The Royals begin a six-game road trip this week, kicking off with a three-game series against the Giants in San Francisco. As someone who grew up in Northern California (Sacramento) and with most of my family (including parents) being Giants fans, I always get up for this series. However, the Giants took it to us at Kauffman Stadium a year ago.
My parents visited Kansas City last season for a Saturday afternoon game on September 21st. Unfortunately for my wife and me, they cheered much more than we did in the 9-0 Royals loss.
After a much-needed win on Sunday, let’s hope the Royals can start the road trip off on a good note against Robbie Ray on Monday night.
With the first pitch a couple of hours away, I wanted to write a quick post before the start of this road trip with some Royals-related news breaking this week. Thus, I thought another edition of the “Reporter Jottings” would be appropriate today.
In this post, I will share the latest episode of the Crown Talk podcast, some thoughts on Jac Caglianone and Frank Mozzicato‘s promotions to Omaha and Northwest Arkansas, respectively, and the DFAs of pitcher Chris Stratton and catcher Luke Maile.
Episode 7 of the Crown Talk Podcast
After a weeklong hiatus, Jared Perkins and I recorded again on Sunday night and released our latest Crown Talk Royals podcast episode, which can be found on Spotify and YouTube.
Jared and I primarily reviewed the Royals’ rough week, which included series losses to the Astros (on the road) and the Cardinals (at home). However, we got into a few tangents, which included talking about the Royals’ draft strategy under (relatively) new scouting director Brian Bridges, possible trades that could help boost the Royals’ hitting, and what moves could be next after Stratton’s DFA (the Maile news hadn’t been announced yet).
If you haven’t already, subscribe to the Crown Talk podcast on Spotify or YouTube. Our latest episode on YouTube can be found in the embed below!
Thanks for checking us and listening as we break down the Royals weekly during the regular season!
Caglianone and Mozzicato Earn Much-Deserved Promotions
After the Royals’ win over the Cardinals on Sunday, the Royals’ Player Development account (Raising Royals; great name) announced two key promotions on social media.
The promotion of Caglianone is only mildly surprising, primarily due to him mashing Double-A pitching in a limited sample.
In 38 games and 175 plate appearances with the Storm Chasers, Cags slashed .322/.394/.553 with a .947 OPS and 155 wRC+. He also produced a .419 wOBA, a 0.51 BB/K ratio, hit nine home runs, and collected 43 RBI. Cags put up monster production in Northwest Arkansas and regularly hit the ball with excellent velocity.
There aren’t many Statcast metrics on what Cags did with the Naturals. However, the wOBA and contact data, as limited as they were, still managed to be quite impressive, as demonstrated in his TJ Stats summary card below.
Cags takes a free-swinging approach, as his 49.9% swing rate ranked in the league’s upper percentiles. He also chased a bit, as evidenced by a 35.5% O-Swing rate, which ranked in the lower percentiles. He still made enough contact in Double-A, as illustrated by a 78.8% Z-Contact%. That said, it would be nice to see his whiff rate (30.7%) and O-Swing% dip a bit before his eventual promotion to the Major Leagues, which may come sometime in July or after the All-Star Break if he continues to mash at the plate.
While Cags’ promotion to Omaha stole all the thunder, Mozzicato’s call-up to Northwest Arkansas shouldn’t be overlooked, especially considering the lefty’s progress in High-A Quad Cities this season.
In seven starts and 36.1 IP with the River Bandits, Mozzicato posted a 1.24 ERA and 1.02 WHIP. His strikeout rate was 25.3%, a four percent increase from last year, and his CSW rate remained strong at 26.4% (which is what he produced last season).
Here’s an example of Mozzicato showing off his stuff with three strikeouts in his Opening Day appearance for Quad Cities this season.
Mozzicato struggled with control and command with the River Bandits in 2024.
