Struggling offensively, Royals call up No. 1 prospect Jac Caglianone

The Kansas City Royals selected Jac Caglianone from Triple-A Omaha on Monday, giving the No. 6 overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft a crack at the majors after just 79 games in the minor leagues.

In a corresponding move, the Royals sent outfielder Dairon Blanco to Omaha.

Ranked as the No. 10 prospect by MLB Pipeline, the 22-year-old Caglianone has been tearing it up in his first full professional season.

At two levels, the 6-foot-5, 250-pound slugger is slashing .322/.389/.593 with 15 home runs and 56 RBIs in 50 games, including .319/.370/.723 with six home runs and 13 RBIs in 12 games at Triple-A Omaha.

Caglianone has mainly played the outfield while at Triple-A and is expected to remain there when he joins the Royals for a road series against the St. Louis Cardinals that opens Tuesday. He was a two-way player at the University of Florida but set pitching aside to play first base when he was drafted last July.

As the Kansas City lineup has struggled to score, calls from fans had grown louder for Caglianone's promotion.

The Royals, who have scored the fewest runs (194) in the American League, are hopeful Caglianone's powerful bat in the middle of the lineup can boost a slumping offense, especially among the outfielders. Kyle Isbel leads the Royals' outfielders with three home runs and 15 RBIs.

Blanco, 32, appeared in nine games this season for Kansas City, hitting .167 (1-for-6) with one RBI.

The Royals are 4-6 in their past 10 games and have fallen eight games behind the Detroit Tigers, who have MLB's best record, in the American League Central.

--Field Level Media