Jac Caglianone Fantasy Stats

Kansas City Royals first baseman/outfielder Jac Caglianone sat on the bench in the Opening Day loss to the Atlanta Braves on Friday with tough left-hander Chris Sale on the mound, but he will make his 2026 starting debut on Saturday at Truist Park, according to MLB.com. Caglianone is starting in right field and is batting seventh against Braves right-hander Reynaldo Lopez. The Royals have said that Cags will start against left-handed pitchers this year, but they wanted to protect him to kick off the season against one of the most dominant southpaws in the game. The 23-year-old left-handed slugger has high-end power potential, but he looked overmatched in his MLB debut last year, hitting .157 (33-for-210) with seven home runs, 18 RBI, 18 walks, and 52 strikeouts in 232 plate appearances. The good news is that he didn't strike out all that much. Caglianone will get a longer runway in 2026 and could be an asset in all fantasy leagues, but he'll need to make more consistent hard contact to get there.

Kansas City Royals first baseman/outfielder Jac Caglianone, who is on the bench on Opening Day on Friday against the Atlanta Braves and left-hander Chris Sale, will make starts against left-handed pitchers this year, according to Anne Rogers of MLB.com. Sale is one of the most dominant lefty arms in baseball, though, so the Royals will protect him on Friday and put veteran Starling Marte in right field. Caglianone struggled in his first taste of major-league pitching in 2025, hitting only .157/.237/.295 with seven home runs, 18 RBI, 18 walks, and 52 strikeouts in 232 plate appearances over 62 games played. He looked better in spring training, though, and the Royals are going to put more on his plate in 2026 in his first full year in the majors. The good news is that the 23-year-old former two-way star didn't have a major problem with strikeouts in his first exposure to the big leagues. However, he'll need to make more consistent contact, and it's not out of the question that he'll return to the minors if he struggles again early on. Long-term, Cags has high-end power potential, and he could have dual eligibility at first base and in the outfield.

Kansas City Royals left-handed-hitting outfielder/first baseman Jac Caglianone will start on the bench for the team's Opening Day game on Friday against the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park with left-hander Chris Sale on the mound. The Royals aren't going to have Caglianone face one of the nastiest left-handers in the game to begin his first full season in the big leagues, especially after the left-handed power bat struggled mightily in his first taste of major-league pitching in 62 games in 2025. The former sixth overall pick in 2024 out of the University of Florida did hit seven games in 232 plate appearances, but he also struck out 52 times and hit just .157 (33-for-210). Things looked better in spring training, though, as Cags went 7-for-23 (.304) in a small sample size with a homer, four RBI, six walks, and seven strikeouts in 10 Cactus League games. He's expected to be on the strong side of a platoon against righties in right field for KC in 2026. Veteran Starling Marte is in right on Friday and will hit sixth against Sale. Marte has hit .286 with a .572 in just seven career at-bats versus Sale.

Kansas City Royals outfielder Jac Caglianone could be ready to take the next step in 2026. Caglianone got his first taste of big league action last season, but struggled to adjust. He slashed .157/.237/.295 with seven home runs and 18 RBI in 62 games in 2025. The 23-year-old appears to have made the proper adjustments as he's tearing the cover off the ball in camp. Through six games, Caglianone is slashing .455/581/.970 with one homer, four RBI, and five walks. Caglianone was also impressive during his four games in the World Baseball Classic. The former first-round pick came into the league with a ton of hype, and wasn't ready last season. Early in camp, it looks like he's made the right adjustments and is ready to crush big league pitching.

Kansas City Royals first baseman/outfielder Jac Caglianone struggled in his first taste of the big leagues last year, but he came into Monday hitting .400 (6-for-15) with a home run, four RBI, six runs scored, five walks, and three strikeouts in his first six Cactus League games in spring training. His homer last Tuesday was a 460-foot blast that had an exit velocity of 115.2 mph. We all know that Cags has elite power upside from the left side of the plate, although he slashed just .157/.237/.295 with a .532 OPS, seven home runs, 18 RBI, and a 52:18 K: BB in 232 plate appearances over 62 games with the Royals in 2025. Caglianone hit well under .200 against left-handed pitchers. The 23-year-old former first-rounder out of the University of Florida still has tons of projectable upside, but he'll need to improve against lefties and make more contact going into his first full MLB campaign in 2026.

