Jac Caglianone -- General News
General News sources for Jac Caglianone of the Kansas City Royals
The Kansas City Royals defeated the Cleveland Guardians 6-2 on Monday, with Jac Caglianone delivering a highlight-reel home run on his bobblehead night. Caglianone turned on an up-and-in fastball from reliever Matt Festa, sending it 421 feet into the right-field seats with an exit velocity of 104.2 mph for his fourth homer in 12 games.
The at-bat showcased Caglianone's development at the plate. Caglianone and Festa, who were teammates on Team Italy in the World Baseball Classic, had previously discussed Festa's tendency to throw cutters up and in. Caglianone had been working with assistant hitting coach Marcus Thames on handling pitches in that zone, and the approach paid dividends. Teammate Vinnie Pasquantino praised the swing, noting Caglianone's continued growth.
The 22-year-old has shown significant improvement in 2026 after a rough rookie season in 2025. Since April 20, he is slashing .270/.343/.540 with eight extra base hits while hitting safely in 14 of his last 19 games. Manager Matt Quatraro acknowledged the learning curve Caglianone faces playing nearly every day in right field, noting that the young player is developing in front of a national audience with opportunities to make adjustments after poor at-bats, such as striking out with the bases loaded earlier in Monday's game.