Breaking down Royals roster options for '22

KANSAS CITY -- While other teams have been finishing their postseason runs throughout October, the Royals have already begun meetings about their future -- and what it will take to be a playoff team within the next few years.

The Royals haven’t yet held their end-of-season press conference, but they will at some point, likely after the World Series ends. And they’ll look toward their offseason in earnest, starting with the roster decisions that loom.

Here is a roster breakdown that includes some of those decisions, roles for next year and more for the players on the Royals' 40-man roster who played a significant role in the 2021 season:

Catchers

Cam Gallagher (first-year arbitration eligible)
The Royals could non-tender Gallagher to make immediate room for prospect MJ Melendez on the roster in 2022, but Gallagher is extremely valuable as a backup catcher and not expected to cost much, projected at $900,000 in arbitration per MLB Trade Rumors, this winter.

Salvador Perez (signed through 2025 with ’26 team option)
The Royals' catcher of the past, present and future, the biggest question Perez faces next year is this: How can he build on his historic 2021 season?

Sebastian Rivero (pre-arbitration)
The 22-year-old rookie offers solid catching depth if Perez or Gallagher gets hurt. If he can show enough with the bat, his defense would make him a viable trade candidate in the coming years.

Infielders

UTIL Hanser Alberto (third-year arbitration eligible)
Alberto is a non-tender candidate this winter, given the roster crunch the Royals face and his arbitration projection of $2.1 million, per MLB Trade Rumors. But he offers enough versatility that the club could decide to keep him around for depth.

3B/OF Hunter Dozier (signed through 2024 with ’25 team option)
A resurgence by Dozier after a horrid 2021 season will be key to the Royals’ offense next season. He also allows the team some defensive flexibility, because he can slot in at third base, right field or designated hitter.

SS/2B Nicky Lopez (first-year arbitration eligible)
Lopez will get a raise in arbitration this offseason -- $2 million projected per MLBTR -- after a breakout year, accumulating a 4.4 WAR, according to Fangraphs, and hitting .300, all while playing a Gold Glove-caliber season at shortstop. Where he plays moving forward is one of the big questions the Royals will need to answer about their infield; do they keep Lopez at shortstop and fill Adalberto Mondesi and top prospect Bobby Witt Jr. elsewhere, or do they move Lopez back to second base?

2B/RF Whit Merrifield (signed through 2022 with ’23 team option)
A key piece of the Royals’ offense and defense, Merrifield showed he can play an elite second base this season -- and acknowledged that’s where he’d like to stay moving forward. But the 32-year-old could also move to right field to accommodate Lopez, Mondesi and Witt Jr.

3B/SS Adalberto Mondesi (second-year arbitration eligible)
Mondesi only played in 35 games in an injury-riddled 2021, but the 26-year-old showed he can play a good third base. The Royals must decide whether they can count on Mondesi to stay on the field as an everyday player and where that playing time will come -- third base, shortstop or another position.

1B/RF Ryan O'Hearn (first-year arbitration eligible)
O’Hearn got plenty of looks on the Major League team this season, playing 84 games and accumulating -0.7 fWAR. He played right field, left field, first base and designated hitter, and while he still offers power potential, the Royals have yet to see it consistently with a .694 OPS across four big-league seasons. It’s hard to see where he fits on the 2022 roster, with an MLBTR-projected $1.4 million salary in arbitration.

3B Emmanuel Rivera (pre-arb)
Rivera got a good look at third base while Mondesi was out in the second half and did well there, impressing Royals coaches all year long with the strides he made mentally and physically. He’ll offer another infield depth piece in 2022.

1B Carlos Santana (signed through 2022)
The 35-year-old first baseman came as advertised in the first half of the season, with a .368 on-base percentage and 15 home runs, but not nearly as much in the second half with a .254 OBP and just four home runs. That must change next season for the Royals' offense to take off.

Outfielders

Andrew Benintendi (third-year arbitration eligible)
When he was healthy, Benintendi created havoc offensively by hitting to all fields, showed some pop and was solid defensively in left field. He’s projected to make $9.3 million in his final year of arbitration. If the Royals see him fitting into their future, might they approach him with an extension now? That’s another decision to make this winter.

Kyle Isbel (pre-arbitration)
After struggling with plate discipline in his first stint in the Majors, Isbel looked much better when he returned for the final month of the season. How he fits with the Royals is another question to ask this offseason, and more specifically, is he ready for a starting role?

Edward Olivares (pre-arbitration)
Olivares is certainly ready for the big leagues offensively, shown each time (eight, if you kept track) he was recalled from Omaha. But he needs work defensively, and will likely fit another depth role next season.

Michael A. Taylor (signed through 2023)
The Royals biggest question this offseason was going to be in center field, but they answered that by signing Taylor to a two-year contract extension in September. He was one of baseball’s best defensive center fielders this season and now gives the Royals security there in 2022.

Rotation

LHP Kris Bubic (pre-arbitration)
In his sophomore campaign, Bubic posted a 4.43 ERA but made significant strides with incorporating his curveball into his repertoire. The lefty is going to be in the group of starters competing for a rotation spot in Spring Training, and if he doesn’t make the cut, he could have a role in the bullpen rather than going to Triple-A.

RHP Jon Heasley (pre-arbitration)
Heasley made the jump from Double-A to the Majors when the Royals needed a starter at the end of the season and held his own. He’ll also be in that rotation competition, but he might benefit from time in Triple-A to start the year.

