ATLANTA
Kansas City Royals closer Carlos Estévez continued to struggle with his velocity on Saturday night against the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park.
And it led to a blown save.
Estévez allowed six earned runs in Saturday’s 6-2 loss. The Braves scored all six runs in the ninth inning as designated hitter Dominic Smith belted a walk-off grand slam over the right-field wall.
The Royals fell to 0-2 to start the season. And Estévez, who was hit by a line drive in his left ankle, became the topic of discussion.
“Just bad all around,” Estévez said of his performance. “I have to execute better, my pitches. Changeup was a little flat, slider was OK. Was basically all over the place.”
On Sunday, Royals manager Matt Quatraro hinted at potential changes. The club wants to help Estévez return to optimal levels.
“We need to get him feeling like he can move correctly and get his mechanics right,” Quatraro said. “And that’s what our focus will be on.”
The Royals are aware that Estévez tends to build up at a slower pace. He experienced low velocity last spring training before finding his rhythm. He ultimately led the majors with 42 saves and made the All-Star team.
Estévez is working behind the scenes. On Sunday, Quatraro relayed that some of the command issues stem from a mechanical place. He added that there are conversations to get Estévez back on track.
“He’s not going to go from 91 to 98 (mph) today,” Quatraro said. “He’s got to build up. And there’s plenty of relievers over the years I’ve seen that do that gradually throughout the year.”
This spring, Estévez missed critical time due to his World Baseball Classic commitments. He pitched in one WBC game with the Dominican Republic. He later got a handful of spring appearances before the regular season.
The Royals will continue to evaluate Estévez as they return to Kansas City. If his ankle checks out, Quatraro said his bullpen role will be contingent on his velocity.
“I think it will be more based on what we see, whether that velo is coming,” Quatraro said. “I mean, we’re not averse to putting him in a lower-leverage situation. We feel good about the rest of the options that we have, too. So I’m not going to say he wouldn’t do it, but I also think it would be probably smarter for us to try to build him a little bit in lower leverage first.”
The Royals have options with closing experience. They could turn to Lucas Erceg, Alex Lange or others. Both Erceg and Lange have multiple saves in their MLB careers.
“We have guys that have done this for many years and we’re very comfortable with that,” Quatraro said.
If Estévez is injured, the Royals could look to Triple-A Omaha. Steven Cruz is a candidate to be recalled.
However, Quatraro said the plan is not to shy away from Estévez — if he checks out.
“I’m thinking that way and only because of the fact that we might be able to get some extra pitches on him, too,” Quatraro said. “This is the best practice to get out there in a game. So if we can get him 30 pitches in a game, you know, two innings or something like that to get those reps going and his body moving.”
The goal is simple. Quatraro believes the plan isn’t to reinforce anything negative but to get his body movement and mechanics synced, so the velocity can return.
Estévez is adamant he can return to form. He is determined to be the reliever the Royals can count on.
“I know what I can do,” Estévez said. “I know my stuff. I know it’s a tough game, but at the same time, I’ve done it before. I know how to get back to that. And like I said, I’ve got to pound the strike zone and that’s gonna make it a lot harder for them.”
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Jaylon Thompson covers the Royals for The Kansas City Star. He previously covered the 2021 World Series and the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Jaylon is a proud alumnus of the University of Georgia.