DETROIT -- Lucas Erceg seems to have avoided the worst-case scenario after a 109.1 mph liner hit the bottom of his left foot on Friday night, exiting the game with a contusion and not a fracture after X-rays came back negative.
But stiffness in his foot and a big bruise that was covered up with a massive pack of ice following the Royals¡¯ 7-3 loss to the Tigers at Comerica Park means the reliever¡¯s status is day to day right now. The team will see how Erceg feels Saturday before determining the next steps -- and when he¡¯ll be ready to pitch again.
¡°We¡¯re going to take it day to day,¡± Erceg said. ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s going to require an IL stint as of right now. We¡¯re just going to keep doing treatment and go from there.¡±
Manager Matt Quatraro added: ¡°We feel like we got really lucky. ¡ The way [head athletic trainer Kyle Turner] put it, it¡¯s like a hitter fouled a ball off his left foot. So we¡¯ll just have to wait and see how he feels tomorrow.¡±
Losing their best reliever for a significant amount of time wouldn¡¯t be ideal at any time; seeing Erceg exit the way he did was even tougher, given that he was pitching with the Royals trailing by four runs simply because he needed to pitch.
Friday was Kansas City¡¯s fifth consecutive loss. Erceg hadn¡¯t pitched since Sunday against the Guardians, which is the Royals¡¯ only win so far on this current 10-game road trip. Quatraro didn¡¯t use Erceg for any of the close games in New York, decisions that might have been made differently in hindsight.
Now they¡¯ve lost two lopsided games in Detroit.
¡°That¡¯s a big topic of discussion out of Spring Training: What¡¯s everybody¡¯s role? What inning?¡± Quatraro said. ¡°Roles define themselves when you win. When you¡¯re losing, people have to pitch. And Erceg, like we¡¯ve talked about 100 times, he¡¯s very selfless. He¡¯ll pitch whenever. We need to get him work to keep him fresh, too, and unfortunately that happens in a game we¡¯re losing.¡±
The Royals entered the second game in Detroit knowing Erceg likely would pitch, regardless of how the game went. And it went similarly to how it¡¯s gone lately with a struggling offense.
A first-inning lead off Tigers starter Jackson Jobe evaporated by the second when Royals starter Cole Ragans allowed the first of five runs charged to him in four-plus innings. The lefty allowed another in the fifth and left two on base for John Schreiber, with both coming around to score.
After a scoreless sixth inning from Steven Cruz, Quatraro tagged Erceg for the seventh with the Royals trailing, 5-1. Erceg entered Friday without having allowed a run in 6 2/3 innings this year; he posted a 2.88 ERA with the Royals after emerging as their closer in the second half of 2024. He¡¯s the Royals¡¯ best reliever used in the highest of leverage situations. The seventh inning wasn¡¯t the usual spot for him; Quatraro typically saves him for the seventh inning or later when the team is tied or leading.
But Erceg needed the work.
¡°You don¡¯t really want to fall out of rhythm taking too many days off,¡± Erceg said.
He recorded two outs before Riley Greene scorched a line drive back to the mound, the ball making a loud sound off Erceg¡¯s cleat.
Erceg immediately fell to the ground and pounded the grass, clearly in pain, as first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino scrambled to get the ball on Greene¡¯s single. Erceg needed help from trainer Chris DeLucia and Quatraro to walk off the field.
Erceg said his leg felt numb, which is why he buckled to the ground.
¡°That¡¯s what scared me the most,¡± Erceg said. ¡°After 20 minutes or so, the numbness and the stinging went away. Now it¡¯s more so or less just stiff and bruised.¡±
Angel Zerpa entered after Erceg left the field and allowed two runs to score, with one of them charged to Erceg -- the righty¡¯s first earned run of the year.
Meanwhile, the Royals¡¯ offense never broke out of its slump, only scoring two in the ninth inning when the game was out of hand. They left 14 on base Friday night and went 2-for-13 with runners in scoring position. They¡¯ve gone 3-for-25 in scoring situations the past two games.
¡°Sometimes, this game will beat you up,¡± Quatraro said. ¡°And that¡¯s what it¡¯s doing to us right now. But we¡¯ve got to keep pushing forward. Nobody feels sorry for you in this game. You got to keep fighting.¡±