15-Day IL
Injury Shoulder
Est. Return 6/15/2026
2026 Stats
W-L
0-1
ERA
162.00
WHIP
18.00
K
0
SV
0
Rest-of-Season Projections
2026 Fantasy Outlook
Estevez led MLB with a career-high 42 saves in 2025, while his 89.4 percent team save share for Kansas City was highest among closers. One might not expect these accomplishments looking solely at Estevez's Statcast page - particularly his career-low 20.1 percent strikeout rate that was well below league average - but the 32-year-old made it work thanks to the spacious dimensions of Kauffman Stadium. Estevez's home park was toughest in the league for left-handed batters to a hit home run and was the 4th-toughest overall. This paired well with Estevez's 51.6 fly ball percentage; the 9th-highest mark among qualified relievers. Surprisingly, the right-hander's splits away from Kauffman Stadium were pretty similar to his results at home, but four of the five home runs he allowed last season were on the road. Estevez will earn $10M in 2026 and should continue to close for the Royals, but he could become a trade candidate since the team holds a $13M option for 2027 with a $2M buyout. Read Past Outlooks
Signed a two-year, $20.2 million contract with the Royals in January of 2025. Contract includes $13 million team option ($2 million buyout) for 2027.
Diagnosed with rotator cuff strain
Estevez (foot) was diagnosed with a right rotator cuff strain Thursday, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.
Analysis
Estevez made his first rehab appearance in the minors Wednesday as part of his recovery from a left foot injury, but he was removed after just two-thirds of an inning after displaying diminished velocity. Now that he's been officially diagnosed with a strained rotator cuff, the Royals will shut him down from throwing for three weeks before reevaluating him, at which point he may be cleared to restart a throwing program. Lucas Erceg will continue to work as Kansas City's go-to closer while Estevez is out.
Estevez made his first rehab appearance in the minors Wednesday as part of his recovery from a left foot injury, but he was removed after just two-thirds of an inning after displaying diminished velocity. Now that he's been officially diagnosed with a strained rotator cuff, the Royals will shut him down from throwing for three weeks before reevaluating him, at which point he may be cleared to restart a throwing program. Lucas Erceg will continue to work as Kansas City's go-to closer while Estevez is out.
Pitching Stats
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2026 MLB Game Log
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Minor League Game Log
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Pitching Appearances Breakdown
Average Pitch Count
27
Last 10 Games
27
Last 5 Games
27
How many pitches does Carlos Estevez generally throw?
1-10
11-20
21-30
31-40
41-50
51-60
61-70
71-80
81-90
91-100
101-110
111-120
121+
What part of the game does Carlos Estevez generally pitch?
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th
6th
7th
8th
9th
Extra
% Games Reaching Innings Threshold
% Games By Number of Innings Pitched
Left/Right Pitching Splits
Since 2024
-25%
BAA vs RHP
2026
-100%
BAA vs RHP
| BAA | K | BB | H | HR | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Since 2024vs Left | .230 | 54 | 25 | 53 | 7 | |||
| Since 2024vs Right | .173 | 50 | 11 | 37 | 4 | |||
| 2026vs Left | 1.000 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 1 | |||
| 2026vs Right | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 2025vs Left | .223 | 29 | 16 | 29 | 3 | |||
| 2025vs Right | .171 | 25 | 6 | 19 | 2 | |||
| 2024vs Left | .208 | 25 | 7 | 20 | 3 | |||
| 2024vs Right | .176 | 25 | 5 | 18 | 2 | |||
| More Splits→ | View More Split Stats | |||||||
Home/Away Pitching Splits
Since 2024
-9%
ERA at Home
2026
-100%
ERA at Home
| ERA | WHIP | IP | K/9 | BB/9 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Since 2024Home | 2.78 | 0.91 | 68.0 | 7.0 | 1.6 | ||||
| Since 2024Away | 3.04 | 1.20 | 53.1 | 8.6 | 4.1 | ||||
| 2026Home | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| 2026Away | 162.00 | 18.00 | .333333 | 0.0 | 54.0 | ||||
| 2025Home | 2.48 | 1.02 | 36.1 | 6.4 | 2.7 | ||||
| 2025Away | 2.43 | 1.11 | 29.2 | 8.5 | 3.3 | ||||
| 2024Home | 3.13 | 0.79 | 31.2 | 7.7 | 0.3 | ||||
| 2024Away | 1.54 | 1.07 | 23.1 | 8.9 | 4.2 | ||||
| More Splits→ | View More Split Stats | ||||||||
Stat Review
How does Carlos Estevez compare to other relievers?
