PITTSBURGH — A regretful Jac Caglianone returned to the Royals’ starting lineup as a designated hitter on Saturday. Manager Matt Quatraro benched Caglianone in Friday night’s loss to the Pirates at PNC Park for disciplinary reasons. Caglianone suffered a cut on his left hand during Thursday’s loss to the Astros in Houston, when he hit a dugout wall after striking out. “It was a very selfish and immature move on my part,” Caglianone said before going 2 for 3 with two runs scored, including an RBI single in Saturday’s 6-5 loss. “These guys [in the clubhouse] Hold me to a higher standard. I hold myself to a higher standard. It’s definitely a learning experience, something I want to grow from.” Caglianone is having an excellent first full season in the Majors, hitting .279/.332/.485 with 23 home runs and 71 RBIs in 137 games. He ranks second on the team in home runs and RBIs behind rookie catcher Carter Jensen, who hit a franchise-record 25th home run for a rookie on Saturday for his 76th RBI. Caglianone had gone 0 for 10 with one hit in 15 at-bats in his previous seven games, while striking out eight times. The 23-year-old admits he let frustration get the better of him. “It just boiled over in Houston,” Caglianone said. “I cut my hand and, fortunately, it wasn’t anything serious. But I was very selfish and immature and put the team in a bad situation. “That’s something I don’t want to do again.”
