Tyler Tolbert

Tyler Mangual Tolbert (born January 27, 1998) is an American professional baseball utility player for the Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2025. Tolbert attended Hewitt-Trussville High School in Trussville, Alabama and the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), where he played college baseball for the Blazers. The Kansas City Royals selected him in the 13th round, with the 379th overall pick, of the 2019 Major League Baseball draft. Tolbert split his first professional season between the rookie-level Arizona League Royals and Idaho Falls Chukars, hitting .253 with 24 runs batted in (RBIs) and 28 stolen bases over 50 games. Tolbert did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of the COVID-19 pandemic. He returned to action in 2021 with the rookie-level Arizona Complex League Royals, Single-A Columbia Fireflies, and High-A Quad Cities River Bandits. In 89 appearances split between the three affiliates, Tolbert slashed .226/.355/.365 with six home runs, 36 RBI, and 55 stolen bases. Playing for High-A Quad Cities in 2022, Tolbert stole 60 bases without being caught stealing; he also batted .224/.313/.340 with four home runs and 36 RBI. In 2023, he was named the Royals' George Brett Hitter of the Year after posting a .755 on-base plus slugging for the Double-A Northwest Arkansas Naturals.