SURPRISE, Ariz. -- Opening Day is just over two weeks away, but the Royals’ limited roster battles are still being played out in Spring Training. Evaluators aren’t rushing into any decisions, letting it all play out, whether that’s on the field or by health or in the work seen on the backfields.

With that in mind, here’s MLB.com’s second roster prediction of the spring:

Catcher (2): Salvador Perez, Freddy Fermin

Perez will be the Royals’ Opening Day backstop as he enters his 14th big league season. Fermin, an American League Gold Glove finalist last season, returns as Perez’s “backup” -- or, perhaps more accurately, his co-catcher. Perez will likely still hold the edge in innings logged behind the plate, but the two will continue to share the workload.

First baseman: (1): Vinnie Pasquantino

Pasquantino will look to build off a 97-RBI season as the everyday first baseman, with Perez his main backup. The two will also serve as the designated hitter at times to get both bats in the lineup.

Second baseman (2): Jonathan India, Michael Massey

India will be the Royals’ leadoff hitter, and he’s looked great there so far this spring. He’ll be in the lineup every day, but perhaps at different positions. He’s logged innings at second base -- his primary position -- third base and left field this spring. Massey will also play a lot and will bounce from second base to left field. The two have been open to learning the outfield, but the Royals have to decide how much they’ll both actually play out there once the regular season begins.

Shortstop (1): Bobby Witt Jr.

Witt is fresh off the best season of his young career; what might he have in store for 2025? Maikel Garcia is considered the backup shortstop, and the Royals should have another utility player on their bench who could back up around the infield, too.

Third baseman (1): Maikel Garcia

The Royals hope to see offensive improvements from Garcia in 2025. He’ll still see a lot of time at third base, but he’s also been auditioning in center field this spring, giving the Royals a potential right-handed platoon option for Kyle Isbel and someone who can bounce around from the infield to the outfield. That will also open up third base for India.

Outfielders (3): MJ Melendez, Kyle Isbel, Hunter Renfroe

Can Melendez implement the swing revamp he made into the regular season and take a big step forward in his career? Can Renfroe rebound from a disappointing season? The Royals need them to be power threats in the middle of the lineup.

Isbel is considered the everyday center fielder, and the Royals value his defense. But as mentioned above, he could get more days off, especially against left-handed pitching.

Bench/Utility (3): OF Dairon Blanco, UTIL Cavan Biggio, INF/OF Nick Pratto

General manager J.J. Picollo said this about the bench competition on Sunday: “We’ve put more thought into that more than we have anything else.”

The Royals have several players competing for limited bench spots, and all bring something different to the table. Fermin will take one of those spots as the backup catcher. Then the Royals have to decide what they want out of their bench, whether it’s power or speed or versatility.

Blanco is a heavy favorite after the valuable role he filled as a pinch-runner last year, and the Royals expect to use him similarly again in 2025 as long as he’s ready after dealing with right Achilles tightness. He’s getting back into games this week and should be ready for Opening Day.

Biggio has drawn five walks in 21 plate appearances this spring, although he only has three hits. But if he can get on base and give the Royals a professional at-bat from the left side, he would be valuable late in games. And he can play almost every position on the field. The Royals could also go with Nick Loftin, a righty, for a similar role.

Pratto, a Gold Glove-caliber first baseman, is working in the outfield this spring to increase his versatility. He would represent a lefty power threat off the bench, but he will need to bring his strikeout rate down. Nelson Velázquez would be the righty power option. Complicating matters is that both Pratto and Velázquez are out of options.

Then there are two power-speed options in Drew Waters and Joey Wiemer, both of whom can play center field and steal bases. The Royals might give Waters a chance after he slashed .290/.379/.494 in Triple-A Omaha last year.

Starting Pitchers (5): Cole Ragans, Seth Lugo, Michael Wacha, Michael Lorenzen, Kris Bubic

The first four are set, and the competition for the fifth starter has narrowed to Bubic and Daniel Lynch IV with Alec Marsh (right shoulder soreness) and Kyle Wright (right hamstring strain) working their way back from injuries. Both Bubic and Lynch IV haven’t done anything to hurt themselves this spring, but the Royals are intrigued by what Bubic could do in a rotation role after he stepped up big for the bullpen last year.

Relief Pitchers (8): Lucas Erceg, Carlos Estévez, Hunter Harvey, Chris Stratton, John Schreiber, Angel Zerpa, Sam Long, Daniel Lynch IV

Estévez, Erceg and Harvey will make up the back end of the bullpen, with Zerpa, Long and Schreiber also getting leverage innings.

If Bubic is in the rotation, it doesn’t mean that Lynch is automatically starting in Triple-A, because the club feels good about its depth there. Lynch embraced helping the Royals in a relief role at the end of last year, throwing 20 2/3 scoreless innings. Plus, he would give the Royals another multi-inning arm along with Stratton.

But would the Royals rather have Carlos Hernández on the team to start the year? The 27-year-old righty is out of options and another team would take a chance on him because of his 100-mph fastball. Hernández has gotten opportunities this spring, but he’s allowed six runs in seven Cactus League innings. The Royals have to decide if Hernández has shown enough to earn another chance in the big leagues.