How Jac Caglianone is taking drama out of Royals' September roster

Gone are the days when the calendar flipping to September meant the entire 40-man roster could suit up. Royals fans used to circle that date as the lone bright spot after a summer of last-place baseball.

Now, with Kansas City still fighting for its postseason life, roster expansion from 26 to 28 isn’t about mass debuts—it’s simply an opening for one new face, one new spark to get behind in limited work. And in 2025, that extra position player spot already feels spoken for thanks to the timing of Jac Caglianone’s rehab assignment.

The sixth overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft suffered a left hamstring strain on July 26, and the Royals placed him on the 10-day IL the following day.

Caglianone started his rehab assignment with Triple-A Omaha earlier in August, and the slugger seems plenty healthy. He has played in 11 games for the Storm Chasers, with an impressive .388/.444/.714 line, four home runs, and 12 RBI in 54 plate appearances. He’s even been part of some of Omaha’s historic offensive eruptions, looking more than ready for a return to Kansas City.

The Royals are taking a safe, if boring, route for Jac Caglianone's return.

But the timing is telling. His rehab stint runs out Sept. 1, perfectly aligning with roster expansion. That’s no happy accident. It allows the Royals to recall him without optioning or cutting anyone—avoiding a tough decision like moving on from an extra outfielder or demoting Michael Massey. It’s a clean solution, if not exactly bold.

This is somewhat a happy problem for Kansas City, who have seemingly struck short-term gold with lefty outfielder Mike Yastrzemski as the primary leadoff man and veteran Randal Grichuk taking his spot agasint lefty starters. Both players have their set roles, but take up two roster spots in the process. Kansas City isn't going to cut backup catcher Luke Maile or option utility players like Nick Loftin or Tyler Tolbert to open a spot for Caglianone.

The lefty power bat has a bright future and massively high ceiling in a Royals uniform, but the first impression has been anything but a success story. Despite impressive exit velocities, light-tower power, and expected metrics, his .147/.205/.280 line through 150 at-bats was unquestionably an eyesore in the Royals' stat sheet. The Royals’ offense also happened to click during his absence, making any correlation hard to ignore. Before the injury, there was even a case to send him back to Triple-A for everyday work, though he did show slight improvement after the All-Star break.

Caglianone should be back in Kansas City. He needs to be if he’s going to take the next steps in his development. Still, it’s a little disappointing that his presence isn’t yet strong enough to force the Royals’ hand—he’ll likely return only because the calendar and roster rules allow it.