Kansas City Royals DVOA, Stats, & MLB Rankings

Kansas City Royals relief pitcher Lucas Erceg (foot) returned to action on Tuesday evening during their victory over the Colorado Rockies. Erceg logged a scoreless frame in the eighth inning. He did not allow a baserunner en route to picking up his seventh hold of the season. Erceg has been held out of action since last Friday after taking a comebacker on his left foot. However, the right-hander was able to avoid a lengthy absence. The 28-year-old has enjoyed a strong start to the campaign, operating as the setup man in Kansas City, logging eight 1/3 innings to the tune of a 1.08 ERA with a stellar 0.48 WHIP. During the stint, he has held a 5:1 K:BB and tallied seven holds. Given his role as the setup man, he carries high value in formats that reward holds. In addition, the Menlo product could eventually earn savings opportunities if Carlos Estevez were to struggle over an extended period.

Kansas City Royals left-handed pitcher Kris Bubic was sharp in his outing on Tuesday evening against the Colorado Rockies. Bubic logs seven shutout innings. He allowed just four hits, no walks, and struck out six batters. However, Kansas City closer Carlos Estevez blew the save opportunity in the ninth inning, which prevented Bubic from picking up the victory. Bubic has enjoyed an impressive start to the season, logging 31 innings to the tune of a stellar 1.45 ERA and a 1.06 WHIP. He has served up just nine free passes and struck out 33 batters. He has not allowed an earned run in three of his five outings. Last summer, Bubic spent his time in the bullpen but flashed strong upside, which allowed him to open the campaign in the rotation. Given his impressive start, he remains a must-start option in all formats heading into his next outing against the Houston Astros.

The Kansas City Royals have optioned outfielder MJ Melendez to Triple-A Omaha. This transaction opened a spot on the roster for Mark Canha (hip), who was activated off the injured list in a corresponding move. Melendez has had a rough start to the campaign and will look to find his footing in the minor leagues. Through the first 16 contests, Melendez has posted a .085/.173/.170 slash line with just one double and one home run. He has held a low 5.8 percent walk rate and a high 38.5 percent strikeout rate, which placed him in the first percentile among qualified hitters. In addition, Melendez generated a weak .224 xwOBA. With Melendez heading to Triple-A, fantasy managers should expect Jonathan India, Mark Canha, and Drew Waters to share time in left field.

Kansas City Royals relief pitcher Lucas Erceg (foot) was removed from Friday's game against the Detroit Tigers. Erceg was helped off the field after getting hit on his left foot by a comebacker. It was an 109-mph line drive off the bat of Riley Greene. The expectation is that Erceg will undergo further evaluation to determine the severity of the injury. Fantasy managers will have to check back for another update. Hopefully Erceg doesn't miss much time as he's an important piece to this Royals bullpen.

The Washington Nationals have placed shortstop Paul DeJong (nose) on the 10-day injured list with a fractured nose. In a corresponding move, the Nationals promoted infielder Trey Lipscomb from Triple-A Rochester. DeJong suffered this injury during their victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday evening. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor his status while he is sidelined, but should not expect him to miss too much time. Through the first 16 games of the campaign, the 31-year-old infielder posted a .204/.246/.278 slash line with four doubles and a 2:24 BB:K. Under the hood, DeJong has generated a low .220 xwOBA with a .258 xSLG, which are both well below the average marks. While he is sidelined, fantasy managers should expect Lipscomb to see several opportunities in the infield. He will have value in deeper formats given his speed upside.