The injury bug hasn’t been friendly to the Kansas City Royals as we are only two weeks into Spring Training. Right-handed pitcher Alec Marsh has right shoulder soreness, while outfielder Dairon Blanco is dealing with right Achilles soreness.
In addition to Marsh, Kansas City’s pitching staff is dealing with another concerning injury, this time in the bullpen. According to Anne Rogers of MLB.com, Royals manager Matt Quatraro said on Thursday that veteran relief pitcher Carlos Estevez is dealing with mild lower back tightness.
Carlos Estévez is dealing with mild lower back tightness, manager Matt Quatraro said, which is why we haven’t seen him in game action. He threw off the mound yesterday and said he felt good. Quatraro said they think there’s plenty of time to “get him 6-7 outings later in camp.”
— Anne Rogers (@anne__rogers) February 27, 2025
However, Quatraro added that Estevez threw off the mound on Wednesday and said he felt good. The Royals manager believes they have time to get the veteran pitcher “6-7 outings later in camp.”
It’s good to see the veteran relief pitcher is throwing off the mound as the Royals expect big things from him in 2025. Kansas City surprisingly signed Estevez to a two-year, $22.2 million this offseason after he spent the last season with the Philadelphia Phillies and Los Angeles Angels.
Estevez started the 2024 season with the Angels, where he recorded a 1-2 record and 2.38 ERA in 34 games. The veteran reliever was traded to the Phillies before last summer's trade deadline.
Estevez had a 3-2 record and 2.57 ERA in 20 games with the Phillies. The right-handed relief pitcher recorded 18 strikeouts, but allowed seven walks and two home runs in 21 innings pitched. He held opponents to a .192 batting average with a .229 BAbip between both teams.
The 32-year-old pitcher enters this season with the Royals as the potential closer, with Lucas Erceg continuing to play a huge role in the late innings at the backend of the rotation. Erceg was acquired at the trade deadline by the Royals from the Athletics, where he played a crucial role down the stretch last season.