PHOENIX -- The Royals’ Opening Day roster is coming into focus, and one of their top spring performers won’t be on it.

Kansas City optioned first baseman Nick Pratto to Triple-A Omaha before its penultimate Cactus League game against the Brewers, an eventual 11-5 loss, on Friday at American Family Fields of Phoenix. Outfielder Drew Waters and catcher Austin Nola were also optioned to Omaha.

Pratto, 25, had a phenomenal Spring Training, slashing .421/.476/.816 with four homers and just eight strikeouts in 38 Cactus League at-bats.

While Pratto forced his way into the roster conversation, he’s blocked at first base by Vinnie Pasquantino, and he hasn’t gotten any reps in the outfield this spring. The Royals see their backup first baseman as Salvador Perez on days he doesn’t catch.

“Nick had a phenomenal spring,” manager Matt Quatraro said. “It was just a little bit of a logjam. He can do other things and play in the outfield, but right now, that opportunity is not there. He did everything he could possibly do this spring, and we just need him to continue that in Omaha. When the opportunity presents itself or he forces our hand, we’ll call him up.”

Despite the Royals touting competition this spring, they were also clear that they wanted to balance last year’s regular season performance with spring performance when deciding the roster. Pratto posted a .660 OPS with a 79 wRC+ in 95 games with Kansas City last year, along with a 40% strikeout rate. He was playing through an injury but is healthy now. The Royals would still like to see Pratto’s adjustments he showed this spring across a larger sample size in the regular season.

“We’re not going to rely solely on what they do in Spring Training games,” Quatraro said earlier this month when discussing roster decisions. “That’s not fair on the positive or negative side because you’ve got to use your whole body of work, your projectability, all those things. Performance is part of the puzzle. But it’s definitely not the whole thing.”

Nola is the third catcher on the Royals’ 40-man roster and is seen as experienced depth in Triple-A in case of injury to Perez or backup Freddy Fermin.

Waters, 25, is blocked from everyday at-bats, and he needs to continue to work on the swing-and-miss in his game; the 25-year-old struck out 12 times in 29 at-bats this spring after racking up a 31.8% strikeout rate in the Majors last year.

“We really think Drew can be a dynamic player -- offensively, defensively, on the bases,” Quatraro said. “Just have to get him to refine his game and continue to get those consistent at-bats.”

The roster moves Friday all but assure that MJ Melendez and Nelson Velázquez are making the Royals’ Opening Day roster, which the Royals have indicated all spring.

• Projecting the Royals' Opening Day roster

Melendez has posted a 1.016 OPS this spring following a good end to the 2023 season, when he posted an .837 OPS post-All Star break.

Velázquez showed his massive power with 14 homers in 40 games with the Royals last season after they acquired him from the Cubs at the Trade Deadline. While they don’t expect he’ll keep that rate -- a home run every 9.5 at-bats -- they do like the right-handed power he brings. The 25-year-old hasn’t had a good spring in terms of results, hitting .179 with 11 strikeouts in 39 at-bats, but the Royals have been pleased with his workout process.

“If we’re talking about numbers, it’s not what people may have expected,” Velázquez said. “But as a player, I’m just preparing myself for the season. I want to be ready, when I get there, to compete. All I care about in Spring Training is getting quality at-bats. And that’s what I feel like I’ve been doing.”

Velázquez and Melendez will both see time in left field, right field when Hunter Renfroe doesn’t play there, and at designated hitter. What sending Pratto and Waters down does do is increase the quality depth the Royals have in Triple-A.

“We want to have tough decisions to make,” Quatraro said.

If there is underperformance early in Kansas City, and there are better options in Omaha knocking on the door, the Royals will be less hesitant this year in making changes.

The big question mark with the position player roster right now is second baseman Michael Massey’s status after he was sidelined earlier this week with lower back tightness. Considered day to day, he played light catch on Friday morning but has otherwise participated in no baseball activity since Sunday.

Even if Massey’s stiffness subsides in the next couple of days, the Royals must decide if they’re comfortable letting him play Thursday, or if they want to proceed cautiously so as not to let the problem linger.

“What we don’t want to do is have this hamper him the entire year,” Quatraro said. “I don’t know if it’s going to resolve in one week, two weeks or three days. We have to use our best judgment.”

If Massey begins the year on the injured list, utilityman Nick Loftin would have a better shot at making the team. The Royals’ No. 2 prospect has had a great spring, too, with a .948 OPS, and is more versatile than Pratto with the ability to play first, second, third and even the corner outfield, although he hasn’t gotten reps out there.

If Massey is ready to go for Opening Day, the final spot with the position player group would come down to Loftin or outfielder Dairon Blanco, who brings a speed element off the bench that the Royals would like to have.