Jac Caglianone departs early with elbow soreness as Royals fall to Blue Jays

Jaylon Thompson, The Kansas City Star on Sep 5, 2026

Published in Baseball

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Royals finished Saturday’s game against the Toronto Blue Jays without one of their key offensive contributors.

Prior to the third inning, Royals standout Jac Caglianone exited the game with left elbow soreness. Caglianone had been playing right field. And Royals manager Matt Quatraro inserted utilityman Nick Loftin in his place.

Caglianone was involved in a few plays earlier in the night. In the first inning, he made a strong throw to home plate following Josh Rojas’ throwing error. And later, he launched an incoming throw that was cut off by Bobby Witt Jr. near second base.

The Royals missed his offensive production. Caglianone recorded an RBI single off Blue Jays starter Max Scherzer in the first. It was a part of a two-run frame that saw KC tie the game at 2-2.

Caglianone’s single was one of seven Royals hits on the night. The Blue Jays, who finished with 13 hits, added a pivotal run in the seventh as the Royals fell 4-3 at home.

Scherzer dueled with Royals starter Seth Lugo in the game. Both hurlers pitched into the sixth inning and allowed three runs apiece.

However, it was Lugo who had the more stressful evening. The Blue Jays elevated his pitch count with some lengthy innings. He departed after five innings while throwing 61 of 95 pitches for strikes.

The Blue Jays scored twice in the first inning. The club recorded five hits in the frame as Alejandro Kirk and Nathan Lukes drove in runs. Kirk hit a slow dribbler to Rojas that preceded his throwing error. Caglianone nearly threw out Vladimir Guerrero Jr. at the plate as he ran through a stop sign at third base.

However, Guerrero made a nifty slide to avoid Carter Jensen’s tag. Lukes hit an RBI single as Kirk scored the second run.

The Royals quickly tied the game in the bottom of the first inning. Caglianone teamed with Royals captain Salvador Perez to add RBI singles against Scherzer. This season, Caglianone has 70 RBIs to lead the club.

The teams traded runs later in the game. The Blue Jays got an RBI double from rookie sensation Kazuma Okamoto in the third inning. It was one of four hits he logged against the Royals.

Yet, Royals outfielder John Rave kept the game close. In the fourth inning, Rave hit a solo home run off Scherzer. The blast landed just beyond the right-field wall — a 366-foot solo shot.

The Blue Jays (72-71) surged forward again in the seventh. This time, Witt made a fielding error that extended the inning with two outs. Toronto took advantage of the extra chance as Okamoto recorded the go-ahead RBI single.

KC didn’t draw closer. The club placed two baserunners aboard in the eighth inning, but an ill-timed double play erased the scoring chance. Blue Jays reliever Tyler Rogers evaded trouble as Toronto won the series outright.

The Royals (63-80) dropped their 25th series this season. They will look to get a victory in Sunday’s afternoon finale.

What’s next?

Royals right-hander Randy Dobnak (2-3, 2.65 ERA) will start on Sunday at Kauffman Stadium. The Blue Jays haven’t announced a starter with first pitch set for 1:10 p.m. Central.