Off to solid start, Royals’ Jac Caglianone sprinkles sweet treats in KC clubhouse
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Caglianone rewarded grounds crew with three dozen donuts and coffee after long game.
- Royals outfielder started 2026 season strong with a .333 average through six games.
- Team and coaches credited adjustments for Caglianone’s improved plate approach and results
Jac Caglianone’s heart may be as big as his appetite.
The second-year Kansas City Royals outfielder has started the 2026 season in better fashion than he did his rookie campaign, hitting .333 through six games. He batted just .157 with seven homers and 18 RBIs through all of 2025.
The 23-year-old enjoyed one of his best big-league games yet in Wednesday evening’s wet-and-wild win over the Minnesota Twins. He had three hits, including a double, in four at-bats and scored three times in KC’s 13-9 victory.
It’s the most hits he’s had in a game since June 8, when he went 4-for-4 against the Chicago White Sox. But it was also a long game: At 3 hours, 36 minutes in poor conditions, that weather-plagued affair was the longest contest the Royals have played without a rain delay in the pitch-clock era.
Thinking of the Kauffman Stadium grounds crew’s efforts Thursday morning, Caglianone made a quick trip to Dunkin’ — one of his personal favorites. He picked up three dozen donuts and coffee for the grounds staff, just to show them some appreciation.
“Seeing those guys drenched, they worked their tail off,” he told The Star later Thursday. “That was probably one of the hardest days for them. They’re appreciative of it — I just wanted them to know that we’re appreciative of them, as well.”
Caglianone’s sweet tooth is well known, according to Royals teammate Carter Jensen.
When Jensen was first called up from the minors, he stayed with Caglianone. He told MLB.com that he once walked out of his room to find the 6-foor-4, 250-pound roommate downing a vanilla Betty Crocker cake in a pan, complete with confetti icing.
The big man admits he’s a big eater.
“Yeah, it did happen,” Caglianone said with a laugh. “I wasn’t hitting good, all right?”
Caglianone then shared a bit more of the story: “There was a grocery store on the first floor, so I just hopped out, went down the elevator, walking to the grocery store, and I was getting, like, healthy food, and I just saw Betty Crocker. And I was like, ‘You know what? We’ve got an off-day today.’
“And we just sat and watched baseball. Carter was playing video games in his room, but I was sitting on the couch, hammering it.”
Caglianone came to the Royals with high expectations as the sixth overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft. He’s shown flashes of his potent bat and powerful arm in right field, and hopes are high that this is the season it all comes together for him in the majors. He was 1-for-4 Thursday after his big game Wednesday.
“I’m definitely not as jumpy as I was last year,” Caglianone said. “Definitely struggled with trying to force the issue rather than kind of let the game come to you. We’ve done a lot of stuff to where ... you don’t get off-balance. Types of drills and stuff like that. So it’s been real helpful.”
Sweet gestures to grounds crew aside, Royals manager Matt Quatraro said Caglianone’s confidence should only continue to grow.
“We know last year didn’t go the way he would have wanted, or we would have wanted,” Quatraro said. “But he’s done a good job of putting that behind him and coming out here with a fresh sense of optimism and understanding what guys do to get him out.
“He’s been really good with his routines, as well, and that’s a big part of it.”
This story was originally published April 2, 2026 at 6:43 PM.
