Tigers’ narrow series win over Royals might’ve forced KC’s hand with No. 1 prospect

Just a few hours after the Tigers eked out a 1-0 victory to take Sunday's rubber match over the Royals, Jeff Passan reported that Kansas City was making a potentially offense-altering move and were calling up No. 1 prospect Jac Caglianone (baseball's No. 10 prospect overall) after he'd spent less than two weeks in Triple-A.

Both the Royals and Tigers' offenses showed up in the series opener, ending with a 7-5 win for Detroit, but then they both disappeared in the following two games. With the loss on Sunday, the Royals had dropped six of their last 10 games and were working with a -7 run differential at fourth place in the AL Central.

Bobby Witt Jr. and Salvador Perez haven't really shown up in the ways the Royals expected, and Kansas City ranks No. 28 in baseball in runs scored, so something had to change.

The Royals' offense completely disappearing in their series finale against the Tigers might've been the final straw for the front office. Given the hype around Caglianone, Detroit should be relieved that they're avoiding meeting him, at least for the time being.

Royals call up No. 1 prospect Jac Caglianone after suffering close series loss to Tigers

Caglianone was receiving major hype as a two-way player at the University of Florida, years before he went into the draft and was taken by the Royals as 2024's sixth overall pick. He had a metric ton of accolades under his belt before he left Florida following his junior year, but he's probably most notable for his 516-foot home run that season, the longest recorded homer in the Statcast Era.

He started the year in Double-A and hit .322 with a .947 OPS before being promoted on May 20, and then he proceeded to hit .319 with a 1.093 in Triple-A, which immediately started a conversation about an accelerated promotion to the majors.

The Tigers won't see the Royals again until late August, when Caglianone will have somewhat established himself and the league has (hopefully) figured out how to adjust to him. But he could also represent a lingering threat to the Tigers' hold on the division; one player can't change everything, but if he lives up to the hype, he could be the spark the Royals offense needs. If that's the case, then the Twins, Guardians, and maybe even the Tigers will have to start looking over their shoulders.