Lucas Erceg Fantasy Stats

Kansas City Royals right-hander Lucas Erceg picked up two saves over the weekend during the Royals' road trip to Seattle to take on the Mariners. On the season, Erceg has now racked up nine saves in 11 save opportunities, all while posting a 3.77 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, and 13 strikeouts in 14 1/3 innings pitched with 10 walks allowed. Since a few bumps in the road on April 16 at Detroit and April 20 versus Baltimore, where in those two outings he allowed four earned runs on 1 2/3 innings pitched while blowing two save opportunities in a row, Erceg has been lights out in every other appearance. Four of the six earned runs that Erceg has allowed this season came in those two outings. Erceg appears to have a firm grip on this closer role and ranks second in MLB in total saves with nine, remaining a must-start in all formats, especially while Carlos Estevez (foot) remains sidelined.

Kansas City Royals relief pitcher Lucas Erceg worked around one walk and one hit on Tuesday, ultimately delivering a scoreless ninth inning and earning the save against the Athletics. He struck out one batter along the way and threw strikes at a 60.9% clip. Erceg has taken over as the Royals' primary closer after Carlos Estevez struggled and simultaneously landed on the injured list with a left foot contusion. Erceg hit a little rough patch in the middle of April, but otherwise, he's been quite effective. He has zero earned runs over his last four outings, and he has a total of seven saves across 13 games (12.1 innings) this year. He has both a strikeout and walk rate of 7.30 per nine, which is far from ideal. However, on a more promising note, he still hasn't allowed a homer, and he owns an encouraging 56.3% ground ball rate. Erceg remains an effective fantasy baseball option with a pretty firm grasp on the closer role in Kansas City.

Kansas City Royals relief pitcher Lucas Erceg worked around a walk to deliver a scoreless ninth inning against the Los Angeles Angels on Friday. He finished with one walk, zero hits, zero runs, and two strikeouts over one inning, and he earned the save after preserving the Royals' three-run lead. It was a much-needed bounce-back game from Erceg, who had allowed four runs and five walks over his previous 2.2 innings of work. The 30-year-old is now up to six saves this season after taking over the primary closer role from Carlos Estevez (ankle). Walks have been an issue for the righty (6.97 BB/9), but his ground ball rate is up to 64.7%, and he still hasn't allowed a home run. As it stands, Erceg ranks as the #32 reliever in RotoBaller expert Nick Mariano's latest rest-of-season fantasy baseball rankings. He's an intriguing waiver wire target, given that he doesn't face much competition for saves at the moment.

Kansas City Royals relief pitcher Lucas Erceg came into a 1-0 game in the ninth inning on Monday night, but he wasn't able to close out the Orioles, who eventually won 7-5 in extra innings. Erceg walked three batters and gave up an RBI single to Samuel Basallo that tied the game. After earning five saves in his first five chances, Erceg has blown back-to-back opportunities and has a very tenuous hold on the closer role. If the Royals were to go with another option, Matt Strahm and Daniel Lynch IV could get chances while they wait for the return of regular closer Carlos Estevez, who could begin a rehab assignment soon. Erceg still has potential if he gets a few more chances, but he's no longer an option you have to hold if other closers are available.

Kansas City Royals closer Lucas Erceg had converted five straight save chances before his last appearance on Thursday this past week, when he allowed three earned runs on three hits and one walk, blowing the save opportunity and taking the loss to the Tigers. Before that, the right-hander had not allowed a run in six of seven appearances, but after Thursday's collapse, his ERA now stands at 6.14 with a 1.50 WHIP and a 6.7 percent K-BB%. The 30-year-old has pitched well for the Royals over the last two years, but saw a significant drop-off in strikeout rate between 2024 and 2025, from 28.5 percent to 19.3 percent. It has fallen even more this season, currently standing at 16.7 percent. Fantasy managers won't argue with collecting five saves so far, but with diminishing strikeouts and regular closer Carlos Estevez (foot) beginning a rehab assignment this week, Erceg's handle on the role is becoming somewhat tenuous.

