How top Royals prospect Jac Caglianone proved himself ready for Triple-A baseball
Top prospect Jac Caglianone is ready for his next frontier.
The Kansas City Royals promoted Caglianone to Triple-A Omaha on Sunday. The move was expected after the former Florida Gators star dominated Double-A pitching at Northwest Arkansas, the Royals’ affiliate in Springdale, Ark.
Caglianone hit for a .322 average with nine home runs and 43 RBIs with the Class AA Naturals. He also drew 19 walks and had a .947 OPS (on-base plus slugging) in 152 at-bats.
In short, he was ready for this step up to the Storm Chasers.
“We said all along we want to be patient with him and let him continue to develop as a hitter,” Royals general manager J.J. Picollo said. “We just felt it reached a point where it wasn’t going to help him as much to be in Double-A. It’s time to get him to Triple-A with a new challenge.”
Caglianone will encounter better pitching in Triple-A level. He will face experienced hurlers, some of whom will have seen some major-league service time.
He got a taste of that with Northwest Arkansas. Earlier this season, he faced Los Angeles Dodgers star Clayton Kershaw, who was on a rehab assignment at the time. Caglianone recorded two hits, including a double, off the future Hall of Famer.
The Royals know Caglianone’s power will translate to Triple-A. But it was his ability to make in-game adjustments and demonstrate positional versatility that earned him the promotion.
“He hits the ball extremely hard and it’s a trait that obviously stands out,” Picollo said. “But what we saw over those 40 games or so was progress, as far as what his approach was like and what his process is like. And there were signs of improvement there.”
Caglianone finds himself in a good spot. A promotion to Class AAA ball is the final step before a player is deemed ready for the big leagues. The Royals have struggled to generate consistent offense and could look to call up Caglianone to the majors later this season.
Picollo didn’t reveal a potential timeline for the sixth overall selection in the 2024 MLB Draft. Royals brass want to see the 22-year-old perform well in Triple-A and build on his early success.
“It’s a challenge every day,” Picollo said. “We want him to continue to be consistent and we want to see those markers move in the right direction.
“There is no timetable. I know people are anxious to see him in the major leagues, but he is going to come to the major leagues when our evaluators and coaches feel like he is ready for the major leagues.”
Caglianone set records in college and has progressed quickly through the Royals’ farm system. He played in the Arizona Fall League late last year and was in KC’s big-league camp for spring training.
He has the power to fuel the Royals’ lineup for a long time. It’s just a matter of when he will get his chance to debut at Kauffman Stadium.
A strong showing in Omaha could accelerate Caglianone’s progression.
“It’s pretty special, what he is doing,” Picollo said. “It’s not easy to jump in your first full season and get to Triple-A.
“There is not a lot of guys that have done that in the history of the game. It’s a very small number of guys that can do that and really put up the numbers he put up. So we’ve got to keep that in mind — that he is doing exceptionally well.”
Caglianone could make his Triple-A debut on Tuesday. The Storm Chasers were off Monday and are scheduled to face the Salt Lake Bees (the Los Angeles Angels’ Class AAA affiliate) at The Ballpark at America First Square in South Jordan, Utah on Tuesday.
This story was originally published May 20, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
