Kansas City Royals center fielder Kyle Isbel has been flying under the radar this season, but his manager just made sure everyone knows exactly how valuable he is.

The Royals sit at 18-21, third in the AL Central, after a tough start to 2026. Wins have been hard to come by, but when they do happen, Isbel's fingerprints are all over them. He's not the biggest name on the roster, but manager Matt Quatraro believes his glove work puts him in rare company.

After a recent defensive gem, Quatraro didn't hold back. "He's elite. Yeah, I mean, we've seen it now the whole time I've been here," Quatraro said. "He gets great reads and runs great routes. He is a well above-average center fielder. It saved us tonight."

Managers don't throw the "elite" label around casually. That Quatraro went straight to it says everything about Isbel's standing in the clubhouse. He's been the everyday center fielder since Quatraro took over, and the trust has never wavered.

The numbers back it up. In 2025, Isbel finished with 12 Outs Above Average, putting him in the 97th percentile among all outfielders. He posted a .997 fielding percentage across 118 starts and graded out near the top of the league in Baseball Savant's Outfield Jump metric, which tracks how quickly a player reads the ball and how clean his routes are.

But here's what's really exciting: Isbel's bat is finally catching up to his glove this season. He's hitting .276 with two home runs, six RBI, and a .764 OPS—a significant jump from his career .239 average. He's also swiped four bases, putting him on pace for a career high. If he keeps this up, that "elite" label might just stick.