Gavin

Cross

Going unprotected here are left-hander Frank Mozzicato, the seventh overall pick in the 2021 draft, and outfielder Gavin Cross, the ninth overall pick in the 2022 draft. They both needed to be protected from the Rule 5 draft for the first time, but the Royals are exposing them. It was a pretty obvious call in Cross’s case, but there might be a slight chance of Mozzicato getting taken. Kurdna figures to make his major league debut at some point during 2026, and he has a chance to be a back-end starter. Zobac had a mess of a 2025 season, and while he’s still starting now, he projects better as a reliever.

The big name here is Caglianone, as he’s the Royals’ top prospect and one of the best power-hitting bats in the minors. The 22-year-old has a good — if not guaranteed — shot of making his debut with Kansas City in 2025.

While Jac Caglianone is the biggets name on the list of non-roster invitees, Cross is intriguing in his own right. The 23-year-old outfielder — and ninth overall pick from the 2022 draft class — slashed .261/.342/.428 with 15 homers, 59 RBI and 30 stolen bases (32 attempts) in 101 games at Double-A Northwest Arkansas in 2024. There’s a good chance that we see him in Kansas City at some point during the 2025 season and his speed would give him some appeal from a fantasy perspective.

Cross has been out since exiting Saturday’s game with the ailment. The ninth overall pick in the 2022 draft, Cross has hit .288/.374/.447 with five homers and 13 steals in 46 games for Northwest Arkansas.

Actually, the full amount is $5,202,900 -- which is the full slot value for the ninth selection in the draft. One of the top collegiate bats in this draft class, the Virginia Tech product is expected to be one of the first players from the 2022 group to reach the big leagues.

Cross was one of the best performers in the ACC the last two years, and culminated his time at Virginia Tech -- assuming he signs, of course -- with a .328/.411/.660 slash with the Hokies. A left-handed hitter, Cross has three potential plus tools in his hit, power, and speed; with the latter showing up as seen in 12 steals without being caught. He’s not going to remind anyone of Ken Griffey Jr. defensively, but there’s an outside chance he can play center and he should be just fine in either corner. There are players with more upside than Cross, but there’s a high floor here, and he could be one of the first bats from the 2022 group to reach the majors.