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Erceg retired both batters he faced to earn the save in Wednesday's 13-9 win over the Twins.
Bailey Falter took the mound for the ninth inning when the Royals were ahead by seven runs, but he made a mess of the low-leverage spot. Erceg came in with two on and one out and worked out of trouble for his second save of the season. The right-hander is a must-have in fantasy after Carlos Estevez (foot) landed on the 15-day injured list Wednesday. Working primarily as a setup man in 2025, Erceg pitched to a 2.64 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 48:18 K:BB while adding two saves and 23 holds over 61.1 innings. He's shown better strikeout stuff than that in previous years, and if he pitches well in Estevez's absence, Erceg could keep the closer role for most of the season. He already has two saves and a hold over three appearances this year.
Erceg converted a save in Sunday's 4-1 win over Atlanta, striking out one batter while allowing a base hit over a scoreless inning. inducing a game-ending double play ball.
Erceg was pitching on back-to-back days, but threw only 12 pitches on Saturday. Teammate Carlos Estevez blew the save Saturday in spectacular fashion and was unavailable to pitch due to an ankle injury, but he had diminished velocity throughout the spring, and manager Matt Quatraro suggested prior to Sunday's game that Estevez might be on shaky ground as the team's closer. After delivering a relatively stress-free save chance that culminated in a game-ending double play, Erceg is worthy of rostering on speculation in the event he ends up displacing the struggling Estevez in the ninth inning on a more permanent basis.
Royals' Lucas Erceg: Scoreless frame in spring debut
Rotowire
Erceg (shoulder) allowed no hits or walks across a scoreless inning in Tuesday's exhibition win over Team Cuba. He struck out one.
Erceg made his first appearance of the spring and didn't show any lingering effects from the right shoulder impingement that ended his 2025 season early, an encouraging sign for his health moving forward. The right-hander posted a 2.64 ERA and 1.17 WHIP with 22 holds across 61.1 innings last season, though a diminished 7.0 K/9 and elevated 3.49 FIP are worth noting. Erceg is expected to serve as the primary setup man to Carlos Estevez and could see opportunities in the ninth inning if Estevez falters.
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Royals' Lucas Erceg: Throwing off mound in Royals camp
Rotowire
Erceg (shoulder) is throwing off the mound in Royals camp, Jaylon T. Thompson of The Kansas City Star reports.
Erceg's 2025 season ended in mid-September due to a right shoulder impingement, but he doesn't seem to have any restrictions in the early stages of spring training. The reliever collected a 2.64 ERA and 22 holds last season but saw a year-over-year drop in strikeout rate from 28.5 percent to 19.3 percent. As long as he's healthy, Erceg should produce more swing and miss in 2026 and will serve as a setup man ahead of closer Carlos Estevez.
Erceg (shoulder) will undergo imaging Monday in hopes of being cleared to begin a throwing program, MLB.com reports.
Erceg landed on the 15-day injured list in mid-September due to a right shoulder impingement. As long as scans Monday come back clean, the reliever should have a normal offseason. Erceg notched two saves and 22 holds for the Royals in 2025 and is slated to enter the 2026 campaign in a setup role.
The Royals placed Erceg on the 15-day injured list Friday due to a right shoulder impingement.
The move essentially ends Erceg's season, as the Royals haven't officially been eliminated from playoff contention but remain seven games out from the final wild-card spot with nine games to play. The 30-year-old has a 2.64 ERA and 48:18 K:BB in 61.1 innings this season. He's tallied an 8-4 record with 23 holds as well. Steven Cruz (shoulder) was activated from the IL in a corresponding move.
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Royals' Lucas Erceg: Locks down second save
Rotowire
Erceg secured his second save of the season in Tuesday's 8-5 win over the Nationals after tossing a scoreless ninth inning.
Erceg was called upon for the save chance with Carlos Estevez having pitched each of the last three days. Erceg needed just seven pitches to retire the side, earning his first save since April 25. Estevez is second in baseball with 30 saves and will only give way if injured or unavailable. Erceg is sitting pretty behind him with a 2.52 ERA and 19 holds.
Erceg (4-3) took the loss Saturday, giving up two runs on two hits and three walks in an inning of relief as the Royals fell 3-1 to the Marlins. He struck out one.
Called in for the bottom of the eighth inning after Kansas City had tied the game at 1-1 in the top of the frame, Erceg handed the lead right back to Miami, although his line was somewhat misleading -- two of the walks he issued were intentional, and he threw 11 of 18 pitches for strikes. Carlos Estevez has blown three straight save chances, so the door could be open a crack for Erceg to work his way into the ninth-inning mix, but this performance won't encourage manager Matt Quatraro to switch things up. Through nine appearances in July, Erceg carries a 4.00 ERA, 1.56 WHIP and 10:7 K:BB over nine innings.
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Royals' Lucas Erceg: Reinstated from injured list
Rotowire
The Royals activated Erceg (back) from the 15-day injured list Wednesday.
Erceg has been shelved since late May with a lower-back strain but is ready to go after making one scoreless rehab appearance. He will slide back into a setup role for Kansas City.
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