The Royals announced this morning that they’ve placed outfielder Jac Caglianone on the 10-day injured list due to a left hamstring strain. His active roster spot will go to outfielder Randal Grichuk, who the club acquired from the Diamondbacks last night.
Caglianone, 22, was the sixth overall selection in last year’s draft and entered the 2025 season as one of the sport’s most well-regarded prospects. He tore up the minor leagues and after slashing .319/.370/.723 in 12 games at the Triple-A level found himself promoted to the majors on June 3 of this season as the Royals hoped he could offer a shot in the arm for their lagging offense. That’s not how things have played out so far. Caglianone has hit a paltry .147/.205/.280 (30 wRC+) in the first 41 games of his big league career. While his 21.1% strikeout rate isn’t outlandish, he’s walking at a clip of just 5.0% with a shockingly low .153 BABIP. He’s chipped in five home runs, but his .133 ISO is still rather low, especially for a slugger.
There is some reason for optimism in Caglianone’s numbers. That ghastly BABIP is certain to come up with time, and despite his poor power production he has a 12.1% barrel rate that suggests he should be able to produce more power in the future even if he retains his current approach. A less free-swinging approach at the plate would certainly help bring up his on-base percentage, but even as he is Caglianone figures to have a future as a valuable slugger. That future is on hold now, however, as a hamstring strain will leave him out of commission for the foreseeable future. A timeline for Caglianone’s return has not yet been established, but hamstring strains can often take weeks or even months to recover from depending on severity.
That means the Royals may not be able to rely on Caglianone as part of their lineup until September if the strain is severe, and even a more mild one would likely leave him sidelined until mid-August. Fortunately, Kansas City did bring Grichuk into the fold last night. He’s set to patrol right field and bat sixth in today’s lineup, and it wouldn’t be a shock to see him get everyday reps with the Royals now that he’s moved onto a team without much outfield talent. Grichuk’s 99 wRC+ this year may not have been enough to get regular playing time when competing with players like Corbin Carroll and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. but it still immediately makes him the most productive outfielder on the Royals’ roster in terms of offense. Barring further additions, it seems likely that Grichuk should have plenty of opportunities to get regular playing time down the stretch now that he’s in Kansas City and that should only be more true with Caglianone on the shelf.
He is young getting his first taste, this might be a good reset. Guys move at different speeds in development, he has huge potential.
I love Randal Grichuk, and I don’t think he’s going to be enough. The Royals should have signed him and Bader in the offseason.
Yes they should have. Laureano would have been nice too.
I figured it out. The Yankees just got McMahon & Rosario to platoon because one hits L better and one hits R better.
So get ready for Randal Grichuk and…Ryan O’Hearn!
Highly doubt they’ll be playing Rosario at 3B he’s as bad as what they’ve been trotting out defensively.
But still likely they play Jazz at 3rd and Rosario at 2nd. (Or something like that. & if they want to just cut Jazz, that’s good too.)
Remember how much flack people gave the A’s for drafting Kurtz over Cags? I think cags is going to be good, he’s gotten really unlucky so far, but crazy how many people were convinced one would be so much better than the other on draft day
It’s still early for both of them. A 4-home run game is great and all, but 5-6 years down the line is what matters too.
It’s not just one game though. A top 5 hitter in baseball as a 22 year old is not something someone just passes up unless there’s serious injury
His current production is higher than the ceiling for 99% of players in the game. So when we talk about 5-6 years, if he does not improve at all, he’s the elite hitter you’re hoping cags turns into. Will cags get there? Hopefully, but who knows. We’re not talking about a good start to a career with Kurtz, we’re talking about a 22 year old with a 1.060 OPS
I could still see Caglianone becoming a good lefthanded pitcher at some point which adds some value but Kurtz is a great hitter
You’re really basing Kurtz’s entire season on one 4 HR game? You need to go out and touch some grass..
Grichuk can help this team. Good move. He is streaky but he can perform well. I will be rooting for him.