The Royals’ power surge in 2026 gave the season plenty of signature moments, and the home run totals backed it up. Kansas City finished with 170 homers, tied for the second-most in club history and 11 more than the year before. Some were moonshots, some flipped games, and a few came with plenty of drama attached.
One of the wildest came on April 26 against the Angels, when the Royals turned a nationally televised mess into a comeback for the books. Down 6-0 early and still trailing by three in the ninth after a 90-minute rain delay, Kansas City kept chipping away.
Vinnie Pasquantino tripled, Salvador Perez singled, and then Jac Caglianone sent a 409-foot shot down the right-field line to tie the game. The bullpen then gave the lead back in the 10th, but Maikel Garcia drew a two-out walk to put two men aboard for Lane Thomas, who faced southpaw Joey Lucchesi and ended it with a blast into the seats.
Bobby’s May 9 inside-the-park homer against the Tigers was a different kind of highlight. The game had barely started when he lined a ball up the right-field line and Tigers right fielder Kerry Carpenter misplayed it. Bobby never slowed down, sprinting from home to third in 10.91 seconds and circling the bases for an inside-the-park homer.
Carter Jensen’s move into the leadoff spot in late May paid off in a big way, and his July 2 homer against the Rays was the clearest sign. Jensen hit .249/.332/.529 while leading off, and only seven teams got more home runs from that spot. Against lefty Ian Seymour, he opened the game by launching a 449-foot shot, the longest homer any Royals hitter produced all season.
Jac Caglianone’s power was hard to miss by mid-July, and the Home Run Derby gave him a national stage. He was not named an All-Star, but he did earn a spot at All-Star Weekend, becoming just the fifth Royals hitter ever invited to the Derby.
With his father, Jeff, pitching to him, Caglianone blasted eight home runs before being eliminated in the first round. Even in defeat, he gave the crowd something to remember, including a triple-decker in Philadelphia.
Salvador Perez added another major milestone on July 25 in Detroit. His home run off the Tigers was career No. 318, moving him past George Brett for the most by any Royals hitter.
Perez finished the year with 324 career homers, tying Gary Carter and Lance Parrish for fifth-most all-time by a catcher. He also hit 21 home runs in 2026, making him just the fifth catcher ever with ten seasons of 20 or more homers, alongside Mike Piazza, Johnny Bench, Brian McCann and Yogi Berra.
Then came August 8 against the Cubs, when Caglianone went off again. He hit .411 in August and wasted no time making noise in that game, crushing a first-inning homer 448 feet off Clay Holmes. He was not finished there, adding another home run later off Colin Rea.
In Other News...
Salvador Perez Got The Last Laugh In Liam Hendriks Farewell
Liam Hendriks closed out his big league career this week with the kind of perspective that has defined much of his recent journey, sharing a retirement announcement after 14 major league seasons and looking ahead to life beyond the mound. For Royals fans, the news also brings back memories of a pitcher who fought through a brutal stretch that included a Stage 4 non-Hodgkins lymphoma diagnosis in December before the 2023 season and Tommy John surgery the following August, then still managed to return and earn American League Comeback Player of the Year honors.
Hendriks final season was not an easy one, as he worked through a 5.40 ERA, but the larger story was always bigger than the numbers. His Instagram post made the end of the road feel official, and it also tied up a career that had plenty of resilience built into it, including the moments Royals opponents remember most. For Kansas City, the lingering memory may be Salvador Perez getting the last laugh in Hendriks farewell chapter, a fitting little twist to a career that never stopped finding ways to stay interesting. [Read more 🡒]
Royals Reunion With Brady Singer May Depend On One Reds Decision
Two years after the Royals and Reds swapped Brady Singer and Jonathan India, the deal has produced plenty of second-guessing on both sides. Neither player found much traction after the move, and now both are nearing free agency with the possibility of qualifying offers hanging over the next step in their careers.
For Kansas City, Singers market matters because the rotation still needs a dose of stability, and a reunion would at least make sense on paper. The catch is Cincinnatis decision-making, since the Reds are reportedly weighing a qualifying offer for Singer while India is unlikely to get one, leaving the Royals to watch for whether the path back to Kauffman Stadium even opens. [Read more 🡒]
Royals Draft Class Already Has A Few Names Fans Need To Watch
Baseball Americas 2026 MLB Draft report card offered an early look at a Royals class that already has a few names worth tracking, and the list comes with some useful shorthand for what Kansas City added. Louisville outfielder Zion Rose drew praise as both the best pure hitter and best power hitter in the group, while Oklahoma shortstop Camden Johnson stood out for his speed and glove work. Ole Miss pitcher Taylor Rabe earned the nod for the best fastball, giving the Royals a mix of tools that span impact bats, athletic middle-infield defense and arm strength.
The rest of the class adds more layers to follow as the organization starts sorting out who fits where in the pipeline. Illinois prep pitcher Jack Slightom, West Virginia right-hander Maxx Yehl and Georgia pitcher Dylan Vigue all made the rundown, while Arkansas pitcher Ethan McElvain has already gotten his pro debut underway in High-A. For a draft class that is still in its early chapters, Kansas City at least has a few prospects who already show up in the categories that tend to matter most. [Read more 🡒]