Carter Jensen wins September American League honors

Kansas City Royals rookie catcher Carter Jensen earned both the American League Player of the Month and Rookie of the Month awards for September. Jensen capped his campaign by batting .338/.407/.788 with eight home runs and a 1.194 OPS across 20 games during the month. His dominant stretch led all of Major League Baseball in doubles, extra-base hits, slugging percentage, and OPS.

Jensen is the first catcher in Royals franchise history to win AL Player of the Month, and just the 14th player ever to claim both monthly honors simultaneously. Over the full 2026 season, Jensen hit .239 with 27 home runs and 81 RBI, posting a 116 wRC+ that led all qualified American League catchers.