In 22 starts and 101.2 IP, he posted a 3.45 ERA and 1.32 WHIP. At the surface level, those metrics aren’t bad. However, his 6.8% K-BB% and 4.72 FIP illustrated that Mozzicato’s 2024 campaign wasn’t as strong as his ERA indicated.
Unfortunately, walking batters continues to be an issue for Mozzicato as a professional. His walk rate is 15.1%, a 0.6% increase from a year ago. His K-BB% of 10.3% is better than last year’s marks, but how Mozzicato’s control fares at Double-A, especially initially, will be an interesting trend to watch.
Mozzicato’s fastball velocity has been an issue in his Minor League career, as some scouts reported that it was below 90 MPH last year. Thankfully, the velocity was up in the Spring Showcase during Spring Training, and his TJ Stuff+ metrics on his offerings were impressive as well.
I don’t know Mozzicato’s ultimate outlook at the Major League level if he makes it that far. He has put up solid numbers at each level in the Minors, especially regarding ERA. However, his control and command have been inconsistent, which could push him to a bullpen role if it doesn’t improve in Northwest Arkansas.
At 21, Mozzicato still has some time to develop, and the Royals will likely take their time with him in Double-A, much like they did in his previous two stops in Quad Cities and Low-A Columbia.
Stratton and Maile Designated for Assignment
GM JJ Picollo shuffled with the Royals’ roster on Sunday and Monday.
Before the Cardinals game, the Royals promoted reliever Jonathan Bowlan and designated Stratton for assignment.
After exercising his $4.5 million player option this offseason, the Royals were stuck with Stratton and his contract in 2025. He showed some progress with the quality of his pitches, as he generated a better whiff rate and improved grades on his pitch arsenal from a season ago, as demonstrated in his TJ Stats card comparison from 2024 and 2025.
Stratton’s chase rate improved by 1.5%, and his whiff rate improved by 7.1%. He also saw grade improvements on his four-seamer (three), slider (two), changeup (three), and sweeper (four). Those were encouraging improvements, especially considering how poor his 2024 performance was on a TJ Stuff+ end.
When Stratton’s command was on, he could induce an impressive number of whiffs, much like this one on Friday night against St. Louis’ Willson Contreras.
Unfortunately, Stratton’s results weren’t there again to justify a spot in the bullpen (even in cleanup duty).
In 12 games and 17 innings pitched, he posted a 7.94 ERA and 2.18 WHIP. His K rate was slightly up at 18.4% (1.1% improvement), and his BB% was down at 9.2% (3.6% improvement), thus resulting in a 9.2% K-BB%. Unfortunately, while he was better in terms of command, those numbers weren’t good enough to merit regular innings in a Major League bullpen.
Stratton will likely clear waivers. It will be interesting to see if he’ll opt for an assignment to Omaha or elect free agency. Either way, it will be tough for Stratton to get another chance on a Major League roster, especially at 34.
In other roster news, reliever Taylor Clarke returned from the paternity list, and backup catcher Maile was designated for assignment to clear space.
Maile didn’t get much of an opportunity as he had only 10 plate appearances with the Royals in three games. However, he hit .375 and had a big home run against the Orioles in Baltimore.
Maile was called up because Salvador Perez injured his hip during the Rays series and needed some time to recover. Thankfully for the Royals, Salvy recovered quickly, and he was back to catching behind the plate regularly when the Royals returned to Kauffman for the I-70 Series.
Unfortunately for Maile, Salvy’s return to catching eliminated his role, especially with Freddy Fermin already established as the primary backup. Thus, Maile was designated for assignment to make room for Clarke in the bullpen.
It’s unlikely that Maile will opt for an assignment in Omaha, especially with the need for backup catchers across the league. He demonstrated a disciplined plate approach with the Storm Chasers, which makes up for his subpar power and batted-ball ability.
Maile will likely sign with another team soon. His short sample with the Royals shows potential suitors that he may still have something left in the tank for a team willing to give him a chance.
Photo Credit: Sam Hodde/Getty Images