Below is a partial list of minor league baseball players in the Kansas City Royals system.
Contents
Players
Lucas Braun
Lucas Braun (born August 26, 2001) is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Kansas City Royals organization.
Braun attended Palisades Charter High School in Los Angeles and played college baseball at the University of California, San Diego and California State University, Northridge. He was selected by the Atlanta Braves in the sixth round of the 2023 Major League Baseball draft.
Braun signed with the Braves for $347,500, and made his professional debut with the Augusta GreenJackets. In 2023, he pitched for Augusta and the Rome Braves. He began the 2024 season with Rome before being promoted to the Mississippi Braves.
On August 1, 2026, the Braves traded Braun to the Kansas City Royals, along with Carter Holton, in exchange for Lane Thomas and Bailey Falter.
Career statistics from MLB · Fangraphs · Baseball Reference (Minors)
San Diego Toreros bio
Cal State Northridge Matadors bio
Kendry Chourio
Kendry Manuel Chourio (born October 1, 2007) is a Venezuelan professional baseball pitcher in the Kansas City Royals organization.
Chourio signed with the Kansas City Royals as an international free agent in January 2025. He made his professional debut that year with the Dominican Summer League Royals.
After five games he was promoted to the Arizona Complex League Royals. After three games he was promoted again, this time to the Columbia Fireflies.
Career statistics from Baseball Reference (Minors)
Dennis Colleran
Dennis Patrick Colleran Jr. (born August 20, 2003) is an American baseball pitcher in the Kansas City Royals organization.
Colleran attended North Attleborough High School in North Attleborough, Massachusetts. He played college baseball at Northeastern University for the Huskies.
As a freshman for the Huskies in 2022, Colleran appeared in 15 games and pitched to a 0-1 record and 4.50 ERA with 24 strikeouts over 22 innings before undergoing Tommy John surgery, forcing him to miss the entirety of the 2023 season. He returned to the mound during the summer of 2023, and played collegiate summer baseball with both the Hyannis Harbor Hawks of the Cape Cod Baseball League and the Worcester Bravehearts of the Futures Collegiate Baseball League. In 2024, he appeared in twenty games for the Huskies and went 1-2 with a 7.97 ERA and 46 strikeouts over 40+2⁄3 innings. After the season, he participated in the MLB Draft Combine at Chase Field.
Colleran was selected by the Kansas City Royals in the seventh round of the 2024 Major League Baseball draft. He made his professional debut in 2025 with the Columbia Fireflies and was promoted to the Quad Cities River Bandits and Northwest Arkansas Naturals during the season. Over 44 relief appearances between the three teams, Colleran went 9-0 with a 2.85 ERA and 72 strikeouts over 66+1⁄3 innings. He was assigned to play in the Arizona Fall League with the Surprise Saguaros after the season.
Career statistics from Baseball Reference (Minors)
Northeastern Huskies bio
Angeibel Gómez
Angeibel Alejandro Gómez (born December 12, 2008) is a Venezuelan professional baseball outfielder in the Kansas City Royals organization.
Gómez was rated as one of the top prospects in the 2026 international class. He signed with the Kansas City Royals in January 2026 for $2.9 million.
Gómez made his professional debut in 2026 with the Dominican Summer League Royals.
Career statistics from Baseball Reference (Minors)
Omar Hernández
Omar Hernández (born December 10, 2001) is a Cuban professional baseball catcher for the Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball (MLB). Hernandez played for the Spain national baseball team for the 2023 World Baseball Classic qualifiers. He was named to the Cuba national baseball team for the 2026 World Baseball Classic.
Hernández moved to Spain when he was 12. Despite originally playing soccer, Hernández played baseball in Spain. At 16, he played for the CB Viladecans in Spain's División de Honor de Béisbol where he hit .434/.500/.528 with 25 runs in 26 games.
Hernández signed with the Kansas City Royals as an international free agent in August 2018. He was promoted to Double-A Northwest Arkansas Naturals mid-way through the 2025 season. In 41 games for Northwest Arkansas in 2025, Hernández slashed .243/.279/.552.
Career statistics from Baseball Reference (Minors)
Ben Kudrna
Benjamin Michael Kudrna (born January 30, 2003) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball (MLB).
Kudrna grew up in Overland Park, Kansas and attended Blue Valley Southwest High School. As a senior, Kudrna was named the Gatorade Kansas Baseball Player of the Year and the Class 5A Pitcher of the Year after he went 9–1 on the mound with a 0.99 ERA and 100 strikeouts and 11 walks in 57+1⁄3 innings pitched. Kudrna committed to play college baseball at Louisiana State prior to signing with the Royals.
