Caglianone has Grade 1 flexor strain in elbow, but hopeful to avoid IL

KANSAS CITY -- Jac Caglianone has a Grade 1 flexor strain in his left elbow, but the hope is that he avoids the injured list, manager Matt Quatraro said prior to the finale against the Blue Jays on Sunday at Kauffman Stadium.

After the Royals’ right fielder exited Saturday’s game before the third inning with left elbow soreness, he underwent imaging that showed the low-grade strain. That was really the best case scenario given the soreness he was feeling.

Caglianone will be shut down from throwing for the next couple of days, per Quatraro, and the club will see how Caglianone feels by Tuesday or Wednesday. If it progresses well, he’ll reintroduce baseball activity before getting back into games.

“Hopefully we dodged a bullet there,” Quatraro said.

Caglianone’s injury happened on a throw, which registered 95.2 mph, that he made from right field toward third base when Ernie Clement was tagging up in the second inning Saturday. It had not been bothering Caglianone prior to that throw, Quatraro said.

As far as hitting, Caglianone won’t do anything Sunday, but there’s a chance he could try some swings before he starts throwing. And based on how he progresses, the Royals could see a scenario where he’s the designated hitter for a bit before getting back in the field.

“Now that we know it’s low grade, then we can progress a little more aggressively when the time comes,” Quatraro said. “But definitely a day today with no activity.”

The Royals only have three weeks left of their season, but they want Caglianone and the rest of the team to finish as strong as possible, health permitting. Caglianone has put together an excellent bounceback season after he debuted in 2025, slashing .283/.331/.494 with 27 doubles, 23 home runs and a team-leading 70 RBIs this year. At just 23 years old, he’s morphed into a premier power hitter in the league -- and one the Royals will build around for years to come.

Caglianone, who was recently named the American League Player of the Month for August, has managed ankle soreness throughout the past month but has otherwise been healthy this season -- and has spent the entirety of the year on the Royals’ active roster. He’s appeared in 131 of their 144 games, and his 510 plate appearances are fourth-most on the team behind Salvador Perez (555), Bobby Witt Jr. (548) and Carter Jensen (533) entering Sunday.