Kansas City Royals catcher Carter Jensen continued his strong rookie campaign on Saturday.
Despite the Royals’ 6-5 loss against the Pittsburgh Pirates, the 23-year-old backstop clubbed his 25th home run in the top of the third inning. The solo blast set the franchise record for home runs by a rookie, surpassing Bob Hamelin’s 24 in 1994.
The record was just the latest Jensen has set during his first full season in the majors. His 20-game hitting streak in June set a new franchise record, breaking teammate Maikel Garcia’s 18-game streak from 2023.
Saturday also continued what has been a stellar September for Jensen. Over 16 games this month, he is slashing .317/.397/.783 with six home runs and 15 RBI.
A staggering 15 of Jensen’s 19 hits have been extra-base knocks. Only Elly De La Cruz of the Cincinnati Reds has a higher slugging percentage this month (.788).
On the season, Jensen is slashing .233/.319/.454 with 25 home runs and 76 RBI over 144 games. While Jensen has room to improve his plate discipline (165 strikeouts to 64 walks), he has arguably been Kansas City’s biggest offensive catalyst.
Jensen’s 25 home runs, 76 RBI, and 33 doubles all rank first on the Royals, while his .454 slugging percentage ranks second.
Yet Jensen hasn’t been the only youngster to shine in Kansas City’s lineup this season: Jac Caglianone is putting together a great season himself. Over 138 games, the former Florida Gators star is slashing .282/.335/.486 with 23 home runs and 71 RBI.
Caglianone earned American League Player of the Month honors after a torrid August, hitting .411 with six home runs, 26 RBI, and a video-game-like .684 slugging percentage.
Jensen and Caglianone, combined with superstar shortstop Bobby Witt Jr., Vinnie Pasquantino, and Maikel Garcia, represent one of baseball’s most exciting young offensive cores.
However, injuries have largely hindered several of those players this season. Witt Jr. has been limited to 137 games in 2026, while Pasquantino and Garcia have played just 108 and 78, respectively.
Nonetheless, if all of those pieces remain healthy and perform as they have in the past, Kansas City could sneakily become one of baseball’s best offenses as the Royals look to return to the postseason for the first time since 2024 next season.
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