Carlos Estévez Fantasy Stats

Kansas City Royals relief pitcher Carlos Estevez (shoulder) will be shut down for the next three weeks, according to manager Matt Quatraro. Estevez was removed early during his rehab outing on Wednesday after displaying reduced velocity. The right-hander was diagnosed with a right rotator cuff strain on Thursday. Estevez won't throw for three weeks, and then will hopefully begin a rehab assignment after that. Fantasy managers shouldn't expect Estevez to be back in the mix for at least a month or so. With that being said, Lucas Erceg should continue to hold down the full-time closer role in Kansas City.

Kansas City Royals right-handed reliever Carlos Estevez (shoulder, foot) left his minor-league rehab outing on Wednesday early at Triple-A Omaha with right-shoulder discomfort, according to Anne Rogers of MLB.com. Estevez recorded two outs, but his velocity was down, and he exited after the second out when a trainer came to visit with him. Estevez has been on the 15-day injured list since he was hit by a comebacker on his left foot after his first appearance of the season. The 33-year-old Dominican veteran and two-time All-Star allowed six earned runs in one-third of an inning of work before being hit in the foot, and his velocity was noticeably down in spring training as well. Estevez might have recovered from his foot injury, but now he has shoulder concerns and could need to restart a rehab assignment. It's becoming harder to justify stashing Estevez in fantasy leagues, and Lucas Erceg's run as KC's primary closer could be extended, depending on how serious Estevez's shoulder injury is. Estevez is currently rostered in 64% of Yahoo leagues.

The Kansas City Royals are anticipating right-handed reliever Carlos Estevez (foot) will start a minor-league rehab assignment with Triple-A Omaha on Tuesday. Estevez only made one appearance for the Royals before being hit in the foot by a comebacker and going on the 15-day injured list with a left-foot contusion, but he's nearing a return to the big-league bullpen and could be back with the club this week. The 33-year-old veteran had a league-high 42 saves and was an All-Star for the second time in his career in 2025 in his first year with the Royals, but his velocity was noticeably down during spring training, and he was lit up for six earned runs on four hits (one homer) while walking two and striking out none in one-third of an inning in his only appearance so far this year before going on the IL. Lucas Erceg has been up and down as the Royals' fill-in closer with Estevez on the shelf, so the veteran reliever may regain closer duties upon his return from the IL. Fantasy managers searching for saves could take a flier on Estevez in hopes that he can regain some velocity and turn things around in 2026. He's only rostered in 64% of Yahoo leagues currently.

Kansas City Royals right-handed reliever Carlos Estevez (ankle) threw to live hitters in Arizona on Tuesday, and president of baseball operations JJ Picollo said that his velocity was "closer to what it needed to be," according to Cody Tapp of 96.5 The Fan. It's good news, but Tapp also guesses that Estevez is two weeks from a potential return to KC's bullpen. He's expected to throw to live hitters again later this week before potentially starting a minor-league rehab assignment. The 33-year-old veteran is recovering from a left-ankle contusion that he suffered in his first and only outing of 2026, in which he was hit by a comebacker on the mound. Not only was Estevez injured, but his velocity had been down, dating back to spring training in March, so the Royals are likely working on his mechanics as he rehabs. It remains to be seen if Estevez will have an opportunity to retake the closer's role when he's reinstated from the 15-day injured list. Fill-in closer Lucas Erceg has seven saves in his 12 1/3 innings pitched, but he's been inconsistent with a 4.38 ERA and 1.62 WHIP. Despite Estevez's blowup in his only outing of the year and his injury, he's currently rostered in 65% of Yahoo leagues.

Kansas City Royals relief pitcher Carlos Estevez (foot) was able to throw a two-up bullpen on Saturday and is scheduled to face hitters in Arizona on Tuesday. The right-hander has been sidelined since getting hit by a comebacker in late March. His recovery from his left foot contusion has been slow, but it sounds like Estevez is making progress. Estevez only made one appearance this season before landing on the Injured List. He allowed six earned runs on four hits across 0.1 innings of work. Lucas Erceg has been working as the closer while Estevez has been out. He has converted six of eight save chances, but holds a 5.23 ERA right now. Estevez could be back in the mix for saves once he's back with the Royals.

