Jon Heyman had it first
Jon Heyman reports that the Royals’ top prospect, Bobby Witt Jr. will start the year with the big league club.
Emerging star Bobby Witt Jr. has made the Royals in an amazingly obvious development. Witt’s spring line: 407/.448/.741 (11-for-27) in 10 games; 3 doubles, 2 HR, 7 RBI and 1 SB. He along with Adley Rutschman, the top 2 picks in the 2019 draft, are also MLB’s top 2 prospects.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) April 2, 2022
As Heyman notes, Witt has had a tremendous spring and it’s been obvious he should make the team since practically before we knew when the season would start. Heyman doesn’t mention it, but it seems blindingly obvious that Witt will not only break Spring Training with the Major League team, but also be the Opening Day thirdbaseman when the Royals open the season against the Cleveland Guardians on Thursday, April 7.
The biggest questions that remain for the Royals roster are who will be taking the last 2-3 spots in the starting rotation, who will fill out the weaker half of the bullpen, whether Kyle Isbel can turn his own hot spring into a regular role with the big league club, and where Bobby Witt Jr. will bat in the lineup. It will also be interesting to see how long Ryan O’Hearn, Hunter Dozier, and Carlos Santana can keep the likes of Nick Pratto and MJ Melendez in the minor leagues.
