‘Student of the game’: Carter Jensen is acing his first test with the Royals
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Carter Jensen trained relentlessly with Alec Zumwalt, building special practice plans.
- Royals have used Jensen every game this season as catcher or DH.
- Jensen’s prep earns club’s trust despite a slow start to 2026 MLB season.
Kansas City Royals hitting coach Alec Zumwalt reached for his phone. There was an incoming text message, from one of his own.
“It was texts, randomly,” Zumwalt later described. “Just, ‘Hey, we’re getting closer.’”
And Zumwalt knew exactly what that meant.
For years, Zumwalt has trained his guys in the offseason. It’s not uncommon for multiple Royals to show up looking for work. They have access to the batting cages and the field whenever they need it.
Some players come in to work on timing. Others hope to improve their pitch selection or simply watch endless hours of video.
However, there was one player who couldn’t get enough. And each day, he made sure to pay Zumwalt a visit.
“Yeah, the typical day is, you know, usually I’m here before him hitting with my kids,” Zumwalt said. “And he rolls in. … We start hitting around 11:30 a.m. and take our time and talk baseball. And by 2:30 p.m., we are heading back.”
The drills range in intensity. Zumwalt goes through different scenarios and replicates in-game situations.
And somehow, this young player just kept wanting more. It got to a point where Zumwalt needed to coordinate days off to avoid overloading him.
“We had set off days in there that were guidelines that we had to follow,” Zumwalt said.
The hard work certainly paid off. It got to a point where Zumwalt couldn’t help but admire the offseason work ethic.
“You know, he’s like a wild stallion,” Zumwalt said. “He wants to get in there and get going.”
From KCMO to the Royals
Wondering who this Royal happens to be?
It was none other than Carter Jensen — the 22-year-old KCMO native who has grabbed the attention of Major League Baseball.
Jensen arrived in Kansas City last season. In September, the Royals gave him a taste of the big leagues after a stellar minor-league campaign. Jensen appeared in 20 games and finished with a .300 batting average, three home runs and 13 RBIs.
It was quite the first impression.
The Royals have known about Jensen for a while. After all, he played for their 18U scout team while attending Park Hill High School. He idolized Royals captain Salvador Perez and became a Royals fan at a young age.
Jensen is living out his childhood dream. The Royals selected him in the third round of the 2021 MLB Draft, and he rose steadily through the minors.
At each stop, Jensen stood out due to his preparation. He prided himself on being a student of the game. There weren’t many days when Jensen wasn’t watching film, talking to his pitching staff or cultivating a game plan.
“You know, just being a perfectionist,” Jensen said. “I want to be perfect in everything that I do. Obviously, that’s not realistic. I’m not going to be perfect, but I want to at least prepare perfect every single day, no matter what happens.”
Jensen impressed his teammates from the start. He took the time to meet with all his pitchers and learn their tendencies. He studies their preferences and best attributes to better support them behind the plate.
Many times, his zeal for learning permeates the field.
“It’s just like the eagerness to learn,” reliever John Schreiber said. “You know, it’s awesome for him to have Salvy as a mentor (to) teach him the way, how to go about it up here. (Especially), when it comes to recovery, training, preparation and all that kind of stuff.
“So it’s been awesome seeing the work he’s put in. You know, studying everybody here from the pitching staff and seeing what works with them individually. Just getting to know the new guys and all that good stuff. He’s been on the right path, and it’s pretty cool to see him thrive at such a young age.”
Learning on the fly
Jensen has played in every game this season. He has either been the designated hitter or behind the plate.
At times, Jensen has hit in the fifth spot, a sign of trust from the coaching staff.
The goal was simple. The Royals want Jensen to be an offensive force alongside core veterans Perez, Bobby Witt Jr., Vinnie Pasquantino and Maikel Garcia.
“He’s thrown himself into that,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “I mean, that was the message earlier in the spring. It was that your job is to learn as much as you can about every pitcher, about the situations, about the game planning — and understanding that is your priority. You’re gonna hit. And you’re not going to have success every game you hit. But you have to be 100% locked into the defensive aspect of it.”
Jensen heeded the message. When he is the designated hitter, he gets his work done early in batting practice and spends 20–30 minutes getting his catching finished.
Sometimes, it’s full intensity with his catching gear. He will go into the training with an idea to work on his blocking, pitch framing or just game calling.
“It’s not just a walk in the park,” Jensen said. “It’s intense work and it’s built for me to fail. But it’s also built for me to be better.”
Jensen is off to a slower start this season. He was hitting .125 (2-for-16) entering Thursday’s action, although he’d also hit a homer and driven in two runs. He didn’t start Thursday’s game because he overslept — a well-publicized mistake for which he apologized.
The Royals believe he learned from that experience and are not concerned about his offense. They understand it’s early in the season and numbers tend to fluctuate. There’s belief that Jensen will keep putting in the work and his productivity will flourish.
“I couldn’t imagine myself at 22 thinking I was ready to play at the big-league level,” reliever Lucas Erceg said. “... When he did get called up last year, at the end of the year, he came out and performed and really didn’t miss any steps along the way. It’s pretty impressive.”
Jensen has grown a lot in a short order. Zumwalt has seen his rise from up close and is excited to witness his rookie season in earnest.
And there isn’t any doubt: Jensen is going to leave his mark.
He wasn’t built any other way.
“For Carter, you don’t see the added pressure,” Zumwalt said. “You see the confident young man that wants to win a World Series for his hometown team.”
This story was originally published April 2, 2026 at 7:00 AM.
