Royals' Carter Jensen: Taking seat in Thursday's matinee
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Jensen is absent from the lineup for Thursday's game against the Mets.
The left-handed-hitting Jensen started at catcher each of the last two days, so he'll get some rest during Thursday's matinee as the Mets send southpaw Sean Manaea to the bump. Luke Maile is doing the catching and Salvador Perez will play first base for the Royals.
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Royals' Carter Jensen: Exiting starting nine
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Jensen is absent from the lineup for Monday's contest against the Phillies.
It's a well-earned day of rest after Jensen started each of the previous 16 contests. The Royals will turn to Luke Maile at catcher in the series finale.
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Royals' Carter Jensen: Homers in multi-hit effort
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Jensen went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Thursday's 5-2 loss against the Rays.
He kicked off the scoring with a monstrous 449-foot leadoff homer off lefty Ian Seymour, Jensen's 13th long ball of the campaign. The left-handed hitter has excelled against southpaws this season, batting .308 with an .831 OPS in 78 at-bats compared to a .229 batting average and .741 OPS in 201 at-bats against right-handers. Over his past 14 games, Jensen has been one of the hottest hitters in baseball, slashing .368/.419/.702 with five homers, four doubles, 11 RBI, 11 runs and a stolen base.
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Royals' Carter Jensen: Extends hitting streak to 20 games
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Jensen went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Tuesday's 10-4 loss to the Rays.
Jensen jumped on the first pitch he saw from the leadoff spot, sending it over the right-field fence to give the Royals an early 1-0 lead. The homer extended the catcher's hitting streak to 20 games, the longest active streak in the majors. During the streak, the 22-year-old is slashing .346/.382/.630 with five homers, eight doubles, 18 RBI and 16 runs scored. Overall, Jensen is hitting .251/.316/.446 with 12 homers, 17 doubles, 46 RBI, 40 runs scored and one stolen base across 79 contests this season.
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Royals' Carter Jensen: Launches eighth homer
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Jensen went 1-for-4 with a solo home run and an additional RBI in Saturday's 3-2 win over the Twins.
Jensen accounted for most of the Royals' offensive production, blasting a leadoff homer in the first inning before adding a sacrifice fly in the ninth frame. Despite Saturday's productive moments, he's hitting .087 (2-for-23) with 10 strikeouts across six games in June. It has been a lackluster campaign thus far for the 22-year-old, as he's slashing .211/.286/.381 with eight homers, nine doubles, 30 RBI and 25 runs across 60 games while splitting time between catcher and designated hitter.
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Royals' Carter Jensen: Ends lengthy homer drought
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Jensen went 2-for-3 with a home run, two runs scored and three RBI in Saturday's 7-6 loss to the Rangers.
The 22-year-old backstop got the Royals on the board in the top of the seventh inning with an RBI single before launching a two-run homer off Chris Martin in the following frame to give his team a 6-3 lead, but the bullpen couldn't make it stick. Jensen's long ball was his seventh of the season but his first since April 22, snapping a 29-game drought in which he'd slashed a meager .183/.271/.247 with six doubles and nine RBI.
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Royals' Carter Jensen: Getting day off against lefty
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Jensen is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Red Sox.
After starting and going 1-for-3 with a double in Tuesday's 7-1 loss while southpaw Ranger Suarez took the bump for Boston, the left-handed-hitting Jensen will move to the bench for the series finale. Elias Diaz will fill in for Jensen behind the dish as the Red Sox send another southpaw (Connelly Early) to the bump.
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Royals' Carter Jensen: Not in Kansas City lineup
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Jensen is not in the lineup for Wednesday's contest versus the Guardians.
It's a routine day off after Jensen had started each of the last seven games. The Royals will go with Elias Diaz at catcher and Salvador Perez at designated hitter Wednesday.
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Royals' Carter Jensen: On bench Tuesday
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Jensen is not in the lineup Tuesday versus the Athletics.
Jensen had started the last six games for the Royals since he last sat April 19. In that span, he went 8-for-23 with a double, a home run and four RBI. As he rests Tuesday, Salvador Perez will start behind the plate while Isaac Collins serves as the designated hitter.
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Royals' Carter Jensen: Drives sixth homer Wednesday
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Jensen went 2-for-3 with a solo home run, an additional RBI, an additional run scored and a walk in Wednesday's loss to the Orioles.
Jensen connected on his sixth homer of the season in the sixth inning, extending his team lead in that category. In his first full major-league season, the 22-year-old has lived up to the hype so far, slashing .275/.354/.565 with six homers, two doubles, 14 RBI and 11 runs through 23 appearances.
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Royals' Kyle Isbel: Idle Sunday
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Isbel is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Yankees.
