KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Royals slugger Jac Caglianone will take his powerful left-handed swing to Philadelphia next week.
Caglianone announced Wednesday he will participate in the 2026 T-Mobile Home Run Derby on Monday, July 13, at Citizens Bank Park. The event is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT and will stream live on Netflix.
It will be the first Home Run Derby appearance for Caglianone, one of baseball’s top young power hitters. He becomes the Royals’ first Derby participant since Bobby Witt Jr., who hit 50 home runs and finished as the runner-up in the 2024 event in Texas.
Witt, who was named the American League’s starting shortstop for this year’s All-Star Game, will also be in Philadelphia, along with Royals right-hander Michael Wacha.
Caglianone joins Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Junior Caminero and New York Yankees first baseman Ben Rice among the players announced so far for this year’s Derby field. Caglianone and Caminero are both 23 years old, putting each in position to challenge for the title of youngest Derby champion. Juan Gonzalez currently holds that mark after winning the event in 1993 at 23 years and 265 days old.
Caglianone was not named an All-Star, but his power profile makes him a natural fit for the Derby. The Royals selected the former Florida two-way standout with the No. 6 overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft and quickly focused on developing him as a hitter.
That path moved quickly. Caglianone made his MLB debut June 3, 2025, less than a year after being drafted.
After some struggles during his rookie season, Caglianone has started to settle in as an everyday player in the middle of Kansas City’s lineup. Entering Wednesday, he was hitting .258 with a .322 on-base percentage, .455 slugging percentage and 14 home runs.
Caglianone caught fire in June, hitting nine home runs during the month. He ranked among the American League leaders in June in runs scored, OPS, home runs, total bases and batting average.
His power numbers have also stood out across Major League Baseball. Entering Wednesday, Caglianone’s average home run distance this season was 418 feet, tied for the longest in the majors among players with at least 10 home runs. His average home run exit velocity was 108.6 mph, third in that group behind Shohei Ohtani and James Wood.
Caglianone’s longest home run this season traveled 444 feet on June 21. The longest of his career was a 466-foot homer last July.
This year’s Derby will also feature a new format. MLB is moving away from the timed format used since 2015 and returning to a swing-based setup.
Each of the eight participants will receive 20 swings in the first round. The top four home run totals will advance to the semifinals, where players will be seeded based on first-round totals. The semifinals and finals will each feature 15 swings per player.
There will be no bonus round and no bracket in the opening round. Every swing will count toward a player’s total, whether it results in a home run or not. If a player homers on his final swing of a round, he may continue swinging until he fails to hit another home run.
First-round ties will be broken by longest home run distance. Ties in later rounds will be decided by three-swing swing-offs.