Royals catcher Carter Jensen is a hometown favorite. He’s rapidly improving at this
As Carter Jensen walked to the plate, he tried to ignore how big the moment was.
The Royals trailed the Astros 5-4 in the bottom of the sixth inning with the bases loaded. Jensen was already down 0-2 in the count.
The rookie took a deep breath, settled into his stance and watched as Houston’s pitcher, Enyel De Los Santos, attempted to deliver the final blow.
Then he swung back.
De Los Santos’ changeup sliced toward the bottom left of the zone, and Jensen met it with a three-run double to right to put Kansas City ahead 7-5.
The hit was one of the most pivotal moments of Jensen’s young career, yet he’s already learning how to compartmentalize such game-changing at-bats.
“I was able to slow the moment down and not try to do too much,” Jensen said. “I recognized that the pitch was on the outside part of the plate and drove it to the opposite side of the field. I want to use the whole field when I’m hitting. I know I can do it. ... I just tried to slow myself down and try to not think of it as a big moment or anything like that, and take my at-bat how I normally would.”
Royals manager Matt Quatraro was impressed with his rookie’s poise in a spot where many players his age would let the emotions of the moment get the best of them. Jensen will turn 23 next month.
“He got down two strikes, which was encouraging that he stayed on it,” Quatraro said. “It could go the other way in that situation, because you get amped up and you try to do a lot. You sometimes try to pull the ball. He stayed on it and hit it true in the gap.”
Jensen finished 2-for-5 with one run and three RBIs, but the Royals fell to the Astros 8-7.
Despite the loss, Jensen continues to make strides as one of the bright spots in the Royals’ (28-43) lineup.
The catcher has been Kansas City’s leadoff hitter in 11 of his last 12 starts and is becoming more comfortable. He noted that he’s been better at balancing aggression with taking and studying a couple of pitches to figure out his opponents.
“I love it,” Jensen said about his move to the front of the batting order. “I had to learn how to hit the leadoff spot. I hadn’t done it a ton, but having some experience helped. Talking to Mikey (Massey) and even talking to Bobby (Witt Jr.) and just picking their brains helped.”
In his time as leadoff hitter, the Kansas City native has learned not to be discouraged if he starts a game with an out. As he’s become more experienced, he’s become more level-headed.
In fact, his Saturday night started with an out, but he responded in his second at-bat by smacking a line drive to right to jumpstart the offense in the top of the third.
“If I get out my first at-bat, it’s not the end of the world,” Jensen said. “There’s going to be plenty more opportunities to start something big. It’s just staying locked in.
“I like the spot, and I think I’m getting better at it day by day.”
This story was originally published June 14, 2026 at 11:08 AM with the headline "Royals catcher Carter Jensen is a hometown favorite. He’s rapidly improving at this."