MLB.com’s Jack Janes recounts Kansas City Royals slugger Jac Caglianone shining against Los Angeles Dodgers starter Tarik Skubal making his home debut.
In the third inning, Skubal left an 0-2 slider down the middle to Caglianone, who made him pay by hitting a 110.8 mph laser into the seats in right field for a two-run home run.
Caglianone stayed hot at the plate, finishing 2-for-4 with three RBIs. He’s hitting .417 with at least one hit in all nine games in August.
One of the reasons why Caglianone
has been finding his stride again recently is his ability to limit the strikeouts. His strikeout rate since returning from the All-Star break is 14.8%. In that span, he’s lowered his strikeout rate on the season from 29.2% to 26.5%
“Just trying to shrink the zone,” Caglianone said. “Once you get the two strikes, just battle your tail off.”
Kansas City Star’s Kacen Bayless writes about another snag in the Royals’ plan to move downtown as public pushback grows increasingly prominent.
While [Mayor Quinton Lucas] pointed to a need for more robust conversations, one local leader said the delay was due to an attempt by the Royals to renegotiate certain parts of the deal.
The opposition has largely centered on the speed with which city leaders have pursued the project. The ordinance city leaders planned to debate Tuesday would have set aside $20 million and authorized City Manager Mario Vasquez to execute a series of agreements with the team.
The city’s Finance, Governance and Public Safety Committee was set to review the ordinance on Tuesday. While the vote was delayed, the project is still widely expected to move forward. City leaders could still discuss the proposal next week.
Final approval of those agreements would effectively kickstart the project and mark the next step in the Royals’ yearslong search for a new home. The team’s rough plans, unveiled in April, call for a $1.9 billion stadium in Crown Center as part of a more than $3 billion ballpark district.
Missouri Workers Power’s efforts for a public vote regarding the public funds the Royals are getting for the stadium project is a large part of the stadium’s detractors.
Missouri Workers Power (MWP), a sibling organization of Missouri Workers Center or Stand Up KC, has its own plan that calls for a vote of the people before city funding is allocated to the project.
“Postponing this item at City Council makes all the more evident our point: that our decision makers can’t keep trying to rush this process without considering what we the people need, and without all of us having the final say when it comes to the question of how our tax dollars are spent,” MWP Service Industry Worker Jaeda Roth said in a statement sent to FOX4 Tuesday afternoon. “Our representatives should not stand in the way of the people they are supposed to represent.”
MWP met with Mayor Lucas on Monday. The council has until Aug. 31 to figure out what to do with the MWP petition.
“So, the city has many choices as to how it looks to proceed in connection with that, but no, the city does not have a deadline or a timeline at least as to how it would act on any ordinances either before us or in the future relating to the baseball stadium that are triggered by any outside petition efforts,” the mayor said.
PReston Farr advocates for a Carson Roccaforte promotion in his latest look at the hottest hands on Kansas City’s farm.
Fellow outfielder Carson Roccaforte is another name in the system due for a promotion. He has 14 home runs over his last 50 games, the most in the Royals farm system in that span. His strikeout rate is down to 23.2% in that sample, and his 14 home runs since June 6 are good for sixth in all of Double-A. The power surge, paired with elite center field defense are worth a look sooner rather than later. Kyle Isbel isn’t extremely far from free agency. He enters another year of arbitration in 2027, and good starting center fielders rarely hit the free agent market. If Roccaforte factors in at all over the next few years, getting him up the system is something we should see soon.
The Royals released veteran reliever Justin Topa from Triple-A Omaha.
Topa has signed minor league deals with both Toronto and Kansas City since being cut loose by Minnesota. He’s pitched well in both places — including 12 2/3 innings with just one earned run allowed during his stint with Kansas City’s Omaha affiliate. Overall, Topa has pitched 20 2/3 minor league innings this season (all at the Triple-A level). He’s logged a tidy 1.74 ERA but still has a concerning 14.1% strikeout rate. His 8.7% walk rate is sharp, but Topa’s typical ground-ball tendencies haven’t been on display (41.8%). He’s worked more off his four-seamer than in the past during this Triple-A run, but Topa has also noticeably scaled back his slider usage. That might help to explain both the downturn in grounders (more four-seamers, slightly fewer sinkers) and in whiffs (fewer sliders, slightly fewer changeups).
Royals Keep’s Yirsandy Rodríguez looks at how Kansas City’s bullpen lacks the putaway pitch MLB relievers need.
Two strikes should put the hitter on the defensive, but against the Kansas City bullpen, the exact opposite happens. The issue isn’t getting ahead; it’s finding the pitch to finish the plate appearance. A drop in secondary pitch effectiveness has completely eliminated the uncertainty in the batter’s box. Without a breaking or offspeed offering that threatens the zone, hitters get comfortable, extend at-bats, and drive the ball hard—wiping out late-inning leads in the process.
The numbers don’t lie about the collapse: the Royals bullpen sits at the bottom of Major League Baseball with a disastrous -3.5 WAR and the lowest xERA (4.93) in the American League. They surrender 1.49 home runs per nine innings—the highest rate in MLB—while opponents punish them with a 40.4% hard-hit rate. This isn’t a temporary slump limited to a couple of arms; it’s a structural flaw in how the unit attempts to close out games.
A year ago, a breaking pitch below the zone forced hitters to make split-second decisions. Today, they lay off with ease because they know the next pitch will have to come over the plate.
Just Baseball’s Kennen Smith writes about how Matt Strahm’s 2026 results are “are perfectly symbolic of how regression and misidentification of talent have dismantled the Royals.”
Jacob Berry came to the Royals organization and is making a strong first impression at Triple-A Omaha.
Democratic lawmakers call for the end of MLB and MLB players appearing in sportsbook marketing in letter to MLB and MLBPA leadership.
The Los Angeles Angels fired pitching coach Mike Maddux and two of his assistants on Tuesday.
Boston Red Sox catcher Adley Rutschman activated off the IL, set for team debut in Toronto.
Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice calls 30 days spent in Texas jail a “learning experience” and a “reality check”.
The Minnesota Vikings announce Kyler Murray is their starting quarterback to start 2026.
Retired Royal Air Force pilot Andy Green recorded the land speed record for a hydrogen-powered car, reaching 406.320 MPH at Utah’s Bonneville Salt Flats.
Chicago Sky player DiJonai Carrington claims she never said Flagrant 2 foul review was the result of white privilege.
CBS Sports’ president David Berson says there is no timeline regarding lead NFL analyst Tony Romo following his arrest in Wisconsin.
A high school football player in Arkansas found a venomous snake inside his helmet during practice.
The NFL is entering an era of new stadium after new stadium.
Ultrarare Nintendo Super Mario Brothers Duck Hunt cartridges are set for auction after discovery in Wisconsin.
U.S. Highway 50 is home to a historic halfway marker, one whose story is easily forgotten outside Dodge City.
Today’s song of the day is The Sign by Ace of Base.
