Carter Jensen isn’t just chasing a big-league dream. He’s chasing the chance to live that dream in his hometown.
That dream, once distant as a child, is now inching closer to reality with every swing of the bat and every inning behind the plate.
The 22-year-old catcher, a 2021 graduate of Park Hill High School, is currently ranked as the Royals’ No. 2 overall prospect. After beginning the 2025 season in Double-A, he was promoted in June to the Triple-A Omaha Storm Chasers, just one step away from the Major Leagues.
“I’m just trying to embrace it all and get to the big leagues as quick as I can,” Jensen said. “I’m pretty anxious to get there, and I’m excited for everything that comes with it.”
Jensen, who bats left and throws right, helped the Trojans baseball team jump back above .500 during his time at Park Hill. In his senior year, Jensen led the Trojans to a 21-8 record to earn all-conference honors after batting .387, but the future professional was left off the all-state accolades.
Jensen’s rise through the minor league system has been swift but not without challenges. He signed with the Royals in 2021 after they selected him in the third round of the MLB Draft, just weeks after his high school graduation. His selection presented a decision — turn pro with his hometown team, or follow through on his commitment to play college baseball at Louisiana State University.
“It was a dream of mine to play at LSU, but the dream of playing for the Kansas City Royals was a little bit bigger,” Jensen said. “It was one of those no-doubt decisions that we decided I was ready for professional baseball, and the Royals were the perfect organization to be with.”
The decision didn’t come lightly. Jensen had previously committed to play for the University of Missouri prior to high school before decommitting in favor of LSU, a program that had previously won six national championships. But the chance to begin a professional career with the team he had grown up rooting for was too special to pass up.
He began his journey in the Arizona Complex League, where he played 19 games his rookie season. The numbers were modest but promising: a .281 batting average, one home run, and seven RBIs. More importantly, it gave Jensen his first taste of pro baseball life and the start of the long climb toward the big leagues.
In 2022, Jensen played 113 games at Single-A Columbia and was named a Carolina League All-Star with 11 home runs and 50 RBIs. The transition from high school to the daily grind of the minors tested him physically and mentally.
“The hardest thing was being a high schooler and going away and being on your own, playing a professional sport and learning how to mature and become a man,” Jensen said. “Doing all that at 18 years old — being kind of thrown into the fire — that was the hardest part.”
Jensen handled all the challenges well and moved to High-A in 2023 to play for the Quad City River Bandits, where he also began the 2024 season. After showing some extra pop and consistent improvement, Jensen was called up to Double-A with the Northwest Arkansas Naturals.
To begin his fifth full season of professional baseball this year, Jensen returned to Northwest Arkansas as one of the Royals’ top prospects. After impressing further, he received the call in June to join the Omaha Storm Chasers at the Triple-A level.
A difficult first few games at the highest level of minor league baseball was powerfully answered as the slugger belted seven homers in his first 15 games.
That hot streak was interrupted by the MLB All-Star break, but for good reason as Jensen was selected to play in the MLB All-Star Futures Game at Truist Park in Atlanta on July 12. The spotlight gave a national audience a glimpse at the local prospect who has been climbing his way through the ranks, batting .282 with 14 homers and 59 RBIs — eight homers and 22 RBIs in 20 games for Omaha — this year in 88 games.
Jensen’s rise has included opportunities to spend time with the big league club during spring training the past two years. There, he has trained alongside veteran catcher and franchise icon Salvador Perez.
“Salvy’s amazing,” Jensen said. “He’s kind of taken me under his wing during spring training and showed me the ropes, showed me how he’s become so successful. It’s pretty crazy being in the same locker room as my favorite player growing up.”
Jensen also credits Royals catching coordinator JC Boscan and Royals Hall of Famer Mike Sweeney for helping him grow both as a player and a person. Boscan has been with him at nearly every level, while Sweeney has been like a big brother to him.
Baseball has always been Jensen’s passion. While he played a variety of other sports growing up — basketball, football, soccer, and hockey — baseball always stuck since he was the best at it. He started competitive play at age 7 at AJ Wilson Sports Complex and worked his way up through travel teams and the Royals Scout Team.
“I knew from a young age that I wanted to play in the big leagues. And especially play for the Royals; play in Kauffman Stadium. Being in this situation, I am super-blessed and thankful.”
He grew up idolizing sluggers like Bryce Harper and Miguel Cabrera but always kept his allegiance with the Royals. That childhood love has fueled him every step of the way, especially now that he could have the chance to make his Major League debut as a Royal and regularly play in front of family and friends.
“It would mean the world to come back to Kansas City,” he said. “To be in the big leagues in Kansas City is all I’ve ever wanted. It’s going to be a special day for sure and some extra motivation.”
Until that call comes, Jensen will continue working hard to perfect his craft with hopes to follow in the footsteps of Perez behind home plate at Kauffman Stadium.
“I’ve watched the Royals win a World Series, and that’s going to be my goal moving on,” he said. “What can I do to help this team win a World Series?”