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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Royals' Lucas Erceg: Trending toward Wednesday return
Rotowire
Manager Matt Quatraro said Tuesday that Erceg (back) is expected to return from the injured list Wednesday, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.
A lower-back strain forced Erceg onto the injured list at the end of May, but after firing a shutout inning in a rehab game Sunday, the 30-year-old righty appears to be trending toward a minimum-length stay. Once healthy, he figures to slide right back into his usual role as Kansas City's primary setup man.
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Royals' Lucas Erceg: Rehab assignment looming
Rotowire
Erceg (back) threw live batting practice Friday and is set to begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Omaha on Sunday, MLB.com reports.
Erceg was placed on the injured list May 30, retroactive to May 27, making him eligible to return June 12 against the Yankees. Prior to hitting the shelf, the 30-year-old was in the midst of a strong season, recording a 1.96 ERA and 0.74 WHIP with 13 holds over 23 innings. Barring any setbacks during his rehab assignment, the right-hander should return to his setup role with the Royals in the near future.
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Royals' Lucas Erceg: To IL with back injury
Rotowire
Erceg was placed on the 15-day injured list Friday with a lower-back strain.
The most recent news was that Erceg was unavailable due to illness, but this back issue is likely the main reason he hasn't pitched since May 24. His IL placement is retroactive to May 27, so he could return June 12 against the Yankees if he misses the minimum amount of time.
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Royals' Lucas Erceg: Battling illness
Rotowire
Erceg was unavailable for Wednesday's game against the Reds due to an illness, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.
Erceg's illness helps explain why he hasn't pitched since Saturday, especially since the Royals led by only two runs entering the eighth inning of Wednesday's contest but turned to John Schreiber rather than Erceg. The 30-year-old righty will have an extra day to recover during Kansas City's day off Thursday and could be back in action for the start of the weekend series against Detroit.
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Royals' Lucas Erceg: Serves up two-run walk-off homer
Rotowire
Erceg (1-1) took the loss in Friday's 3-1 loss to Minnesota after allowing two runs on two hits in the ninth inning. He struck out one.
Although it was not a save situation in a tie game, Erceg gave up a pair of runs -- on a two-run walk-off homer by Ty France -- in his second straight outing. Because he had surrendered a lone run across his first 21 outings of the campaign, the hard-throwing right-hander still has a strong 2.05 ERA, 0.73 WHIP and 17:3 K:BB through 23 appearances on the season despite his past two performances. Erceg entered Friday with an MLB-high 13 holds, and he should remain one of Kansas City's top setup men behind closer Carlos Estevez.
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Royals' Lucas Erceg: Notches first save
Rotowire
Erceg pitched a perfect ninth inning while striking out one batter to collect his first save of the season in a 2-0 victory over Houston on Friday.
The Royals turned to Erceg for the ninth inning after deploying primary closer Carlos Estevez twice in three days, and the former did not disappoint. With a 0.87 ERA and 0.39 WHIP through 10.1 innings this season, the 29-year-old Erceg remains one of the most reliable relievers in the league, and he could wrestle back the closer job from Estevez eventually.
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Royals' Lucas Erceg: Returns to mound Tuesday
Rotowire
Erceg (foot) collected a hold and tossed a perfect frame in Tuesday's 4-3 win over the Rockies in 11 innings.
Erceg departed Friday's 7-3 loss to the Tigers after being struck on the left foot by a comebacker, but X-rays came back negative, and he was ready to go after three days of rest. After Erceg delivered a scoreless eighth inning, Carlos Estevez suffered a blown save in the ninth inning and now has a 10:9 K:BB over 11 frames this season. Erceg has surprisingly managed just five strikeouts in his 8.1 innings, but he's allowed just one run across 10 appearances. Estevez should have some more leash as the Royals' closer, but Erceg would be next in line if manager Matt Quatraro decides to make a change.
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Royals' Lucas Erceg: X-rays negative
Rotowire
X-rays on Erceg's left foot came back negative after his removal from Friday's game against Detroit.
Erceg wasn't able to walk off the field by himself after getting hit by a 109-mph comebacker in the seventh inning of Friday's contest, but it seems he escaped the incident with only a bruise. He can be considered day-to-day, though the Royals may stay away from using him out of the bullpen until his foot has time to recover.
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Royals' Lucas Erceg: Struck by comebacker, exits game
Rotowire
Erceg was removed from Friday's game against the Tigers after begin hit on his left foot by a comebacker, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.
A 109-mph line drive off the bat of Riley Greene found Erceg's left foot/ankle in the seventh inning. He immediately collapsed to the ground after getting hit and wasn't able to walk off the field without the help of a trainer. The Royals should have more information on his status once they're able to take a look at him.
Erceg threw a perfect inning while striking out two Sunday against Baltimore to record his third hold of the season.
Erceg has had a strong start to the season with 4.1 scoreless innings and a 3:0 K:BB. He's been working as the primary setup man to Carlos Estevez, though he could also get an occasional save chance.
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