Kansas City Royals Receive Positive Update On Jac Caglianone's Shoulder

As the Kansas City Royals awaited a further answer on outfielder Jac Caglianone’s shoulder, the team could let out a sigh of relief after receiving some good news on the young outfielder on Sunday morning.

After taking one at-bat in Saturday’s game against the Minnesota Twins, Caglianone was removed from the contest with right shoulder soreness that had stemmed from running into the right field wall the day before on Friday.

Royals manager Matt Quatraro wanted to be cautious with Caglianone, especially after he realized that he was favoring his shoulder on his swing on Saturday. But fortunately on Sunday, Caglianone reported that his shoulder felt better, and the team believes there is nothing wrong there structurally. 

The 23-year-old was evaluated before Sunday’s game as Quatraro kept the door open for him to be available off the bench. He was held out of the lineup and did not end up making an appearance in the Royals’ 6-5 win on Sunday that clinched a series win. 

Caglianone’s injury occurred on a foul ball off the bat of Twins’ outfielder Austin Martin in the second inning, one that had bounced in front of Caglianone on the dirt just before he crashed into the wall at a high speed. He would end up shaking it off and playing the remainder of the game, even putting up productive at-bats in his three plate appearances.

On Saturday morning, Caglianone wore a wrap on his shoulder before attempting to play through the potential injury. 

Kansas City has a scheduled off-day on Monday before opening a three-game set on the road against the Detroit Tigers on Tuesday. The rest can be beneficial for Caglianone to nurse his shoulder in the short term, as he is considered day-to-day by the team.

In his first full season at the big league level, Caglianone has been a productive bat in the middle of the Royals’ order. The former No. 6 overall pick in the 2024 draft has yet to blossom into his full potential, but some early signs have been promising for the lefty slugger.

In 2026, Caglianone owns a .250 batting average and a .729 OPS, hitting six home runs through 60 games this season. Despite the low home run numbers, his raw power has proven to be undeniable, as his hard hit percentage ranks in the 100th percentile in the league. Although the barrels have been there, he is still looking to work past his below-average whiff and strikeout habits.