KANSAS CITY -- Royals right fielder Jac Caglianone exited Wednesday’s game against the A’s in the fifth inning with right ankle soreness, and Caglianone wasn’t in the lineup for Thursday’s series finale at Kauffman Stadium. But he nor the Royals don’t seem too concerned about it keeping the outfielder down for long.
The ankle injury is one that’s been nagging Caglianone since last week’s road trip on the West Coast, and he’s been managing it throughout these past few games. But it was aggravated more when he hustled down the line in the first inning on Wednesday to beat out an infield single and extend his career-high on-base streak to 17 games since Aug. 1.
Caglianone appeared to say something in frustration as he walked back to the bag, and the Royals monitored him as he went back out to right field to play four more innings. He took another plate appearance in the third, when he was hit in the ribs by a changeup from A’s starter Jeffrey Springs.
“Just kind of been nagging for a little bit,” Caglianone said of the ankle. “Felt it a little when I ran today, a little bit more than the last couple of days. So just trying to be cautious with it.
“... Not too worried about it, to be honest. Should be back in here pretty soon.”
When Caglianone’s spot in the order came up in the fifth, pinch-hitter John Rave stepped to the plate. Caglianone remained in the dugout for the remainder of the inning but then went inside with a Royals trainer.
Caglianone has been red-hot at the plate this month. Entering Wednesday, the 23-year-old was slashing .429/.446/.746 in August, with five doubles, five home runs and 20 RBIs. Keeping him healthy and on the field is an important part of the final month-plus of the season, so the Royals will be cautious with this injury. That’s why they held him out of Thursday’s lineup, with the hope that he just needs the day to recover.
“It wasn’t an acute injury -- it’s just soreness,” manager Matt Quatraro said. “So it wasn’t one thing that happened. It just kind of stayed there, and obviously with him playing every day and running the bases, being on base as much as he has, it hasn’t had the time to recover. … We’re going to have him take it easy. He’ll watch the game and see what happens, and if he needs to be available to hit, he’ll hit.”