Biggest headlines from Jac Caglianone's early time on Royals

It's been less than a year since the Kansas City Royals drafted Jac Caglianone, and yet it's hard to question how quickly his rise has come considering the success he had at both the Double-A and Triple-A levels.

While the Royals continue to work on their struggling offense, Caglianone has provided some reason for optimism at Kauffman Stadium. And his rapid rise has been accompanied by some fun stories along the way.

Here are 12 of our favorites thus far.

Royals prospect Jac Caglianone hit his first home run since being promoted to Triple-A Omaha. By Screengrab of MLB Pipeline X video

NO. 1: JAC CAGLIANONE’S FIRST TRIPLE-A HOMER HAS CONNECTION TO ROYALS’ BOBBY WITT JR.

Royals prospect Jac Caglianone hit his first home run at the Triple-A level, and this was a no-doubter. | Published May 23, 2025 | Read Full Story by Pete Grathoff

Legendary golf pro Tom Watson and Royals legend George Brett talked at Nicklaus Golf Club at Lionsgate in Overland Park on Monday, June 2, 2025, where they are playing in the 2025 Joe McGuff Golf Classic. By Dominick Williams

NO. 2: KC LEGENDS GEORGE BRETT, TOM WATSON HOPE ROYALS’ JAC CAGLIANONE HEEDS THIS ADVICE

Brett says Caglianone has “got to breathe, and I’m going to remind him of that: Breathe. Keep breathing.” | Published June 3, 2025 | Read Full Story by Vahe Gregorian

Kansas City Royals Jac Caglianone poses for a photo during media day. By Jayne Kamin-Oncea

NO. 3: LEGENDARY ROYALS COACH IS TEACHING JAC CAGLIANONE INTRICACIES OF PLAYING OUTFIELD

Rusty Kuntz, who helped Alex Gordon and Lorenzo Cain become stellar defensive outfielders with the Royals, is now working with Jac Caglianone. | Published May 28, 2025 | Read Full Story by Pete Grathoff

Jac Caglianone was seconds away from hitting a home run. By Screengrab of Minor League Baseball X video

NO. 4: JAC CAGLIANONE’S FINAL TRIPLE-A HOME RUN INCLUDED PROPHETIC MOMENT FROM ANNOUNCER

The timing of this observation about Royals prospect Jac Caglianone couldn’t have been more perfect. | Published June 2, 2025 | Read Full Story by Pete Grathoff

The Kansas City Royals drafted Jac Caglianone with the No. 6 pick during the first round of the MLB Draft at Cowtown Coliseum on July 14, 2024. By Kevin Jairaj

NO. 5: THE ROYALS CALL UP JAC CAGLIANONE. THERE’S ONE ADJUSTMENT HE MIGHT NEED TO MAKE

Jac Caglianone tore up Triple-A pitching, but MLB pitchers will be trying to exploit this particular metric. | Published June 2, 2025 | Read Full Story by Sam McDowell

Kansas City Royals first round draft pick Jac Caglianone poses with his mother Johanne Caglianone for photos on the field prior to a game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Kauffman Stadium on July 24, 2024. By Denny Medley

NO. 6: WHO IS JAC CAGLIANONE? THESE 5 HIGHLIGHTS BEST SHOWCASE ROYALS’ TALENTED PHENOM

Jac Caglianone has an impressive highlight reel. | Published June 2, 2025 | Read Full Story by Jaylon Thompson

Jac Caglianone had a big crowd of reporters waiting for him at Busch Stadium on Tuesday. By Pete Grathoff

NO. 7: INSIDE THE 48 HOURS AFTER JAC CAGLIANONE GOT HIS MLB CALL-UP FROM THE KC ROYALS

“The last 48 hours have been a whirlwind, to say the least,” Jac Caglianone said ahead of the Royals’ Tuesday game in St. Louis. | Published June 3, 2025 | Read Full Story by Pete Grathoff

Jac Caglianone during his MLB debut against the St. Louis Cardinals on June 3, 2025. Caglianone was the Kansas City Royals’ top prospect before his call-up. By Photo collage

NO. 8: JAC CAGLIANONE’S POWER IS ENTICING, BUT KC COULDN’T HAVE CALLED HIM UP WITHOUT THIS

Jac Caglianone shrugged off the notion of any pressure he feels: “That stress is something that’s unnecessary. Unwarranted, for me.” | Published June 4, 2025 | Read Full Story by Vahe Gregorian

Jac Caglianone (left) chats with his dad Jeff (right) and his mom Johanne prior to his MLB debut with the Kansas City Royals on Tuesday, June 3, 2025 at Busch Stadium. By Jaylon Thompson

NO. 9: JAC CAGLIANONE REFLECTED ON ‘SPECIAL MOMENT’ WITH HIS DAD FOLLOWING ROYALS DEBUT

You didn’t see this moment from Jac Caglianone’s Royals debut. But it meant a lot to the young prospect. | Published June 5, 2025 | Read Full Story by Jaylon Thompson

Kansas City Royals call-up Jac Caglianone made his Major League Baseball debut against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium on Tuesday, June 3, 2025. By Jeff Curry

NO. 10: WHY A KC ROYALS COACH SEES SOME SALVADOR PEREZ AND ALEX GORDON IN JAC CAGLIANONE

“He’s not going to embarrass himself here, but there’s a lot of things that he still has to learn,” outfield guru Rusty Kuntz said. | Published June 5, 2025 | Read Full Story by Vahe Gregorian

Omaha Storm Chasers fans like Becca Mann, a former mascot for the team, will not soon forget seeing Royals top prospect Jac Caglianone play in just a handful of games for the minor-league team.

NO. 11: SHE WAS A MASCOT FOR THE STORM CHASERS — AND JUST HAD TO WATCH JAC CAGLIANONE’S DEBUT

Becca Mann was a mascot for the Royals’ farm team in Omaha while she was a student at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. | Published June 6, 2025 | Read Full Story by Lisa Gutierrez

Kansas City Royals outfielder Jac Caglianone (14) signs autographs for fans before the game against the New York Yankees on Tuesday, June 10, 2025, at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City. By Tammy Ljungblad

NO. 12: HERE IS HOW JAC CAGLIANONE SPENT HIS FIRST FULL DAY IN KC AS A MEMBER OF ROYALS

Royals outfielder Jac Caglianone spent part of his day in Kansas City ... shopping. | Published June 10, 2025 | Read Full Story by Pete Grathoff

The summary above was drafted with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists in our News division. All stories listed were reported, written and edited by McClatchy journalists.