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Erceg (0-1) blew the save and took the loss Thursday against the Tigers. He allowed three runs on three hits and a walk while striking out one over two-thirds of an inning.
Erceg entered the ninth inning with a two-run lead but failed to secure the victory, as a two-out double from Riley Greene tied the game at 9-9 before Colt Keith delivered a walk-off single. Erceg had converted each of his first five save opportunities prior to Thursday, but this outing bloated his ERA from 2.70 to 6.14 and his WHIP from 1.05 to 1.50 WHIP across 7.1 innings and eight appearances. The 30-year-old stepped into the closer role after Carlos Estevez (foot) was placed on the injured list following his season debut, but with the incumbent expected to begin a rehab assignment soon, Erceg's time filling the ninth-inning role may not last much longer.
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Royals' Lucas Erceg: Collects fifth save of 2026
Rotowire
Erceg earned his fifth save the season in Saturday's 2-0 win over the White Sox, striking out one batter in a perfect ninth inning.
Erceg was brought out for the ninth to protect the Royals' two-run lead, and he needed only 12 pitches (seven strikes) to close things out for Kansas City. He is up to five saves on the year, which is tied with David Bednar and Jhoan Duran for most in the majors. Erceg has a 2.70 ERA and 1.05 WHIP across 6.2 innings to open the 2026 campaign. He may not be available for Sunday's series finale, given that he pitched both Friday and Saturday.
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Royals' Lucas Erceg: Records fourth save Friday
Rotowire
Erceg picked up his fourth save in Friday's 2-0 win over the White Sox with a hitless and scoreless ninth inning.
Erceg needed just 10 pitches to set the White Sox down in order, generating a flyout, groundout and lineout. With Carlos Estevez (foot) on the 15-day IL and struggling badly with diminished results and velocity when healthy, Erceg appears to have a firm grasp on the Royals' closer gig. He's a perfect 4-for-4 in save opportunities and owns a 3.18 ERA and 3:2 K:BB across 5.2 innings.
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Royals' Lucas Erceg: Picks up third save
Rotowire
Erceg earned the save Monday against the Guardians, working a clean ninth inning with one strikeout.
It was the first three up, three down inning for Erceg on the season, retiring the Guardians in order to earn his third save of the year. With Carlos Estevez (foot) on the injured list, the 30-year-old has been thrust into closing duties and has been a perfect 3-for-3 on save opportunities. If Erceg continues to have success, it's possible that he could take over closer duties on a full-time basis even when Estevez comes back.
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.
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