Kansas City Royals relief pitcher Lucas Erceg picked up his third save of the season on Monday, pitching a perfect ninth inning with a strikeout in his team's 4-2 win over the Cleveland Guardians. Across 4 2/3 innings pitched in 2026, the 30-year-old has allowed five hits, two earned runs, and two walks while recording three strikeouts. While Erceg's numbers don't scream dominance, he has been effective since taking over the Kansas City closer job from Carlos Estevez (foot). Estevez is currently on the 15-day injured list with a foot injury that is not expected to cause him to miss significant time. However, Estevez struggled mightily in both Spring Training and his lone 2026 regular season appearance before being placed on the IL. Erceg profiles as a must-start reliever in the short term for fantasy managers, and could end up holding the ninth-inning role in Kansas City for the remainder of the year.

Kansas City Royals reliever Lucas Erceg has converted both save opportunities while posting a 1.13 WHIP and one strikeout across 2 2/3 scoreless innings in 2026. The Royals placed closer Carlos Estevez (foot) on the 15-day injured list with a foot contusion. Estevez had velocity concerns heading into the year and was lit up for six earned runs in only one appearance this season. With Estevez on the injured list, Erceg has locked down Kansas City's closer role and becomes a must-add off the waiver wire for fantasy managers searching for saves. The 30-year-old was terrific last season, owning a 2.64 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, and 48:18 K :BB with two saves and 23 holds over 61 1/3 innings for the Royals last season. Erceg is rostered in 51% of Yahoo Fantasy leagues and is currently third on RotoBaller's Week 2 waiver wire rankings.

Kansas City Royals relief pitcher Lucas Erceg earned his second save of the season on Wednesday night by closing out the Twins in the Royals' 13-9 win at Kauffman Stadium. Erceg didn't start the ninth inning, since his team had a seven-run lead, but after Bailey Falter allowed three runs, bringing the tying run to the on-deck circle, Erceg shut down the rally by retiring Austin Martin and James Outman. Erceg has a hold and two saves in his three games this season, allowing two hits but no runs with one strikeout. He should be secure in his role as the Royals' closer in the short-term while Carlos Est vez (foot) is on the 15-day injured list. Estevez suffered a drop in velocity and struggled early this season after a career-high 42 saves last year. At least for now, the job is Erceg's to claim, making him a great early-season snag from the waiver wire if you're searching for saves.

Kansas City Royals relief pitcher Lucas Erceg appears to have taken over as the team's closer for the time being. Carlos Estevez (ankle) opened the season in the closer role, but he allowed six runs over 0.1 innings on Saturday and blew the save along the way. He also suffered an ankle contusion during the loss. Between the poor performance and the injury, Estevez has quickly worked his way out of the closer role. Erceg has taken his place, and the 30-year-old stepped up by earning the save in Sunday's win over the Atlanta Braves. He has yet to allow an earned run through two innings, and his fastball velocity has jumped to a career-high mark of 98.9 mph. Erceg's closer role isn't as safe as some of the other prominent relievers in baseball, but it's safe to say that it's his job to lose at this point. The right-hander has legitimate streaming appeal in most fantasy leagues as he continues to handle save situations.

Kansas City Royals relief pitcher Lucas Erceg was primarily utilized as a setup man in 2025, posting a 2.64 ERA and 1.17 WHIP with 48 strikeouts, eight wins, and two saves across 61 1/3 innings (61 games). However, Royals closer Carlos Estevez (ankle) allowed six earned runs while recording just one out in his first appearance of the 2026 season on Saturday. Estevez also allowed three home runs and four walks in five innings pitched in Spring Training, and he's currently nursing an ankle injury. Royals manager Matt Quatraro alluded to using Estevez in lower-leverage situations for the time being, which could open the door for Erceg to take over as Kansas City's primary closer. Erceg recorded 14 saves and a 28.5% strikeout rate across 61 2/3 innings split between the Athletics and Royals in 2024. He profiles as a priority waiver-wire target in any fantasy league where he is not currently roster.