RHP Carlos Hernández (pre-arbitration)
If Hernández wasn’t on your radar before, he should be now. The hard-throwing right-hander asserted himself as a potential ace starter if he can continue to improve his command like he showed this season. He’ll show up to Spring Training in that rotation competition, perhaps with a leg up based on his 2021 performance.

RHP Jakob Junis (second-year arbitration eligible)
After making $1.7 million this year, Junis isn’t projected to get a huge raise in his second year of arbitration, at $1.8 million. That’s because the right-hander spent most of the year in Triple-A before being shut down with a shoulder injury. The Royals must decide whether Junis fits on the 2022 roster and what role that would be -- rotation depth or in the bullpen.

RHP Brad Keller (second-year arbitration eligible)
Keller finished a disappointing 2021 season on the injured list with a right lat strain, but he figures to be in the front of the rotation again next season. He’s projected to make $5.2 million, and his entire focus this offseason will be to get healthy and make sure his struggles this year (5.39 ERA) don’t spill into next year.

RHP Jackson Kowar (pre-arbitration)
Kowar did not have the rookie season he nor the Royals wanted, posting an 11.27 ERA in nine outings (eight starts). What role will he fill in 2022? That question will be answered in that spring rotation battle.

LHP Daniel Lynch (pre-arbitration)
After a disastrous debut, Lynch quelled any fears about his future when he returned to the big-league club at the end of July, sticking in the rotation the rest of the way. That could put him ahead in the rotation competition; many believe Lynch, with his No. 1-type stuff, has the highest ceiling out of the Royals' young starters.

LHP Mike Minor (signed through 2022 with ’23 team option)
Minor was signed to eat significant innings, and that’s predominantly what he did until he got hurt at the end of the season. He will likely be tasked to do that again in 2022; the workload question isn’t going away with the young starters.

RHP Brady Singer (pre-arbitration)
Singer posted a 4.91 ERA in his sophomore season and, despite being the first of the Royals’ 2018 Draft class to make the Majors, faces competition in the rotation come spring. In 2022, Singer will have to show a better feel for his changeup -- and better willingness to throw it -- instead of relying on his two-pitch mix that too often got him in trouble this season.

Bullpen

RHP Scott Barlow (first-year arbitration eligible)
The reliable high-leverage reliever figures to be another fixture in the Royals' bullpen next year, and his $2.4 million arbitration projection should easily fit into Kansas City’s budget based on what he means to the club.

LHP Jake Brentz (pre-arbitration)
The rookie lefty was a surprise addition to the Opening Day roster and became a go-to reliever for manager Mike Matheny. Brentz, who touches 100 mph regularly, will likely be a key piece of the Kansas City bullpen next year.

RHP Dylan Coleman (pre-arbitration)
What Coleman showed in his five appearances at the end of the season -- one earned run in 6 1/3 innings, with seven strikeouts -- should put him firmly in the competition for a bullpen spot in Spring Training.

RHP Wade Davis (free agent after World Series)
Davis ended the season on the 60-day injured list. The 36-year-old has yet to announce whether he’ll continue pitching, but it’s not expected the Royals will re-sign him.

RHP Jesse Hahn (free agent after World Series)
After entering the season expected to be a key reliever for the Royals, Hahn missed all but five games in 2021 with a shoulder injury. The right-hander was throwing by the end of the season, but the Royals will need to see answers about Hahn’s health before exploring a return.

RHP Greg Holland (free agent after World Series)
After signing a one-year deal in 2021, Holland was reliable for the most part in the back-end of the bullpen. He also hasn’t announced his status for next season, but the Royals would likely be open to a return if they feel a spot needs to be filled as Spring Training nears.

LHP Richard Lovelady (pre-arbitration)
The lefty was a reliable reliever late in the season, especially when Brentz was on the injured list, posting a 2.45 ERA across 11 innings in August. But he had Tommy John surgery in late September and will be out all of 2022.

RHP Joel Payamps (pre-arbitration)
Payamps posted a 4.43 ERA in the Kansas City bullpen after the Royals acquired him from the Blue Jays in July. If he’s tendered a contract for 2022, the right-hander offers reliever depth.

RHP Ervin Santana (free agent after World Series)
Santana filled a valuable role for the Royals in 2021, eating up innings in the bullpen when needed while serving as a mentor to a number of young pitchers -- a role that was not lost on the coaching staff as the season ended. The 38-year-old has not announced his plans for next year, but if there’s a spot for him come late in the offseason, the Royals could look into re-signing him.

RHP Josh Staumont (pre-arbitration)
This will be Staumont’s final offseason before arbitration, and the hard-throwing right-hander figures to be another key piece in the Royals ‘pen next year. He got better as the year progressed and finished with a 2.88 ERA in 65 2/3 innings -- looking much like the pitcher he and the Royals wanted to see as 2021 ended.

RHP Domingo Tapia (pre-arbitration)
Tapia turned out to be a valuable pickup for the Royals, who acquired the right-hander from Seattle in May. He made his Royals debut in late July and stayed with the team from there, earning more trust in late innings of close games. It’s easy to see where he fits in the 2022 bullpen if he shows the same stuff in Spring Training.

RHP Kyle Zimmer (pre-arbitration)
After a strong first half as one of the Royals’ high-leverage relievers, Zimmer was not the same pitcher in the second half that saw him fight against injuries. Opponents hit .304 against him, and he posted a 7.23 ERA in 18 2/3 innings. If and how he fits in 2022 is still a decision the Royals must make.

RHP Tyler Zuber (pre-arbitration)
Zuber provided depth throughout the season and still will have one more option remaining in 2022. His long-term evaluation remains as a stalwart middle relief pitcher, but he will still have to improve his command to do so.