The Kansas City Royals announced that outfielder Jac Caglianone left Wednesday’s game against Oakland with right ankle soreness, putting a damper on what had been another strong performance from their rising star.
Caglianone extended his on-base streak to 17 games with an infield single in the first inning before the injury forced him out. He stayed in the game until the fifth inning, when pinch hitter John Rave took his spot.
Status alert: Jac Caglianone leaves game Wednesday.
The timing couldn’t be worse for Kansas City. Caglianone’s been absolutely locked in during August, hitting .424/.443/.746 with a ridiculous 227 wRC+. That’s the kind of production that can carry a team down the stretch.
What makes this injury puzzling is how it happened. Caglianone took a changeup from A’s pitcher Jeffrey Springs near his ribs in the third inning, but the Royals later clarified he left due to ankle soreness – not the hit-by-pitch. It’s unclear when or how the ankle issue developed.
Jac Caglianone exited tonight’s game with right ankle soreness.
The severity remains unknown, but the Royals have to be holding their breath. Caglianone’s been their most consistent offensive threat lately, including a monster game against the Angels on Aug. 14 where he went 3-for-4 with a homer and five RBIs. He also went deep twice against the Cubs the week before.
MVP Talk
Before the injury news, Caglianone weighed in on the heated NL MVP race between Pete Crow-Armstrong and Shohei Ohtani. An ESPN poll of 21 players showed 15 backing Crow-Armstrong, four supporting Ohtani, and two splitting their votes.
Caglianone didn’t pick sides but offered an interesting take on what could tip the scales.
“I think PCA’s defense is so valuable that I would almost put it in the same tier as Ohtani’s pitching,” he said. “Hitting, they are pretty much the same right now. That’s an even draw. You can affect the game more as a pitcher, but to do what [Crow-Armstrong] does in center field? It’s really neck-and-neck. It’s tough, like Judge and Raleigh last year.”
The key factor? Whether Ohtani returns to the mound this season.
“If Ohtani comes back and throws, it will skew it in his favor,” Caglianone added.
That’s the million-dollar question hanging over this MVP race. Ohtani was dominant in 14 starts before a knee injury ended his pitching season. His hitting numbers match what Crow-Armstrong’s doing at the plate, but PCA’s defense in center field has been elite.
For now though, the Royals are focused on getting their own star healthy. With September approaching and the playoff race heating up, they can’t afford to lose Caglianone for any extended period.
