How hot is Jac Caglianone? Inside his multi-homer game as Royals defeat Rays
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- Jac Caglianone hit two home runs off Shane McClanahan in the Royals’ 12-5 win.
- Caglianone’s first homer traveled 443 feet and was his 13th of the season.
- Royals added five more runs in the eighth inning.
If you bought stock in Kansas City Royals standout Jac Caglianone, you would be in line for a massive payout right now.
On Tuesday, Caglianone turned Tropicana Field into his personal playground. And it’s fitting considering the Tampa, Florida, native grew up going to Rays games as a kid.
Caglianone stamped his homecoming in a powerful way. He belted two home runs — both off Rays left-handed starter Shane McClanahan — as the Royals earned an 12-5 victory.
“Just being a kid, you know, thinking about hitting a home run here, even if it’s not for them (Rays) is still really cool and special moment for me,” Caglianone said.
In the first inning, Caglianone crushed a hanging 88.7 mph slider over the right-field wall. The baseball traveled 443 feet and hit off the outfield scoreboard.
“It was pretty cool,” Caglianone said. “I had one of my best friends pretty close to home plate. So no, I hit it and I knew he was pretty fired up about it. It’s cool. You can see like on the video, he was in the background filming and stuff. So that was a pretty cool moment. Yeah, just knowing I got a bunch of family and friends here is pretty special.”
It was his 13th homer of the season. And Caglianone wasn’t done wreaking havoc at the plate.
After striking out in the fourth inning, Caglianone got a measure of revenge with a two-run homer over the center-field wall. This time, he hit a 96.8 mph fastball that was left over the plate.
Caglianone circled the bases for the sixth time in his last five games. In June, he has 10 multi-hit games and six games with multiple RBIs.
“He hits balls harder than anybody,” Royals third baseman Nick Loftin said. “Really, balls are flying out of the stadium that he’s playing in. So it’s really fun to watch. It’s great for our team.”
The Royals (34-46) did their damage in four innings. Loftin joined Caglianone with a solo homer in the first. It was the third time the Royals hit consecutive homers this season.
“Nick’s a good hitter,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “And he’s getting a runway to play a lot more than he has in the past. And I think he’s accustomed to that in the minor leagues. And so, being more comfortable in what he’s doing and using the whole field, we’re seeing some more power driving some balls. But more so, because I think he’s just consistently in a good spot timing-wise and using the whole field.”
Tyler Tolbert also manufactured a run. He laid down a sacrifice bunt that McClanahan threw wildly into the Rays bullpen on the right-field line. This allowed Royals second baseman Michael Massey — who began the frame with a double — to score.
Tolbert wound up at third base and scored on Loftin’s two-out RBI single. That set the stage for Caglianone to extend the Royals’ lead to five runs.
The Rays (43-33) continued to struggle against Royals pitching. KC starter Luinder Avila surrendered one run in five innings to earn his third victory.
However, it wasn’t an efficient start. Avila struggled with his command as he issued four walks and hit a batter. He dodged trouble all game and made key pitches as needed to preserve a slim lead.
“It was one I had to fight for,” Avila said via an interpreter. “Just all five innings, a tough five innings, but the guys kept hitting and fighting for me as well. So, it was a struggle.”
A prime example was in the second inning. Avila walked two batters before retiring Rays shortstop Taylor Walls on a flyout. From there, he struck out Tampa catcher Hunter Feduccia and designated hitter Yandy Diaz to end the inning.
The Royals defense also provided an assist. Royals catcher Salvador Perez threw out Rays second baseman Richie Palacios who was trying to steal second base. And Tolbert began a critical 6-3 double play to retire Junior Caminero.
“Salvy went out and talked to me,” Avila said about his composure early in the game. “It was time to take a deep breath, sit back and execute.”
Despite a few misplays underneath the Tropicana Field canopy, the Royals found a way to hold off the Rays for their fifth win in six games.
Loftin accounted for four hits, while the Royals broke it open with five additional runs in the eighth. Perez added a two-run double, and Kameron Misner added another RBI double in the frame.
“We put together really good ABs,” Loftin said. “We’ve been doing that lately here from top to bottom, and it’s been great. And today was one of those offensive explosions that we know we can do, and we’re going to continue to do it.”
The Rays scored three runs in the ninth inning off Royals reliever Connor Seabold.
The Royals will look to win the series outright on Wednesday. In June, the club owns a 12-9 record while averaging 5.6 runs per game.
What’s next: Royals left-hander Noah Cameron (4-4, 4.20 ERA) will start against Rays right-hander Griffin Jax (2-5, 3.67 ERA) Wednesday at Tropicana Field. First pitch is set for 5:40 p.m. Central.
This story was originally published June 23, 2026 at 8:30 PM.