Kansas City Royals outfielder Jac Caglianone launched his first home run of spring training during Tuesday's contest against the Cincinnati Reds. The former top prospect hit a 460-foot long shot off Reds left-handed pitcher Brandon Williamson. Per Statcast, Caglianone hit the ball 115.2 mph. Caglianone made his MLB debut last summer but was unable to find much consistency during his first taste of the major leagues. Through 62 games, Caglianone held a .157/.237/.295 line with six doubles, seven home runs, and a modest 52:18 K:BB. However, in the minor leagues, the former Florida standout flashed immense upside, holding a .337/.408/.617 line with 20 home runs in a 66-game stint. Given his elite raw power, Caglianone is a prime post-hype breakout candidate heading into the 2026 season, as he should see an everyday role in the Kansas City lineup.

Kansas City Royals first baseman/outfielder Jac Caglianone had a frustrating debut season in the major leagues last year, slashing .157/.237/.295 with seven home runs, 18 RBI, 19 runs scored, 18 walks, and 52 strikeouts in 62 games over 232 plate appearances. The 23-year-old former sixth overall pick in 2024 out of Florida had impressive exit velocities, barrel rate, and bat speed, but he also struck too much and chased bad pitches. It was a small big-league sample size for Caglianone in 2025, and the Royals are giving him some "runway to establish himself as an everyday player" in 2026, according to Anne Rogers of MLB.com. KC sees him playing a lot in right field to begin the season. Mechanically, Caglianone focused on keeping his weight balanced in the offseason rather than being so front-foot heavy. There are plenty of reasons to be optimistic about Cags long term, especially with his elite power, but fantasy managers in redraft leagues will be a bit more hesitant to buy in as he heads into his sophomore season.

Kansas City Royals outfielder/first baseman Jac Caglianone got his first taste of the big leagues in 2025, earning a promotion from Triple-A Omaha in early June. The 22-year-old struggled across 232 MLB plate appearances, posting a .157/.237/.295 slash line with seven home runs, 18 RBI, 19 runs scored, and one stolen base. However, there is reason to believe that Caglianone has breakout potential in 2026. Known as a high-end power hitter as a prospect, Caglianone logged solid hard-hit (42.4%) and barrel rates (12%) while keeping his strikeout rate at a manageable 22.4% in his first stint with the Royals. He also appears ticketed for every day playing time in right field in Kansas City, given the team's current lack of high-end outfield talent. Finally, the Royals announced that they will be moving in the fences at Kauffman Stadium for the 2026 season, which should boost the power output in what has traditionally been one of MLB's most difficult parks to hit home runs in. For fantasy managers looking for relatively cheap power sources in the middle of drafts, Caglianone should be on their radar.

Kansas City Royals first baseman/outfielder Jac Caglianone appears ticketed to see a near-everyday role at the start of the 2026 campaign. The former sixth overall pick from the 2024 MLB Draft made his MLB debut last season but struggled as he held a .157/.237/.295 line with just six doubles and seven home runs across a 62-game stint. However, during his time at Triple-A, the former Florida Gator flared immense upside, hitting an elite .357/.426/.705 line with six doubles and 11 home runs. Earlier in the offseason, the Royals appeared interested in acquiring Boston Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran in a trade. However, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported that this trade appears unlikely, leaving Caglainone facing even less competition for an everyday role. Currently, he is slated to cover right field while Kyle Isbel, Isaac Collins, and Lane Thomas split center and left field. Given his power upside, Caglianone could enjoy a massive breakout season if he can see every day at-bats.

Kansas City Royals outfielder Jac Caglianone (elbow) is in the lineup against the Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday. He'll play right field and bat eighth versus right-hander Trey Yesavage. Caglianone left the Royals' 2-1 win early on Saturday after taking a pitch off the right elbow, but it won't cost him any additional time. The 22-year-old has a week left to try to end a difficult rookie campaign on a positive note. Since debuting on June 3, Caglianone has struggled to a .162/.239/.298 line with seven homers, 18 RBI, and 18 runs scored in 57 games and 218 plate appearances.