouble, but they are capable of competing. Meanwhile, the Royals have high expectations for 2026 after missing the postseason a year ago.
Here's three things to watch in the Royals' first series of the new campaign.
Cole Ragans' Performance
Will one start predict an entire season? No, of course not. Still, fans will want to closely watch Cole Ragans' performance.
Ragans had an up and down spring training. On one hand, he led the Royals with 23 strikeouts. On the other hand, the southpaw recorded a 7.31 ERA across his five spring outings.
It will be interesting to see if Ragans can bounce back. The Royals need him to be a true ace this year, and he will have an opportunity to start the season on a promising note.
Royals' Lineup
How will the Royals' lineup look this year?
Matt Quatraro can change his lineup after Opening Day, but the first lineup of the year will give a glimpse into what the team is thinking.
Will Maikel Garcia lead off? Could Bobby Witt Jr. land in that spot? If not, Witt will surely hit second. Will Vinnie Pasquantino and Salvador Perez hit third and fourth in that order.
Where will young players such as Jac Caglianone and Carter Jensen end up hitting? How will the bottom of the lineup look?
These are all questions that will be answered on Opening Day. As mentioned, the Royals can obviously make changes, but paying attention to the first batting order of the year is still something fans should do.
How Will Bobby Witt Jr. Perform After WBC?
A number of Team USA World Baseball Classic stars struggled to begin the season. Perhaps they are still thinking about the championship loss to Team Venezuela. Aaron Judge, Paul Skenes and Logan Webb are among the Team USA players who did not get the season started on an especially high note.
Will Witt follow in their footsteps, or will he be ready to go from first pitch? Fans are surely expecting him to play well. He is one of the best players in the sport. Still, the same can be said for the aforementioned three stars.
Witt's performance will be worth monitoring during the opening series.