Royals GM 'open-minded' about including Witt on Opening Day roster

The Kansas City Royals haven't ruled out the idea of including top prospect Bobby Witt Jr. on the Opening Day roster, according to general manager Dayton Moore.

"There's still two weeks to go," Moore said on Fantasy Sports Radio Monday.

"Mike (Matheny) is going to continue to challenge him, keep him in the lineup and look for matchups where he's facing the best pitching possible, and we'll make a decision when the time comes. I'm not going to go ahead and make an advanced decision now, but we're just going to let the player tell us."

The 20-year-old Witt has impressed throughout spring training, posting a .914 OPS with three home runs and seven RBIs in 12 games.

One of his homers was a 484-foot blast catching the attention of Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.

Witt hasn't just dazzled on the field. The son of former big-league pitcher Bobby Witt Sr. has become a respected member of the clubhouse, which is a tough task to accomplish at such a young age.

"Right now, we don't have to pick our roster. But the fact that Bobby Witt is still in camp and Mike continues to play him, and the most important thing is we all know he's earned the respect - a young talented player with a lot of hype around him who's earned the respect of his teammates," Moore said.

"And now that that is happening, I'm certainly going to be very open-minded about him being on this team once we break camp."

With Adalberto Mondesi entrenched at shortstop for the Royals, Witt would likely play second base or center field if he were to make the roster. Nicky Lopez started at second for the Royals in 2020, while the team used a mix of players in center.

The Royals drafted Witt out of high school with the second overall pick in 2019. MLB Pipeline ranks him as the No. 7 prospect in baseball.