The Royals’ offensive struggles aren’t precisely a secret.
Kansas Metropolis is contending within the American League despite its lineup. Arguably no contender in MLB has been as anemic on the plate because the Royals, who sport a .246/.301/.361 batting line as a staff. The ensuing 83 wRC+ (indicating they’ve been 17 % worse than common on the plate as a unit) is tied for the fourth-worst in baseball, main solely the Rockies, Pirates and Rangers.
The Royals have hit 33 residence runs as a staff. Shohei Ohtani has 20 by himself. There are a number of contending golf equipment whose prime two sluggers alone boast a house run complete that’s akin to the Royals’ teamwide output; Aaron Decide and Trent Grisham have mixed for 32 dingers, whereas Arizona’s Corbin Carroll and Eugenio Suarez are at 31 round-trippers between them. Kansas Metropolis’s 33 residence runs are seven fewer than the Twenty ninth-ranked Pirates’ 40 residence runs. Each different staff in MLB has a minimum of 46 lengthy balls. The Yankees lead MLB with 88.
All of that is going down at a time when Kansas Metropolis is housing maybe the highest slugger in all of minor league baseball in Triple-A. Final yr’s No. 6 general decide, Jac Caglianone, has embarrassed minor league pitching in his first full professional season.
The previous Florida Gator decimated Double-A opposition with a .322/.394/.553 batting line and 9 homers in 38 video games earlier than being promoted to Triple-A. Since becoming a member of the Royals’ Omaha affiliate, he’s homered 5 instances in eight video games whereas slashing .343/.351/.800. Total, Caglianone boasts an virtually comical .326/.387/.599 line with 14 residence runs, 9 doubles, a 9.4 % stroll fee and a 20.8 % strikeout fee in 212 minor league plate appearances.
There are some developmental features to think about. Caglianone was a primary baseman (and pitcher) in faculty. He’s dropped the mound work and is focusing solely on the position-player aspect of his profession. Vinnie Pasquantino has him blocked at first base in Ok.C., so the Royals have been having Caglianone be taught the outfield on the fly on a part-time foundation. He’s nonetheless comparatively new to that problem.
A lot has been fabricated from Caglianone’s penchant for chasing off the plate, too. He’s made strides in that regard in 2025, however the Royals doubtless need to keep away from a scenario the place he’s promoted to the majors and anticipated to be a savior, solely to see his method exploited by top-level pitching that leads to the primary actual adversity of his fledgling skilled profession.
It’s all comprehensible, however the Royals’ outfield has been the weakest within the majors. Kansas Metropolis outfielders have mixed to hit simply seven residence runs this season whereas slashing an MLB-worst .235/.283/.329 (68 wRC+). They not too long ago made some adjustments, transferring on from Hunter Renfroe in favor of 27-year-old rookie John Rave, however the lack of outfield manufacturing solely shines a brighter highlight on what Caglianone is doing within the minors.
That is taking part in out at a time when two of the highest three arms on their vaunted pitching employees — Cole Ragans and Seth Lugo — are on the injured checklist. Prospect Noah Cameron has stepped up and dominated in 4 begins to assist offset the lack of these prime starters, however losses on the pitching aspect of the roster are solely going to enlarge the problems on the opposite aspect of the sport.
ESPN’s Jeff Passan and Anne Rogers of MLB.com have each shined some gentle on a possible timetable for Caglianone’s MLB debut, although it appears clear the plan stays considerably fluid.
Passan studies that the Royals’ Omaha affiliate is simply starting a homestand, however Caglianone may very well be in line for a giant league audition not lengthy after its completion (June 8). Rogers said in her latest video mailbag with followers that the group is on the lookout for “sustained success over the following few weeks” earlier than contemplating a promotion. That typically aligns with Passan’s framing. Rogers provides that the Royals have been reluctant to hurry Caglianone however the timeline has “shifted not too long ago” as the main league lineup’s struggles proceed.
“The toughest half about this for us is we’re making an attempt to do what’s greatest for the participant,” Royals basic supervisor J.J. Picollo acknowledged to Passan. “…It’s not honest to any participant, whether or not it’s Jac Caglianone or whoever, when a staff could also be scuffling offensively to attempt to put it on him and hope he’s going to come back save the day.”
Passan factors out that for all Caglianone’s dominance, his two-strike method remains to be sub-par. He’s chased just below half the pitches off the plate he’s seen in these settings (49.2 %), which the Royals presumably concern is a trait that may be picked aside by the perfect pitchers on the planet.
Picollo spoke at size with Passan about desirous to see Caglianone face Triple-A pitchers not simply a number of instances in a sport however to sq. off in opposition to them in a number of video games. In essence, they need to see how pitchers regulate to Caglianone each inside one particular person sport and with days or perhaps weeks between matchups. Conversely, they need to see how Caglianone reacts to such changes. That type of problem isn’t potential when he’s solely eight Triple-A video games underneath his belt.
It’s a fragile steadiness to strike, and the Royals’ latest play is forcing the difficulty. Kansas Metropolis received 16 of 18 video games from April 20 via Could 9. The close to inverse has occurred in 17 video games since, after they’ve performed at a 6-11 clip. That slide has coincided with improved play from the division-rival Twins, who’ve leapfrogged the Royals within the standings, and continued sturdy play from their rivals in Detroit and Cleveland. Kansas Metropolis has fallen to seven video games again of the Tigers, and is now a sport again of the Astros, Twins and Guardians, who every maintain an American League wild-card spots with an identical 30-25 data.
For these questioning, there don’t appear to be any brazen service time shenanigans at play. The Royals confirmed as not too long ago as 2022 that they had been keen to miss such issues after they broke camp with a then-21-year-old Bobby Witt Jr. as their shortstop. Caglianone has already been down about seven weeks longer than would’ve been obligatory to verify he doesn’t accrue 172 days of MLB service time (i.e. one full yr) by conventional means.
Caglianone might nonetheless get a yr of service based mostly on Rookie of the Yr voting, however until the plan is to carry him down till mid-July, that’s going to be a chance each time he will get the decision. The highest two finishers obtain a full yr of service, no matter promotion date, in the event that they had been a consensus prime prospect within the sport (as Caglianone is). Jacob Wilson has a giant head begin because the AL favourite, however the remainder of the sphere is fairly properly inside attain if Caglianone debuts and performs as much as his potential.
The Royals run some danger of Caglianone securing 4 years of arbitration eligibility as a Tremendous Two participant, however that hasn’t been a priority for them previously. Every of Brady Singer, Kris Bubic, MJ Melendez, Daniel Lynch IV and Nicky Lopez have been Tremendous Two gamers for the Royals over the previous few years. Maikel Garcia is a slam-dunk Tremendous Two this coming offseason. The timing of Cameron’s latest promotion would put him in line so as to add to the checklist, if he sticks within the majors. Tremendous Two standing merely hasn’t been a deterrent for the Royals previously, and it’d be a shock to see them permit their offense to languish in a win-now season to economize on Caglianone however not lengthen their window of management over him.
It’s a irritating ready sport for Royals followers at a time when the staff has scored 38 runs over its previous 14 video games (2.7 runs per sport). Any ready interval looks as if it’s on the cusp of completion, nevertheless, as long as Caglianone stays wholesome and doesn’t fall right into a strikeout-laden droop because of egregious chasing off the plate.
