You may have noticed Royals skipper has not turned to his most trusted reliever Lucas Erceg all week. Well now we now why, as the Royals have placed him on the 15-day Injured List with a lower back strain. Seth Lugo returns from the Injured List to make the start against the Tigers tonight.
Erceg last pitched Saturday against the Twins. He had been a little shaky in his last four outings, giving up four runs and retiring just 13 of the 21 hitters he faced. Overall, he has been fantastic, with a 1.96 ERA and one of the lowest walk rates in baseball. Since joining the Royals he has been one of the most valuable relievers in baseball with 47 strikeouts and just 6 walks in 47 innings.
The Royals indicated he was unavailable on Wednesday due to an illness. But now he’ll miss at least the next two weeks with a back strain. The Royals already have one hard-throwing reliever on the Injured List with back issues in Hunter Harvey.
Lugo returns after missing nearly three weeks with a right finger sprain. He has a 3.02 ERA in nine starts this year and will face the Tigers tonight. The Royals also announced Cole Ragans will begin a rehab assignment for Double-A Northwest Arkansas tomorrow. The Royals have an off day Monday and could skip a turn in the rotation and Ragans could return later next week.