The Royals will stock up some extra right-handed bats to counter Yankees southpaw Ryan Weathers, so Isbel will hit the bench along with fellow left-handed hitters Carter Jensen and Jac Caglianone. Isbel had started each of the last four games but went 1-for-10 at the dish, bringing his season average down to .265.
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Royals' Elias Diaz: Moves up to majors
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The Royals selected Diaz's contract from Triple-A Omaha on Sunday.
The 34-year-old posted a mediocre .536 OPS over 35 plate appearances at Omaha, but he'll join the big club nonetheless to provide Kansas City with a third option behind the plate. With Carter Jensen receiving an afternoon off and Salvador Perez serving as the designated hitter in Sunday's game against the Yankees, Diaz will enter the starting nine right away at catcher and as the No. 9 hitter.
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Royals' Carter Jensen: Receiving rest Sunday
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Jensen is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Yankees.
After starting eight straight games at either catcher or designated hitter and going 7-for-27 (.259) with two home runs, six RBI and three runs, Jensen will get a breather. Salvador Perez will return to the lineup Sunday as Kansas City's DH, while newly promoted Elias Diaz makes his first start for the Royals behind the plate.
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Royals' Carter Jensen: Smacks fourth homer Friday
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Jensen went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Friday's 2-0 win over the White Sox.
Jensen struck out and fouled out in his first two plate appearances but got to see Davis Martin for a third time in the seventh and took him deep on a first-pitch cutter. Jensen has struggled with strikeouts this season, but he's slugged four home runs with seven RBI, six runs scored and three walks across 39 plate appearances.
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Royals' Carter Jensen: Out of Kansas City lineup
Rotowire
Jensen is not in the lineup for Thursday's game versus the White Sox.
Jensen had started the last two contests at catcher and the last three games overall, but he'll get some rest in Thursday's series opener. Jac Caglianone is serving as the Royals' designated hitter, and Lane Thomas will get the start in right field.
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Royals' Carter Jensen: Sitting to begin twin bill
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Jensen isn't in the lineup for the first game of Saturday's doubleheader against the Brewers.
Jensen has gone 2-for-16 with a home run and eight strikeouts to begin the season, and he'll now begin Saturday's festivities on the bench. Starling Marte will occupy the DH spot instead and bat sixth.
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Royals' Carter Jensen: Tallies RBI in spring loss
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Jensen went 1-for-3 with an RBI, a walk and a stolen base in Thursday's Cactus League loss to the Angels.
Jensen has cooled off after a hot start to the spring but still has a .250/.308/.500 slash line with three homers and eight RBI across 12 Cactus League appearances. The 22-year-old impressed with the Royals after being called up in September last season, slashing .300/.391/.550 with six doubles, three homers and 13 RBI in 20 MLB games. In his first full big-league season, Jensen is expected to split time at catcher with franchise icon Salvador Perez while also seeing time at designated hitter, particularly against right-handed pitching when Perez is behind the plate.
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Royals' Carter Jensen: Singles in spring debut
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Jensen started at catcher and went 1-for-3 in Sunday's Cactus League win over the Brewers.
Jensen was out of the lineup for the Royals' first two games before making his spring debut Sunday, grounding out in his first two at-bats before pulling a single into right field in the sixth inning before being lifted. One of the most highly touted catching prospects in baseball, the 22-year-old mashed during his brief stint with the Royals in 2025, slashing .300/.391/.550 with nine extra-base hits and 13 RBI across 20 games in September. The presence of franchise icon Salvador Perez is worth noting, but Jensen should still see regular action in the Kansas City lineup in 2026, whether behind the plate or at designated hitter.
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Royals' Carter Jensen: Rips three doubles in rout
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Jensen went 3-for-7 with three doubles, two RBI and two runs scored in Friday's 20-1 victory over Toronto.
The Kansas City rookie batted leadoff and collected the second three-hit performance of his nascent career, doubling twice off Blue Jays starter Max Scherzer in the first. Jensen is off to a roaring start, slashing .344/.447/.688 with two homers, five doubles, seven runs scored and nine RBI in 38 plate appearances across 12 games. The 22-year-old has been garnering plenty of playing time while he splits catching and designated hitter duties with veteran backstop Salvador Perez.
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Royals' Carter Jensen: Elevated to leadoff spot
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Jensen will start in the designated hitter spot and bat leadoff Friday against the Blue Jays.
It's the sixth straight start for Jensen and the first time he's batted higher than eighth. Regular leadoff man Mike Yastrzemski is getting a day off, so Jensen's presence at the top of the batting order could be short-lived. However, the rookie appears to have carved out a regular role versus right-handed pitching. Jensen is slashing .320/.452/.640 with two home runs and a 6:7 BB:K over his first 11 major-league contests.
