Kansas City Royals designated hitter Jac Caglianone returned to the starting lineup on Saturday following a one-game benching for disciplinary reasons after punching a dugout wall in Houston and cutting his left hand.
Disciplinary Benching and the Incident in Houston
Manager Matt Quatraro benched Jac Caglianone for Friday night’s loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park following disciplinary action stemming from an emotional outburst earlier in the week. During Thursday’s loss to the Houston Astros, Caglianone struck out and subsequently punched a dugout wall, resulting in a cut on his left hand. The manager removed him from the game in the ninth inning, substituting right-handed pinch hitter Nick Loftin to face Astros left-handed closer Josh Hader.
It was in the dugout after one of the at-bats,
Quatraro explained to reporters on Friday regarding the incident. It was my decision to not play him.
Public Apology and Clubhouse Accountability
Speaking to the media prior to Saturday’s game, Caglianone expressed immediate remorse for his actions and acknowledged the impact of his frustration on the team. He returned to action as the designated hitter, going 2-for-3 with two runs scored and an RBI single during a 6-5 loss.
“It was a very selfish and immature move on my part. These guys hold me to a higher standard. I hold myself to a higher standard. It’s definitely a learning experience, something that I want to grow from.”
Jac Caglianone, designated hitter, Royals
Caglianone noted that the frustration had mounted during a difficult stretch at the plate. I cut my hand, and fortunately it was nothing too serious.
But I was very selfish and immature, and I put the team in a bad spot.
That’s something I don’t want to do again.
Offensive Production and September Slump
The physical self-inflicted injury occurred amid a challenging month for the 23-year-old rookie, who was named American League Player of the Month for a red-hot August. Following that peak, September brought a cooling-off period; Caglianone entered the weekend going 4-for-27 with 11 strikeouts over 10 games without a home run.
Despite the recent skid, Caglianone is having a productive first full season in the Majors.
- Slashing .279/.332/.485 with 23 home runs and 71 RBIs across 137 games
- Ranks second on the Royals in both homers and RBIs
- Trails rookie catcher Carter Jensen, who set a franchise rookie record with his 25th home run and 76th RBI
- Holds a 123 wRC+, placing him 17th among qualified hitters in the American League
Caglianone is not the only young Kansas City player to navigate off-field discipline this year; earlier in the season, Jensen apologized to the team after sleeping through an alarm and missing pregame duties.