Nothing is more special for a rookie than getting a call to the Major Leagues. It takes years of hard work, sacrifice, and unwavering belief to get there and it’s always heartwarming to witness the raw emotion of these young players when they get to know their lives are about to change forever. On Monday morning, the Kansas City Royals delivered the news to one of their rookies in what turned out to be an unforgettable moment for him.
In a scene that seemed straight out of a movie, the organization informed their top prospect, Jac Caglianone that he was headed to the majors. Widely considered the franchise’s best talent since Bobby Witt Jr, Caglianone is now poised to take the biggest stage in baseball.
Mike Jirschele, manager of the Royals’ Triple-A affiliate Omaha Storm Chasers, shared the big news with Caglianone. “So you think you’re, you feel like you’re at the point where you can help…like them up there,” Jirscele could be heard telling Caglianone in a video clip shared by Talkin’ Baseball on X. “Do you think you could?” he further added.
Initially, Caglianone thought they were just having a routine conversation, but then Jirschele stunned him by asking if he’d like to take the team charter to St. Louis, implying he was getting called up to the majors. “All right, well, then you can get on the charter tomorrow night and go with them,” the manager revealed. Now you can expect the reaction. “I need to call my dad,” said the 22-year-old, still in disbelief.
“I need to call my dad”
Jac Caglianone was emotional when he got his call to the big leagues pic.twitter.com/66Wo1F2wRR
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) June 2, 2025
After a moment to process it, Caglianlone hugged Jirschele and immediately called his dad. After all, it wasn’t just his dream, his family lived the dream with him. But why so much hype about him debuting with the Royals?
Well, Caglianone hasn’t played a ton of balls yet. It’s just 50 games this season, and he’s got 355 plate appearances total between this year and last. But he’s made the most of them, hitting .322 with a .389 on-base and a .593 slugging percentage, along with 15 homers and 56 RBIs! The Royals picked him sixth overall last summer, mainly because of his massive power, which was just too good to pass on.
Caglianone has impressed the NFL veteran and the Royals’ part owner Patrick Mahomes as well, who reacted to the news of the rookie getting into the MLB scene. On X, Mahomes shared a still of Steve Carell’s character from The Office. It says, ‘Oh, my God, okay, it’s happening.’
Even the MLB insider Jeff Passan is an admirer of Caglianone. “He is a guy who has the kind of power that Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani have,” Passan said. Yes, you heard that right. A rookie is getting compared to Ohtani and Judge. So, what’s in store for the Royals moving ahead?
The Kansas City Royals need added power
Currently, the Royals have shown flashes of promise but remain inconsistent at the plate. Despite a moderate 31–29 record, the major contribution has come from their pitching staff, while the offense has lagged. They are hitting just .247 (14th Rank) as a team with a .300 OBP and a .359 slugging mark. Now these numbers place them in the lower third of the league.
But the team’s biggest issue has been their hitting. For starters, they’re tied for the 28th position in terms of runs scored (194). This surely calls for some added strength to their hitting lineup.
Yes, there are standouts in the team as well. For instance, Vinnie Pasquantino leads in HRs (8) and RBIs (31). Luke Maile boasts a team-best .375 average and .500 OBP. But the Royals need some fresh blood here and nothing better than calling up a guy who is getting compared to Ohtani and Judge.
If they hope to stay competitive in the AL Central, the Royals need more consistency from their lineup as they head into a challenging June schedule. Now that Caglianone is called up, the fans can expect better hitting figures from the team this June.
The post Royals Rookie Sensation Who Thrilled Patrick Mahomes Erupts With Excitement In Heartwarming MLB Call-Up appeared first on EssentiallySports.