Jac

Caglianone

Morosi mentions the Red Sox and Angels as teams with extra outfielders. Maybe the worst decision made by any potential contender going into last season was the Royals choosing not to upgrade their outfield, and they ended up getting a .639 OPS from their left fielders, a .645 OPS from their center fielders and a .615 OPS from their right fielders. They need to add at least one starter this winter and maybe two, and they still have to figure out whether Jac Caglianone, who belongs at first base, can be adequate in right.

Caglianone checked out fine following an early exit from Saturday’s game against Toronto after being hit by a pitch on the right elbow. The 22-year-old top prospect has hit some speed bumps in his first couple months at the highest level, but he’s shown some flashes of game-changing power upside once he finds his footing.

It’s possible that Caglianone would have been lifted for a pinch-runner anyways in that situation, but it’s at least something that fantasy managers to pay attention to. John Rave entered the game for him and could be in line for additional action if Caglianone is forced to miss any time.

While Blue Jays starter Max Scherzer allowed seven runs in the first inning, the bulk of the Royals’ runs on Friday came against Taylor Heineman, a position who allowed 10 runs. No one on the Royals took advantage of Heineman being on the mound than Caglianone, who had a three-run home run in the seven inning and RBI single in the eighth inning. He’s hitting .153 with a .538 OPS and 18 RBI this season.

Caglianone takes a seat, despite the presence of right-hander Taijuan Walker on the hill for the Phillies in this one, after making five consecutive starts between right field and DH since last weekend. The 22-year-old rookie slugger is batting .167 (4-for-24) with zero extra-base hits and two RBI in nine games since returning from the injured list earlier this month.

Caglianone needs every hit he can get as he battles for time in right field and at DH. Tonight’s start was his fourth in seven games — all against righties — since he returned from the injured list. He’s not going to play against lefties, so he needs to be in there against pretty much every righty if he’s going to be of any use in fantasy leagues.

One start for Jac Caglianone (he went 0-for-2 with a walk on Wednesday) and one for Jensen in three games against right-handers since both arrived Tuesday. That’s just not a good sign that either youngster is going to have any fantasy value over the rest of the month. Salvador Perez has caught all three games since Jensen’s callup.

Caglianone returns to Kansas City’s lineup for the first time since July 26 after an extended rehab stint in the minors working his way back from a hamstring strain. The 22-year-old slugging prospect has hit some serious turbulence in his first taste of the big leagues, but he’s certainly talented enough to make adjustments and excel at the highest level. It may not happen overnight, but he’s the type of talent that projects as a significant fantasy contributor down the road.

Caglianone has seen his role as the right fielder against right-handers taken over by Mike Yastrzemski, but there still should be ample time available for him after he crushed his rehab assignment, hitting .385/.457/.692 in 16 games. He might offer some mixed-league value this month.

The Royals have opted to let Cags play out the extent of his rehab assignment rather than rush him back to the big leagues, which makes sense considering how he struggled in his first 161 MLB plate appearances. However, the 22-year-old is hitting .388/.444/.714 with four home runs and 12 RBI in 11 games on his rehab assignment. If he continues to hit like this, the Royals could opt to call him back up and make him a strong-side platoon in left field with Randal Grichuk.