Kansas City Royals outfielder Jac Caglianone, who hit nine of his team-high 14 home runs in June, will participate in the Home Run Derby during All-Star Game festivities in Philadelphia on Monday.
The 23-year-old Caglianone becomes the third player to officially be named for the Home Run Derby, joining Tampa Bay's Junior Caminero and New York Yankees slugger Ben Rice.
The No. 6 pick in the 2024 draft, the left-handed hitting Caglianone has only 21 career home runs in his two seasons, but he's known for his power, with his average home run distance of 418 feet tied atop the majors this season with Colorado's Mickey Moniak for players with more than 10 homers.
It will be the first appearance in the event for Caglianone, who was not selected as an All-Star. In his first full season, he is hitting .258/.322/.455 (77-for-299) with 33 RBIs in 85 games.
He will be the sixth Royals hitter to compete in the Home Run Derby, joining Bo Jackson (1989), Danny Tartabull (1991), Mike Moustakas (2017), Salvador Perez (2021) and Bobby Witt Jr. (2024).
Witt was the runner-up in 2024 when he hit 50 home runs in total. He hit 13 HRs in the final round, one shy of Teoscar Hernandez.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.