Steven

Zobac

Kudrna and Zobac were added to Kansas City’s 40-man roster last November and will open the year back in the upper minors. Kudrna was hit hard during a brief stint at Triple-A after a strong season at the Double-A level last year. He’s one of the better pitching prospects in the Royals’ system.

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.

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.