GAINESVILLE, Fla. — It’s Dollar Dog Night at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City on Tuesday. A big crowd is expected to chow down, especially with the Yankees in town.
But there is another reason Royals fans are pumped for Tuesday night’s game: former Gators star Jac Caglianone is set to make his home debut after spending his first week in the majors on the road.
Caglianone recorded his first hit and first RBI in St. Louis – he gave the ball to his dad – and on Sunday in Chicago, Caglianone had his first four-hit game. Caglianone entered the 7-5 win over the White Sox 2-for-21 in his first five games.
However, he singled three times on Sunday and crushed a double, recording a 113.6 mph exit velocity on his drive into the gap in right-center. The performance showed what Florida fans witnessed the past three seasons and helped Caglianone build confidence heading into the three-game series against the Yankees.
The sound tells you what you need to know … https://t.co/0qTVKnMGwi
— Scott Carter (@GatorsScott) June 9, 2025
“A huge thanks to all the guys out here in the locker room,” Caglianone told reporters. “They were very supportive through it all. Hitting balls hard, not really much to show for it. Thankfully, they found some grass.”
Kansas City manager Matt Quatraro was waiting for Caglianone to have his breakout game.
“Jac’s had 20 at-bats, and he’s squared a bunch of balls up in those 20,” Quatraro told reporters in Chicago. “Today he got rewarded for it.”
Caglianone is hitting .240 (6-for-25) with two doubles and an RBI through six games. His parents, Jeff and Johanne, and girlfriend Elli McKissock, a former UF volleyball, have been shown repeatedly in the stands taking in Caglianone’s first days in the majors.
Veteran teammate Salvadore Perez is waiting to see what thousands of Royals fans hope to see this week during a six-game homestand.
“I’m more excited for the first home run,” Perez said. “I want to see where that ball is going to go.”
Caglianone crushed 68 home runs and drove in 162 runs in his final two seasons with the Gators. He was the No. 6 overall pick in the 2024 MLB amateur draft and became the second-fastest position player in Royals history to make the majors. Caglianone needed just 79 minor leagues before getting the call, trailing only Bo Jackson (53 games).
At the time of his promotion, Caglianone led all players in the minors or majors in RBI (56), slashing .322/.389/.593 with 15 home runs in 50 games between Double-A Northwest Arkansas and Triple-A Omaha.
