Royals No. 1 Prospect Has Opening Day Roster Pipe Dream Officially Dashed
The Kansas City Royals made more Opening Day roster cuts on Monday, and the most prominent name yet was reassigned to minor-league camp.
Royals number-one prospect Jac Caglianone arrived to spring training guns blazing. He hit a trio of towering home runs in big-league game action while going 9-for-17 with five walks, good for a ridiculous 1.872 OPS.
Caglianone was only drafted eight months ago, so it never made any sense for Kansas City to rush him to the Opening Day roster. But the 6-foot-5 first baseman is such a potent power threat that some fans allowed themselves to dream of it regardless.
On Monday, however, the Royals officially dashed those pipe dreams. The team announced that Caglianone had been officially reassigned to minor-league camp, alongside outfielder Gavin Cross, shortstop Cam Devanney, and outfielder John Rave.
Caglianone, 22, only appeared in 29 games at High-A last season. He would have been skipping two levels of minor-league competition to make his debut on Opening Day. He also would have either had to learn a new position on the fly (left field, most likely), or fight for designated hitter at-bats, as Vinnie Pasquantino remains the starting first baseman.
However, Caglianone may have earned himself a promotion to Double-A to begin the season, a level he didn't yet look ready for during his brief High-A cameo. And if he hits there, the Royals could quickly bring him up to Triple-A, or even consider elevating him straight to the show.
All offseason, the Royals looked for another middle-of-the-order bat, but weren't able to find one in free agency or via trade. But at some point this season, they could have the luxury to call upon one from their own farm system.
Now, the real waiting game begins. Caglianone's eventual debut, which is likely to happen at some point this season, will be appointment viewing across Kansas City.
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Jackson Roberts is a former Division III All-Region DH who now writes and talks about sports for a living. A Bay Area native and a graduate of Swarthmore College and the Newhouse School at Syracuse University, Jackson makes his home in North Jersey. He grew up rooting for the Red Sox, Patriots, and Warriors, and he recently added the Devils to his sports fandom mosaic. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding "Kansas City Royals On SI," please reach out to Scott Neville: scott@wtfsports.org