Royals Reveal First Lineup of Spring Training

Baseball is officially back as Friday marks the first day of Spring Training games.

The Kansas City Royals will host the Texas Rangers in the first game of Spring Training with first pitch scheduled for 3:05 p.m. ET at Surprise Stadium in Surprise, AZ.

On Friday morning, new Royals manager Matt Quatraro revealed his starting lineup for the spring opener.

Royals Spring Training Lineup

Left-handed starter Daniel Lynch will take the mound for Kansas City. Heading into his third MLB season, the former first-round draft pick is looking to take a step forward this year after going 8-19 with a 5.32 ERA and a 1.59 WHIP over his first two seasons combined.

The lineup features last year's rookie sensation Bobby Witt Jr. batting leadoff, followed by another second-year player and Witt's double-play partner in Michael Massey. Former home run champ and seven-time All-Star Salvador Perez will bat third with second-year star Vinnie Pasquantino hitting cleanup.

Veteran slugger and DH Franmil Reyes will bat fifth. He'll be followed by former World Series champ Johan Camargo at third, third-year outfielder Kyle Isbel in center and second-year outfielder Nate Eaton in right. Minor-league outfielder John Rave will bat ninth and man left field.

As expected for a team in the middle of a rebuild, the Royals' starting nine features a lot of players who are still trying to establish themselves. There are a couple of proven sluggers mixed in as well, making this lineup an intriguing blend of youth and power.