Royals' Jac Caglianone Has 3-Word Response To First Homer In Kansas City

There's something about homering in front of your home crowd for the first time that takes a weight off your shoulders.

Kansas City Royals rookie Jac Caglianone had two home runs in a single game on the road against the Texas Rangers, but in 13 games at Kauffman Stadium, he still hadn't gone deep. That finally changed on Tuesday night.

Caglianone put an A swing on a Mitch Keller change-up and sent it hurtling toward the right-center field bleachers at a blistering 114.1 miles per hour. It got the Royals on the board in the second inning of their game against the Pittsburgh Pirates, which they'd go on to win 4-3 in walk-off fashion.

It was clear Caglianone had been pressing at the plate--how could he not be? He was called up to essentially be the offensive savior for the Royals, and he wasn't getting the job done. His OPS+ sat at an abysmal 22 entering play on Tuesday. But hopefully, that one swing turned things around.

After the game, Caglianone could only have a brief laugh at his own expense when asked about finally breaking the seal.

“Wow, a barrel,” Caglianone joked, per Anne Rogers of MLB.com.

The Royals still need more from the slugging lefty. He's got a .464 OPS even after the home run, and he's making their outfield offense, as bad as it was all season, even worse. But the long ball could be a huge step in the right direction.

With the trade deadline coming, a Caglianone surge combined with the addition of one more bat might be enough to get the Royals back into playoff contention.

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