Kudrna was selected in the second round (43rd overall) of the 2021 MLB draft by the Kansas City Royals. He signed with the team on July 19, 2021, and received a $3 million signing bonus. Kudrna began the 2022 season in extended spring training before being assigned to the Columbia Fireflies of the Single-A Carolina League.
In 2025, Kudrna made 24 appearances (22 starts) for the Double-A Northwest Arkansas Naturals and Triple-A Omaha Storm Chasers, for whom he accumulated a 2-8 record and 5.30 ERA with 106 strikeouts across 105+1⁄3 innings pitched. On November 18, 2025, the Royals added Kudrna to their 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 draft.
Kudrna was optioned to Triple-A Omaha to begin the 2026 season. He made one start for Omaha, allowing two earned runs with two strikeouts over two innings pitched. On April 29, 2026, it was announced that Kudrna had undergone surgery to repair an olecranon stress fracture.
Career statistics from Baseball Reference (Minors)
Justin Lamkin
Justin Neil Lamkin (born June 1, 2004) is an American baseball pitcher in the Kansas City Royals organization.
Lamkin attended Calallen High School in Corpus Christi, Texas and played college baseball at Texas A&M University for the Aggies. As a sophomore for Texas A&M in 2024, he had a 5.21 ERA across 19 games. As a junior in 2025, he had a 5-7 record and 3.42 ERA over 15 starts alongside 98 strikeouts across 84+1⁄3 innings.
Lamkin was selected by the Kansas City Royals with the 71st overall pick in the 2025 Major League Baseball draft. He signed with the team for $1.16 million.
Lamkin was a non-roster invitee to 2026 spring training and was named to Kansas City's Spring Breakout roster. He made his professional debut with High-A Quad Cities River Bandits. After six starts in which he had a 2-0 record, a 1.27 ERA, and 38 strikeouts over 28+1⁄3 innings, he was promoted to the Double-A Northwest Arkansas Naturals. He made two starts with the Naturals and pitched to a 3.97 ERA before he was placed on the 7-day injured list with a back strain. He was later transferred to the 60-day injured list.
Career statistics from Baseball Reference (Minors)
Texas A&M Aggies bio
Michael Lombardi
Michael Lawrence Lombardi (born September 20, 2003) is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Kansas City Royals organization.
Lombardi attended Fox Lane High School in Bedford, New York. He committed to Tulane to play college baseball.
As a freshman at Tulane in 2023, Lombardi played in 42 games and started 16. At the plate, he had a .152 batting average and slugging percentage with 10 runs scored, four RBI, and a .350 on-base percentage. After his freshman season, Lombardi played summer baseball for the Santa Barbara Foresters of the California Collegiate League. In his second season at Tulane in 2024, Lombardi played in 43 games, starting 41 of them. He hit .277 with 25 runs, seven doubles, two home runs, and 26 RBI, a .380 on-base percentage, and .369 slugging percentage. Lombardi additionally went 4–3 with a 3.89 ERA in 41+2⁄3 innings.
In his final season with Tulane as a closer in 2025, Lombardi hit .273 with 34 runs scored, 38 hits, nine doubles, two triples, four home runs, 29 RBI, 63 total bases, five stolen bases, and 22 walks with 17 strikeouts in 42 games (36 starts). As a pitcher, Lombardi had a career record of 8–6 with 16 saves and an 3.82 ERA in 113 innings with the Green Wave.
Lombardi was a top prospect for the 2025 MLB draft, and the Kansas City Royals selected him in the second round with the 61st overall pick. He signed with Kansas City on July 21 for $1,297,500. He did not pitch professionally in 2025.
Career statistics from Baseball Reference (Minors)
Tulane Bio
Hunter Owen
Hunter Scot Owen (born January 30, 2002) is an American baseball pitcher in the Kansas City Royals organization.
Owen attended South Portland High School in South Portland, Maine. In 2019, he was named the Maine Gatorade Baseball Player of the Year.
After graduating in 2020, Owen enrolled at Vanderbilt University to play college baseball for the Commodores. In 2021 and 2022, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Brewster Whitecaps of Cape Cod Baseball League. As a junior in 2023, he started 12 games and went 4-0 with a 3.52 ERA and 76 strikeouts over 64 innings while missing time due to fatigue and shoulder soreness. After the season, he participated in the 2023 MLB Draft combine. Owen was selected by the Kansas City Royals in the fourth round of the 2023 Major League Baseball draft. He signed with the team for $631,700.
Owen made his professional debut in 2024 with the Quad Cities River Bandits, starting 22 games and going 6-7 with a 4.24 ERA and eighty strikeouts over 102 innings. He was assigned to the Northwest Arkansas Naturals for the 2025 season. Over 22 games (19 starts), Owen went 5-5 with a 3.80 ERA and 107 strikeouts over 94+2⁄3 innings. He was assigned to play in the Arizona Fall League with the Surprise Saguaros after the season. Owen returned to Northwest Arkansas for the 2026 season.