Kansas City Royals veteran right-handed reliever Carlos Estevez (foot) is still on the 15-day injured list with a left-foot contusion, and he looked awful in his first appearance of the 2026 season before getting injured, but he could still be worth stashing in fantasy leagues due to reliever Lucas Erceg's recent struggles in the closer's role in KC. Erceg was perfect in his first five save chances after Estevez went on the shelf, but since then, he's blown both of his save chances while allowing four earned runs on four hits while walking four and striking out only one. The 30-year-old now has an ugly 6.48 ERA and 1.80 WHIP over his 8 1/3 innings pitched early in the campaign, firmly putting himself on the closer hot seat. It's unclear when Estevez might return, and he has issues of his own (primarily reduced velocity), but his demise as a closer might be premature. Estevez is still rostered in 67% of Yahoo leagues. If you're hurting for saves, you should consider picking up the injured Estevez. He could be thrown right back into the closing mix for the Royals when he's cleared to come off the IL.

Kansas City Royals general manager and president of baseball operations JJ Piccolo said that right-handed reliever Carlos Estevez (foot) is hoping to start a minor-league rehab assignment at Triple-A Omaha in the next five days, according to Cody Tapp of 96.5 The Fan. Estevez looked pretty bad early in the 2026 season and saw his velocity drop before he was hit in the left foot by a comebacker. The 33-year-old veteran was a second-time All-Star in 2025 and had a league-high 42 saves in 66 innings pitched, but he had allowed six earned runs with two walks and no strikeouts in just one-third of an inning in his only performance for KC this year before going on the 15-day injured list. The Royals probably aren't in any rush to put Estevez back in high-leverage situations in the back of their bullpen when he's completely healthy, especially since Lucas Erceg has gone a perfect 5-for-5 in save chances as the team's closer since Estevez went on the IL.

Kansas City Royals right-handed reliever Carlos Estevez (foot) is scheduled to throw a bullpen session on Thursday, according to Anne Rogers of MLB.com. After an abysmal start to the 2026 season, the Royals placed Estevez on the 15-day injured list last Wednesday with a left-foot contusion that he suffered when he was struck by a comebacker. The 33-year-old veteran Dominican hurler was showing decreased velocity this spring, and it continued into the start of the regular season. In just one-third of an inning pitched in his only outing of the year before going on the shelf, Estevez allowed six earned runs on four hits (one grand slam) while walking two and striking out none. The two-time All-Star had a league-high 42 saves in his first year in KC in 2025, but there were underlying signs that his stuff was in decline. Lucas Erceg has stepped up as the Royals' closer, and he may not relinquish the title, even when Estevez is cleared to return from the IL.

According to Anne Rogers of MLB.com, the Kansas City Royals have placed relief pitcher Carlos Estevez (foot) on the 15-day injured list due to a left-foot contusion. Additionally, Rogers noted that this stint will provide Estevez with an opportunity to build his velocity, as that was a major concern during spring training and in his lone regular-season outing. During spring training, Estevez saw his velocity significantly decline, and this lingered into his season debut as he logged just 1/3 of an inning while allowing four hits and six earned runs en route to blowing his lone save opportunity. Shortly after, the Royals kept Estevez on the sidelines before placing him on the injured list on Wednesday. In 2025, Estevez led the major leagues in saves (with 42) but has been a major disappointment in the early going. While he remains on the shelf, Lucas Erceg should see most of the save opportunities in Kansas City.

Kansas City Royals right-handed reliever Carlos Estevez (ankle) is still in a walking boot on Monday, and the team will see how he feels, according to Anne Rogers of MLB.com. Estevez probably won't be available to pitch to begin the week, but with an off day on Tuesday, the Royals will determine if he needs to go on the injured list. The 33-year-old veteran took a line drive off his left ankle when he allowed a whopping six runs in a blown save on Saturday against the Atlanta Braves, and he wasn't available to pitch in the series finale in Atlanta on Sunday. With Estevez out, Lucas Erceg picked up the save for KC in the 4-1 win. Even if Estevez was available on Sunday, manager Matt Quatraro hinted that the Royals want to use the struggling reliever in lower-leverage situations going forward. Estevez could certainly be used in save situations again in 2026, but right now, he's firmly on the closer hot seat, and fantasy managers need to scoop up Erceg wherever they can. An IL stint seems likely for Estevez, mainly so that he can figure out a way to get his velocity back up.