This section compares his stats with all relief pitcher seasons from the previous three seasons (minimum 30 innings)*. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that stat and it would be considered average.
* Exit Velocity, Barrels/BBE %, Balls Hit 95+ MPH %, and Spin Rate are benchmarked against 2019 data (min 30 IP). See here for more exit velocity/barrels stats plus an explanation of current limitations with that data set.
* Exit Velocity, Barrels/BBE %, Balls Hit 95+ MPH %, and Spin Rate are benchmarked against 2019 data (min 30 IP). See here for more exit velocity/barrels stats plus an explanation of current limitations with that data set.
K/BB
0.00K/9
0.0BB/9
54.0HR/9
27.0Fastball
91.3 mphERA
162.00WHIP
18.00BABIP
.761GB/FB
0.50Left On Base
0.0%Exit Velocity
86.4 mphBarrels/BBE
12.5%Spin Rate
2013 rpmBalls Hit 95+ MPH
62.5%Swinging Strike
3.7%Advanced Pitching Stats
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Defensive Stats
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Stats Vs Today's Lineup
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Past Fantasy Outlooks
2025
2024
2023
2022
2021
2020
2017
Estevez was one of the top closers available at last year's trade deadline, posting an elite 2.38 ERA, 0.74 WHIP and 20 saves with the Angels before he was traded to Philadelphia. The 31-year-old tallied six more saves with the Phillies and ended 2024 with career-best marks in ERA (2.45) and WHIP (0.91). In addition, Estevez significantly improved his walk rate, lowering it by 5.3 percentage points to 5.7 percent overall. If his improved control sticks, Estevez could once again approach 30 saves, but it's not a given that the 2025 free agent will land a job as a closer. However, with 86 career saves, he should compete for ninth-inning duties wherever he lands.
More Fantasy News
Exits rehab outing with injury
Estevez (foot) was removed from his rehab appearance at Triple-A Omaha on Wednesday due to shoulder discomfort, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.
Analysis
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Cleared for rehab games
Estevez (foot) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Omaha on Tuesday.
Analysis
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Better velocity in live BP
Royals president of baseball operations J.J. Picollo said Wednesday in an interview on 96.5 The Fan that Estevez's velocity during a live batting practice session Tuesday was closer to where it needs to be. He's recovering from a left foot contusion.
Analysis
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Slated to face hitters Tuesday
Estevez (foot) threw a two-up bullpen Saturday and is going to Arizona to face hitters Tuesday, MLB.com reports.
Analysis
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Nearing rehab assignment
Royals president of baseball operations J.J. Picollo said Tuesday on 96.5 The Fan that he's hopeful Estevez (foot) will be ready to begin a rehab assignment at Triple-A Omaha within the next five days.
Analysis
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Latest Fantasy Rumors
Coveted by Yankees
The Yankees have considered trading for Estevez, Francys Romero of BeisbolFR.com reports.
Analysis
It took Estevez awhile to find a landing spot this offseason, but he's emerged as one of the more reliable closers in 2025 by maintaining a 2.36 ERA and 1.10 WHIP across 42 innings. The Royals are only 4.5 games out of a wild-card spot but have to jump four teams, making them a team to watch ahead of the trade deadline. Even if the team does sell, Estevez is under contract in 2026 and could be retained as a result.
It took Estevez awhile to find a landing spot this offseason, but he's emerged as one of the more reliable closers in 2025 by maintaining a 2.36 ERA and 1.10 WHIP across 42 innings. The Royals are only 4.5 games out of a wild-card spot but have to jump four teams, making them a team to watch ahead of the trade deadline. Even if the team does sell, Estevez is under contract in 2026 and could be retained as a result.