Career statistics from Baseball Reference (Minors)
Vanderbilt Commodores bio
Shane Panzini
Shane Jude Panzini (born October 30, 2001) is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Kansas City Royals organization.
Panzini attended Red Bank Catholic High School in Red Bank, New Jersey. As a senior in 2021, he pitched to a 0.91 ERA and 115 strikeouts. Panzini was selected by the Kansas City Royals in the fourth round of the 2021 Major League Baseball draft. He signed with the team for $1 million, forgoing his commitment to play college baseball at the University of Virginia.
After signing, Panzini spent time at Kansas City's facility in Arizona training and participating in instructional league games. He made his professional debut in 2022 with the Columbia Fireflies, starting 17 games and going 0-4 with a 5.00 ERA across 63 innings pitched. In 2023, he returned to play with Columbia and also pitched in two games with the Quad Cities River Bandits. Over 22 starts between both clubs, Panzini went 3-11 with a 5.29 ERA and 105 strikeouts over 97 innings. Panzini returned to Quad Cities for the 2024 season and appeared in 16 games (seven starts), going 3-3 with a 5.29 ERA across 51 innings. After the season, he played in the Arizona Fall League with the Surprise Saguaros. In 2025, Panzini made 26 appearances (17 starts) between Quad Cities, the Northwest Arkansas Naturals, and the Omaha Storm Chasers, pitching to an 8-3 record, a 3.39 ERA and 114 strikeouts over 109 innings. Panzini returned to Omaha to begin the 2026 season and missed time in May, June, July and August due to injury.
Career statistics from Baseball Reference (Minors)
Ramón Ramírez
Ramón Israel Ramírez (born June 15, 2005) is a Venezuelan professional baseball catcher in the Kansas City Royals organization.
Ramírez signed with the Kansas City Royals as an international free agent in January 2023. He made his professional debut that year with the Dominican Summer League Royals.
Ramírez played 2024 with the Arizona Complex League Royals and started the 2025 season with them before being promoted to the Columbia Fireflies. He started 2026 with the Quad Cities River Bandits.
Career statistics from Baseball Reference (Minors)
David Shields
David John Shields (born September 9, 2006) is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Kansas City Royals organization.
Shields attended Mt. Lebanon High School in Mt. Lebanon, Pennsylvania, where he played on the school's baseball team as a pitcher and football team as a quarterback. Originally set to graduate in 2025, he reclassified to the class of 2024. In 2024, he went 5-1 with a 0.51 ERA and 63 strikeouts over 35 innings and was named the Gatorade Pennsylvania Baseball Player of the Year. For his high school career, he compiled an 11-3 record, a 1.26 ERA, and 211 strikeouts. Shields was selected by the Kansas City Royals in the second round with the 41st overall pick of the 2024 Major League Baseball draft. He signed with the team for $2.3 million, forgoing his commitment to play college baseball at the University of Miami.
Shields was assigned to Kansas City's Spring Breakout roster during 2025 spring training. He made his professional debut that year with the Arizona Complex League Royals. After one start, he was promoted to the Columbia Fireflies. Shields made 18 starts for the Firelies and went 3-1 with a 2.01 ERA and 81 strikeouts and was named the Carolina League Pitcher of the Year.
Shields was assigned to the Quad Cities River Bandits to open the 2026 season.
Career statistics from Baseball Reference (Minors)
Luca Tresh
Luca Tresh (born January 11, 2000) is an American professional baseball catcher in the Kansas City Royals organization.
Tresh attended Clearwater Central Catholic High School in Clearwater, Florida and played college baseball at NC State University. He was drafted by the Kansas City Royals in the 17th round of the 2021 Major League Baseball draft.
Tresh played his first professional season in 2021 with the Arizona Complex League Royals and Columbia Fireflies. After the season, he played in the Arizona Fall League. He started 2022 with the Quad Cities River Bandits before his promotion to the Northwest Arkansas Naturals.
Career statistics from Baseball Reference (Minors)
Javier Vaz
Javier Rafael Vaz (born September 22, 2000) is an American professional baseball outfielder and second baseman in the Kansas City Royals organization.
Vaz attended Huntsville High School in Huntsville, Alabama and played college baseball at Louisiana State University at Eunice before transferring to Vanderbilt University. In 2022, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Brewster Whitecaps of the Cape Cod Baseball League. Vaz was drafted by the Kansas City Royals in the 15th round of the 2022 Major League Baseball draft.
