Jac Caglianone Opens Up on Possible Position Change for Royals

The Kansas City Royals have a lot to sort out for 2027, and one of the first questions could be where right fielder Jac Caglianone plays.

The 23-year-old turned into one of the team's most important bats this season, so his spot on the field is getting a closer look as the front office works on a roster that went 69-93 and finished last in the American League Central.

Caglianone hit just .157 with a .532 OPS across 62 games in 2025, so this year was a big turnaround, as he led the Royals with a .289 batting average, a .494 slugging percentage and an .834 OPS to go with 23 home runs and 75 RBIs.

He played 95 games in right field, but injuries to first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino also put him at first base for 39 games, with 30 of them as starts.

Pasquantino had surgery on a fractured hamate bone in June and later went on the injured list with right wrist soreness, and both times Caglianone went back to a spot he had played in college and in the minors.

He hit well there too, with a .930 OPS in 133 plate appearances as a first baseman.

Back in June, when he first made the move, Caglianone told MLB.com's Anne Rogers that the position came right back to him.

"I've been playing first base for so long that it feels like muscle memory. It doesn't really go away, and it hasn't really been that long since I've played there consistently," Caglianone said.

Right field has been harder on his body.

He hurt his right shoulder when he crashed into the wall in Minnesota in June and hurt it again on a diving try in July, then left a September game against Toronto with a Grade 1 flexor strain in his left elbow after a hard throw.

His arm is a real weapon out there, since he averaged 98.7 mph on his throws and picked up seven outfield assists, but he also finished at minus-9 outs above average.

Pasquantino is still the main first baseman, and he stayed an important part of this lineup even with all the time he missed.

MLB.com's Perla Paredes wrote this week, though, that he could be among the position players Kansas City considers moving if a trade helps address its pitching needs, and that would open the door for Caglianone to play first base on a more full-time basis.

I would only go down that road if the return is real pitching help, because the Royals need arms and would be wise to keep starting pitcher Michael Wacha in town instead of opening up one more hole.

Moving Caglianone to first base would leave the front office looking for another right fielder, and this outfield could already use help in left and center, so that would be a lot of work for one winter.

I still think it is worth the trouble.

My first goal would be keeping his bat healthy and in the lineup every day, and if that means fewer games running into walls in right field, I would make the change.