The Kansas City Royals\u2019 closer,\u00a0Carlos Est\u00e9vez, left his first rehab outing<\/a> Wednesday because of shoulder discomfort. The right-hander faced just three batters for Triple-A Omaha before exiting after talking with a trainer.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Est\u00e9vez landed on the 15-day injured list April 1 with a left foot contusion following a rough season debut. In his first appearance of the season, he recorded a blown save after allowing six runs against the\u00a0Atlanta Braves, capped by a walk-off grand slam.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n It has been a rough start to the season for Est\u00e9vez, dating back to spring training before he hit the injured list.\u00a0<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Following a highly successful 2025 season in which Est\u00e9vez led MLB in saves and earned his second career All-Star selection,\u00a0Kansas City hoped to see that same version of him entering 2026.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Est\u00e9vez was slow to ramp up during spring training, as his velocity was significantly down. He struggled to reach 90-91 mph during camp after averaging 95.9 mph<\/a> last season.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n A slow start for the 33-year-old was not uncommon, as he has dealt with that in the past. But once his first outing of the season arrived, it quickly became clear this situation was different. His velocity remained down, and control issues also surfaced, leading to the six-run outing.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Since then, Est\u00e9vez has spent the past month rehabbing in hopes of not only recovering from the left foot contusion, but also regaining his velocity in the process.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Unfortunately for Est\u00e9vez, his velocity was still down before exiting the rehab outing, averaging 90 mph<\/a> on his fastball.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n As for the shoulder stiffness, it does not appear to be something either the Royals\u00a0or Est\u00e9vez are tied up in knots about.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n “Talking to him on the phone, he didn\u2019t seem overly concerned,\u201d Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. \u201cHe just didn\u2019t want to push through it [because it] was his first outing,\u201d per Anne Rogers<\/a> of MLB.com.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Granted, this is not the news anyone wanted to hear regarding Est\u00e9vez\u2019s return back to the mound. But with how\u00a0Lucas Erceg\u00a0has been throwing lately, there is no need for\u00a0Kansas City to rush Est\u00e9vez back. He can take the time needed to fully recover and regain his velocity.<\/p>\n <\/p>\nEarly struggles continue to pile up for\u00a0Carlos Est\u00e9vez<\/h2>\n
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