KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Royals have called up top prospect Jac Caglianone in the hopes of jump-starting their languishing offense, and the slugging first baseman and outfielder is expected to make his major league debut on Tuesday night in St. Louis.
The Royals announced the move during their day off Monday, optioning outfielder Dairon Blanco to Triple-A Omaha.
Caglianone’s promotion comes on the heels of a second straight 1-0 game for Kansas City — it split them with the AL Central rival Tigers — and amid a season in which the Royals have struggled to score runs. They’ve hit a big league-worst 34 homers and have scored 194 runs in all, tied with Pittsburgh ahead of only lowly Colorado heading into Monday night’s games.
The 22-year-old Caglianone was the sixth overall pick out of Florida in last year’s amateur draft, when he was considered a two-way player because of his strong left arm. But his future is in the field, where his immense power has the potential to give the long-floundering Kansas City offense the kind of immediate production it has not had in years.
In just 50 games between Double-A and Triple-A this season, Caglianone hit 15 homers with 56 RBIs. He has been hitting .322, and held that average steady even after moving up a level, alleviating some of his swing-and-miss concerns.
Caglianone primarily has played first base, but Vinnie Pasquantino typically holds down that job for Kansas City, and veteran catcher Salvador Perez plays there occasionally when not behind the plate. Pasquantino and Perez also serve as the DH.
The Royals have a pressing need in the outfield, where their hitters are a combined .237 with only seven homers and 46 RBIs in 663 plate appearances. MJ Melendez was optioned to Omaha after his disastrous start to the season, and Hunter Renfroe was hitting .182 before the veteran outfielder was designated for assignment last month.
The Royals recently called up outfielder John Rave, a fifth-round pick in the 2019 draft, who was hitting .301 with nine homers and 17 steals in 44 games for Omaha. He had two hits in their 1-0 loss to the Tigers on Sunday.
Despite their struggles at the plate, the Royals are still 31-29 thanks to a pitching staff that has allowed 201 runs, second-fewest in the majors behind the Mets. They open a three-game set in St. Louis on Tuesday night, then play three against the White Sox in Chicago, before Caglianone would potentially make his home debut against the Yankees on June 10.
