Kansas City Royals' Top Prospect Gets Two Hits Off of Future Hall of Fame Member

Clayton Kershaw, on a rehab assignment in Double-A for the Los Angeles Dodgers, gave up a double and a single to Jac Caglianone.

Florida Gators first baseman Jac Caglianone (14) singles in the Texas A&M Aggies during the eighth inning at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Neb., one June 19, 2024. | Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images

Jac Caglianone, the top prospect of the Kansas City Royals, continues to add to his list of achievements in just his first three weeks of Double-A baseball.

On Tuesday night, he added this one: go 2-for-2 against a future Baseball Hall of Fame inductee.

That’s what happened when Caglianone, of the Northwest Arkansas Naturals, faced Los Angeles Dodgers legend Clayton Kershaw, making a rehab start for the Double-A Tulsa Drillers on the road in Springdale, Ark.

Caglianone doubled to left in the first inning, then hit a ground-ball single to center in the third.

Kershaw, 37, will join the Dodgers for an 18th season when he concludes his rehab from knee and toe surgeries. The left-hander departed the game with two runners on and no outs in the bottom half of the fourth inning, leading 4-1.

The inherited runners didn’t score, but Northwest Arkansas scored six times in the sixth inning and rallied to win 9-7.

Kershaw’s line: one run on four hits and one walk with four strikeouts in three innings.

Caglianone was hit by a pitch in the fifth inning and came around to score, walked and scored in the sixth, singled in the seventh and struck out in the eighth.

Everyone knows Kershaw’s achievements – three National League Cy Young Awards, an MVP, 10 All-Star selections, a pitching Triple Crown and two World Series titles. And someday, Caglianone could be a household name.

The Royals selected the first baseman with the No. 6 overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft out of the University of Florida.

On the season, he has played in 16 games, hitting four home runs and driving in 20 with 34 total bases. He’s hitting .288 with a .882 OPS.

He’s made the highlight reels a couple of times in the first few weeks of the season, including on April 5 when he hit his first home run 464 feet out of the Drillers’ home stadium in Tulsa, Okla.

Royals officials undoubtedly are watching the 22-year-old’s progress from Kansas City.

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