Vaz spent his first professional season with the Arizona Complex League Royals and Columbia Fireflies. He started 2023 with the Quad Cities River Bandits before his promotion to the Northwest Arkansas Naturals.
Career statistics from Baseball Reference (Minors)
Henry Williams
Henry Alexander Williams (born September 18, 2001) is an American baseball pitcher in the Kansas City Royals organization.
Williams grew up in Darien, Connecticut and attended Darien High School, where he played baseball and basketball.
Williams played college baseball for the Duke Blue Devils. As a sophomore he went 3–3 with a 3.65 ERA 45 strikeouts over 37 innings pitched before suffering a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his pitching elbow. Williams underwent Tommy John surgery and missed both the rest of the season and all of his junior season.
Williams was selected in the third round of the 2022 Major League Baseball draft by the San Diego Padres. He signed with the team on July 27, 2022, for an over-slot signing bonus of $800,000. Williams was assigned to the Single-A Lake Elsinore Storm in May 2023 to begin his professional career.
Williams was traded along with Jesus Rios to the Kansas City Royals in exchange for Scott Barlow on August 2, 2023. The Royals assigned him to the Columbia Fireflies of the Single-A Carolina League.
Career statistics from Baseball Reference (Minors)
Duke Blue Devils bio
Peyton Wilson
Peyton Thomas Wilson (born November 1, 1999) is an American baseball second baseman in the Kansas City Royals organization. He played college baseball for the Alabama Crimson Tide.
Wilson grew up in Hoover, Alabama and attended Hoover High School. He committed to play college baseball at Alabama after his sophomore year. Wilson also played football at Hoover until giving up the sport as a junior to focus on baseball.
Wilson played both catcher and center field as a true freshman for the Alabama Crimson Tide and batted .333 over ten games before the season was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He moved to second base as a sophomore and was named second team All-Southeastern Conference after batting .290 while leading the Crimson Tide with 72 hits and 46 runs scored while also hitting 13 doubles, a triple and nine home runs with 31 RBIs.
Wilson was selected in the second round with the 66th overall pick in the 2021 Major League Baseball draft by the Kansas City Royals. He signed with the team on July 24, 2021, and received a $1,003,300 signing bonus. Wilson began his professional career with the Arizona Complex League Royals before being promoted to the Columbia Fireflies. Wilson began the 2022 season on the injured list before being assigned to the High-A Quad Cities River Bandits.
Wilson's older brother, John Parker Wilson, played quarterback for Alabama and in the National Football League. Another brother, Ross, played baseball at Alabama and in the Chicago White Sox, Miami Marlins, and Atlanta Braves organizations.
Career statistics from Baseball Reference (Minors)
Alabama Crimson Tide bio
Blake Wolters
Blake Wolters (born October 25, 2004) is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Kansas City Royals organization.
Wolters attended Mahomet-Seymour High School in Mahomet, Illinois, where he played baseball as well as basketball up until his senior year. As a senior in 2023, he had a 7-1 record, a 0.43 ERA, and 106 strikeouts and was named the Gatorade Illinois Baseball Player of the Year. Wolters was selected by the Kansas City Royals in the second round of the 2023 Major League Baseball draft. He signed for $2.8 million, forgoing his commitment to play college baseball at the University of Arizona.
Wolters made his professional debut in 2024 with the Single-A Columbia Fireflies and made 14 starts in which he had a 2-3 record and a 4.20 ERA across 55+2⁄3 innings. He returned to Columbia for the 2025 season, but missed two months due to injury; in total, he made 12 starts and went 2-2 with a 3.99 ERA and 40 strikeouts over 47+1⁄3 innings. Wolters returned to Columbia to open the 2026 season and was promoted to the High-A Quad Cities River Bandits in May.
Career statistics from Baseball Reference (Minors)
Steven Zobac
Steven Reed Zobac (born October 14, 2000) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball (MLB).
Zobac attended Valley Christian High School in San Jose, California and played college baseball at the University of California, Berkeley, where he was a pitcher and outfielder.
The Kansas City Royals selected Zobac in the fourth round of the 2022 Major League Baseball draft. He spent his first professional season in 2023 with the Columbia Fireflies and Quad Cities River Bandits. He started 2024 with Quad Cities and was promoted to the Double-A Northwest Arkansas Naturals during the season. The Royals named him their Paul Splittorff Pitcher of the Year.
Zobac made 11 starts for Northwest Arkansas in 2025, but struggled to an 0-3 record and 7.68 ERA with 37 strikeouts across 36+1⁄3 innings pitched. On November 18, 2025, the Royals added Zobac to their 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 draft.
Zobac was optioned to Double-A Northwest Arkansas to begin the 2026 season.
Career statistics from MLB · Baseball Reference (Minors)