Jac Caglianone Keeps Rolling, Michael Wacha Shines: Royals Stock Up, Stock Down

Welcome to “Stock Up, Stock Down,” where every week, the Royals On SI staff writers highlight Kansas City Royals players who have stood out or had a rough week. From the lineup to the pitching staff, we’ll dive into who is trending up and who is trending down.

The Royals are still in the midst of a late-season surge. While their playoff chances remain slim, what we have seen from Kansas City has provided plenty of optimism for 2027 and the overall future of the organization.

Kansas City has gone 4-2 over its last six games, with four of those games coming as part of series wins over the Toronto Blue Jays and Cleveland Guardians. The Royals have now won five consecutive series.

Stock Up: Players Who Stood Out Over the Past Week

Aug 19, 2026; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Royals right fielder Jac Caglianone (14) reacts after hitting a single against the Athletics during the first inning at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Michael Wacha

Starting pitcher Michael Wacha continues his All-Star season, as he had his best start of the year this past week. During the Guardians series, Wacha went a strong eight innings, allowing no earned runs on four hits while striking out a season-high 10 batters.

The veteran was cruising in his last outing and threw the ball with even more velocity than usual, making the Royals’ decision not to move him ahead of the trade deadline look even more like the right move.

Jac Caglianone

This should just be an automatic spot for Jac Caglianone in the “Stock Up” section of this series because the young slugger has officially arrived and is here to stay. Over his last 23 at-bats, Caglianone has posted a .435 batting average with a 1.087 OPS, six RBIs and a home run.

This is the breakout season many have been waiting for from Caglianone, and he has yet to show signs of slowing down. The future is bright for Caglianone, making his future with Kansas City an exciting one.

Carter Jensen

Rookie catcher Carter Jensen has seemingly started to come out of his slump at the plate. He has collected six hits over the past seven days, including two home runs. Jensen has also displayed his ability to draw walks during this stretch, logging seven.

Like Caglianone, Jensen is another player many are excited about for the future. The catcher made MLB history as the first player to hit five leadoff home runs in a season while playing catcher.

Honorable mentions

Josh Rojas had himself a strong week despite a smaller sample size. In his last nine at-bats, he has logged four hits and four RBIs.

Isaac Collins has posted a .316 batting average over the last seven days. Much like Jensen, Collins appears to be finding his swing at the plate.

Anthony Gose returned to the mound for the first time in a Royals uniform and for the first time since 2024. He has been perfect through 2 2/3 innings, allowing no hits or earned runs.

Stock Down: Players Who Struggled Over the Past Week

Seth Lugo

Veteran starting pitcher Seth Lugo didn’t have his best stuff in his last outing against the Guardians. He was only able to get through 3 2/3 innings, allowing nine earned runs on nine hits, including two home runs.

It wasn’t the best start for the 36-year-old as he looks to finish the season strong with one month remaining in the year.

Kyle Isbel

Kyle Isbel didn’t have the worst week, but he also didn’t have his best. He posted a .176 batting average over his last 17 at-bats while striking out six times during that stretch. He did collect three hits, including a double, while driving in one run.

Luke Maile

While the sample size is very small, catcher Luke Maile didn’t capitalize on the opportunities he received. He logged only five at-bats over the last seven days and posted zeros across the board, recording no hits, RBIs, walks or strikeouts.

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