Kansas City Royals outfielder Jac Caglianone felt like he was making good contact even though he went 2-for-21 in his first five big-league games. His confidence was validated in Sunday’s 7-5 win over the Chicago White Sox when Caglianone went 4-for-4 and recorded the first multi-hit game of his young career.
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Bo Jackson is the only other player in franchise history to produce a four-hit performance in their first six games.
.@Royals with a four-hit contest within their first six MLB games:
Bo Jackson, Sept. 11, 1986
Jac Caglianone, today pic.twitter.com/EYFgYTfrhL— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) June 8, 2025
“A huge thanks to all the guys out here in the locker room,” Caglianone said after the game. “They were very supportive through it all. Hitting balls hard, not really much to show for it. Thankfully, they found some grass today.”
This time last year, Caglianone was preparing to play in the College World Series with the Florida Gators, who would advance to the national semifinals. After hitting .419 as a junior and setting the program’s single-season and career home runs records while also making 34 starts on the mound, Caglianone was taken sixth overall in the 2024 MLB Draft by Kansas City.
He spent August and September with the Quad Cities River Bandits at High-A, then started 2025 at Double-A. Caglianone hit nine home runs in 38 games with the Northwest Arkansas Naturals, which earned him a call-up to the Omaha Storm Chasers in Triple-A.
His stint in Omaha lasted just 12 games. In 47 at-bats, Caglianone recorded 15 hits, went deep six times and drove in 13 runs. The Royals called him up on June 2, and he made his MLB debut the next day.
Caglianone reflected on the special moment in an Instagram post on Sunday, and referenced his faith in God that has helped guide him throughout his career.
“Grateful is an understatement,” he wrote. “Ever since I could remember I always dreamed of being a professional baseball player. … The journey is just beginning! I’m so grateful to be a Royal! Most importantly, thank you Jesus!”
View this post on Instagram
The post concluded with Colossians 3:23: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord and not for human masters.”
Being away from his home state of Florida and rapidly ascending the minor-league system has forced Caglianone to dive deeper into his faith.
“Honestly, [my faith is] probably stronger than ever,” Caglianone said last month. “With me and [fiancée Elli McKissock] doing the whole long distance and family being farther away, it’s just one of those things where I can’t do it on my own. [God] is always there for me to lean on Him, so that’s just kind of who I’ve been talking to a lot.”
With Caglianone ranked as the top prospect in the Royals’ system and the No. 10 prospect in baseball, Kansas City is hoping he’ll provide a spark for an offense with the fewest home runs in the majors as the team tries to make the playoffs for a second year in a row. The Royals (34-32) are 1.5 games back of the final wild-card spot in the American League at the start of Tuesday’s games. They host the New York Yankees (39-25) at 7:40 p.m. ET Tuesday to begin a six-game homestand.
As he continues to adjust to life in the majors, Caglianone wants to stay focused on the present and take everything in.
“Just never lose the way you felt as a kid playing the game, really,” he said. “The more you start worrying about the future, it kind of takes away from what’s going on in the now. I’m not worried about it. Everything is going to take care of yourself, I keep saying that, but I’m a firm believer in it. You know, I can just handle what I can handle today, and that’s all you can do.”
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