Will PPI Affect Royals' Plans for Jac Caglianone's Debut?

Following another monster showing on Sunday, the hype around Royals’ prospect Jac Caglianone continues to grow. He launched his third home run of the spring (115 mph), followed by a 100 mph double. The showing raised his OPS above 2.000 for the spring and added fuel to the “call him up” fire that has started to spread around Royals’ social circles. Many have started taking notice of Caglianone’s strong spring. It’s become somewhat similar to 2022 when shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. started to take the Cactus League by storm. That spring, Witt slashed .406/.441/.781 with three home runs and only three strikeouts. Before the spring, there was talk that perhaps Witt would make his debut, but it was far from a guarantee. By the end of spring, the Royals decided to carry their top prospect with them to the big leagues.

Much like Caglianone today, Witt was a non-roster invite that spring. Where they differ, however, comes down to minor league time. By 2022, Witt had spent a full season in the minor leagues with tremendous results. He was the organization’s George Brett Hitter of the Year that season after spending 2020 at the team’s alternate site. Caglianone appeared briefly in 2024 with High-A Quad Cities. He also spent time with the Surprise Saguaro’s in the Fall League, but otherwise doesn’t come close to the amount of minor league time Witt had compiled. Still, with his strong spring showing, has Caglianone worked his way into the Royals’ Opening Day plans? Beyond his showing, the league’s Prospect Promotion Incentive rules could impact the team’s decision if they feel he will be ready at some point in 2025.

MLB’s most recent CBA implemented the Prospect Promotion Incentive, or PPI for short. The Royals have already reaped some gains from the program, earning a draft pick immediately after the first round in this summer’s Amateur Draft. That pick was awarded after Bobby Witt Jr. placed in the top three of MVP voting within his first three big league seasons. Teams acquire PPI picks if (1) a prospect is ranked in the Top 100 of at least two major prospect publications (ESPN, Baseball America, MLB Pipeline) and (2) the eligible player:

• Wins the AL or NL Rookie of the Year Award
• Places Top Three for AL or NL MVP before arbitration
• Places Top Three for AL or NL Cy Young before arbitration

To be considered an eligible player, the prospect must meet the Top 100 qualification above. In addition, they must spend at least 172 days on the Major League roster or injured list as a rookie. To maintain rookie status, a player cannot exceed 130 career at-bats, 50 career innings, or 45 days on an active MLB roster. So why does any of this matter for the Royals regarding Caglianone right now? If the Royals hope to capitalize on up to three years of PPI eligibility for Caglianone, they may need to decide on his future sooner rather than later. That is, if they expect he will be necessary to impact the big league roster for any notable time in 2025, then he should be heavily considered for the Opening Day roster. Look at it this way:

If the Royals feel like Caglianone could be ready by June, they’d have to forfeit his PPI eligibility or wait to call him up until at least August 15. That August 15 date would allow Caglianone to be on the Royals roster for 44 days, maintaining his rookie status for the 2026 season. In another scenario, the Royals could roster Caglianone as late as around two weeks into the season and still reach the 172-day mark that Caglianone would have to be rostered to trigger future PPI eligibility. The long and short of it is that the Royals have to either:

• Add Caglianone to the team’s big league roster in time to reach 172 days in 2025 OR
• Wait to add Caglianone to the big league roster until after August 15 OR
• Forfeit any future PPI eligibility by adding him midseason between the two dates above

It’s only spring training, but Caglianone is making waves like no other Royals prospect in recent memory, save for Superstar Bobby Witt Jr. Many aspects go into decisions to promote top prospects, and it would certainly be aggressive for the Royals to promote Caglianone so early into his professional career just to maintain future PPI eligibility. Still, it’s just another piece that’s worth considering as the team looks to navigate the future and maximize the value that their top prospects can offer the big league roster.

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.