What happens if the Jac Caglianone call-up fizzles out for the KC Royals?

News that the Kansas City Royals are promoting Jac Caglianone to the major leagues blew up the Internet late Sunday evening, creating in its initial wake a firestorm understandable in both its scope and the speed at which it spread. Capturing all the attention the game had to give, the revelation that Caglianone's time has come ranks as the singular most captivating KC baseball news since the club won the 2015 World Series.

That the word of his imminent arrival — he's expected to join the Royals when they begin a three-game series in St. Louis Tuesday night — exploded everywhere and took on a life all its own isn't surprising. Caglianone is the organization's No. 1 prospect per MLB Pipeline, a rare talent whose incredible first full minor league season — in 50 games between Double-A Northwest Arkansas and Triple-A Omaha, and despite a short but conspicuous April slump with the Naturals, he's slashing .322/.389/.593 with 15 homers, 56 RBI, and a .982 OPS.

But those flashy numbers can't hide the fact that this promotion is early. Not many get to the majors with only 79 minor league games behind them (Caglianone played 29 times for Single-A Columbia last year). And too many of those whose ascent came at warp speed soon found themselves back in the minors for more seasoning.

Whether that happens to Caglianone, the then-two-way player the Royals snatched up in the first round of last July's amateur draft, remains to be seen. His amazing superstar-caliber talent suggests it won't.

But what if it does? What do the Royals do then? Those are two fair questions considering the possibility of Caglianone stumbling is the elephant in the room.

What happens if KC Royals prospect Jac Caglianone isn't quite ready?

Kansas City fans have long awaited Caglianone's debut and don't want to imagine him floundering. Their fervent hope is that he succeeds immediately and rescues the club from a distressing offense that, after plating only six runs in its just-completed three-game series with Detroit, is barely averaging three per game (3.23 to be precise). And the prospect that his bat will be the magic wand that ignites this team at the plate undoubtedly spurred the Royals to bring Caglianone to the majors at such an early stage of his promising career.

How he performs will tell the tale. A hot start could turn cold, and vice versa; unless major league pitching so obviously overwhelms him that a quick demotion is necessary, the Royals will probably give their prize prospect at least a month to prove he's ready.

If he isn't, KC general manager J.J. Picollo will have to rely on Bobby Witt Jr. recovering from his .243 May slump and Salvador Perez rebounding from his subpar .229/.268/.353, four-home-run start. Beyond that, Picollo's internal options are limited. Drew Waters has been serviceable — since his early-April call-up he's hitting .281 — but he's homered only once and driven in just 13 runs in 44 games. Michael Massey's two homers, .204 average and .224 OBP are more than disappointing and may warrant some remedial minor league work. John Rave has potential but is only 3-for-15 since being promoted to the Royals last week.

Simply put, Kansas City is hurting at the plate, and few members of the current major league roster are showing strong signs of individual improvement. And if Caglianone struggles too much, and a couple of quiet bats don't get loud, the club may have to turn to the minors for more help. Hot-hitting Omaha Storm Chaser Cam Devanney comes to mind, but the Royals would have to find him an everyday spot, and that might not be easy for someone who isn't Jac Caglianone.

Two options remain if Caglianone doesn't hit and no other Royals step up. The club can keep Caglianone in the majors and hope he works out his troubles at the toughest level to do so, but returning him to the minors would be the better choice for obvious reasons.

Or the Royals could get busy on the trade market — the club has at least three major leaguers, and some solid prospects, with which Picollo can try to pry a productive bat or two away from other teams. But the talent required to land such production will cost the Royals dearly, especially because they'll undoubtedly have to weaken their stellar pitching staff to get it.

The Royals must hope, then, that their early gamble on Caglianone pays off immediately. They need to be prepared if it doesn't ... but all signs point to Caglianone succeeding and sticking in the majors for a long time.

And that will make the club and its fans quite happy.