By MATT PIKE
With rosters expanding Monday, the Kansas City Royals had two easy options, bringing back their former top prospect Jac Caglianone, who was on a rehab assignment, and giving pitcher Luinder Avila another opportunity in the bullpen after an efficient scoreless MLB debut just a few weeks ago.
The Royals announced on Sunday night that they anticipated making those moves official Monday. Not much of a surprise. One other name listed in that transaction report though was unexpected, but what he’s done during this season also made it an easy decision for the Royals front office
The Royals called up Carter Jensen, the club’s number two prospect and MLB’s No. 69 overall prospect per MLB Pipeline, having his contract selected from Triple-A Omaha ahead of Tuesday’s series opener against the Los Angeles Angels at Kauffman Stadium.
Jensen, a third-round pick from the 2021 Draft out of Park Hill High School in Kansas City, will now have the opportunity to suit up for his hometown team.
Jensen began 2025 at Double-A Northwest Arkansas, where he struggled into May due to what he believed was a mechanical issue with his swing, where he was pulling the ball instead of staying through it and focusing up the middle. The results once he addressed this issue was a significant increase in production, resulting in a promotion to Triple-A where he continued his tear at the plate. In 43 games with the Storm Chasers, Jensen has crushed 14 homers and 11 doubles to go with a 1.051 OPS.
For Caglianone, his arrival back to the big league club was more expected when the rosters expanded, but his everyday role was expected to diminish. He’s been raking in Triple-A, though, evidenced by a .385 average with five homers and 16 RBIs in 16 games during his rehab assignment.
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