Closer for the Kansas City Royals has been a revolving door in 2026.
However, there may be some positive news on the horizon. According to MLB.com’s Anne Rogers, Royals closer Carlos Estévez is continuing his throwing progression and could throw a bullpen session by the end of the week.
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At least five different pitchers have combined to record 19 saves for Kansas City this season. Lucas Erceg has 12 of them. However, he also has the most blown saves in baseball with six.
Estevéz, the Royals’ closer heading into the season, has appeared in just one game after suffering a left foot contusion. The injury occurred during a disastrous March 28 outing against the Atlanta Braves. The 33-year-old blew a two-run lead, allowing six runs on four hits and two walks. He only recorded one out before Dom Smith hit a walk-off grand slam.
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Fellow reliever Nick Mears could also throw a bullpen by the end of the week. Mears has not pitched since May 27 due to right shoulder impingement. The right-hander owns a 5.12 ERA across 19.1 innings this season.
Estevéz appeared close to returning in May. However, during his first rehab appearance with Triple-A Omaha on May 6, he exited with a right rotator cuff strain. He pitched 0.2 innings and issued one walk before leaving the game.
The Royals have sorely missed their All-Star closer this season after his dominant 2025 campaign. Estevéz posted a career-best 2.45 ERA across 67 appearances last year and led MLB with 42 saves.
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Following Estevéz’s injury, Erceg stepped into the closer role. However, he has struggled mightily, posting a 6.00 ERA and 1.96 WHIP across 26 appearances.
Ahead of last Wednesday’s series finale against the Cincinnati Reds, manager Matt Quatraro announced that changes would be made to the closer role.
“In the short term, we’re going to match up, just based on who’s available that night and where we think the best avenue for us to get the win is,” Quatraro said. “But in the long term, I do think Erceg is a guy that we’re going to use in the ninth.”
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That move has paid off in the short-term, as the Royals have won five of their last six games since. Alex Lange has excelled in his opportunities, recording four consecutive saves without allowing a run. Erceg also converted a save opportunity on June 7 against the Minnesota Twins, helping Kansas City secure a 6-5 victory.
Kansas City’s 4.95 bullpen ERA ranks fourth-worst in baseball.
The group has performed better as of late, but it will need to keep building momentum if the Royals hope to climb back into postseason contention. A healthy return from Estévez would certainly help that effort.
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The Royals (28-39) continue their series against the Texas Rangers today at 7:40 pm ET.
This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Jun 10, 2026, where it first appeared in the MLB section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source sports.yahoo.com ’
