Carlos Estévez DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

Kansas City Royals right-handed reliever Carlos Estevez (back) made his Cactus League debut on Friday against the Los Angles Angels and said he felt great afterwards. Estevez gave up an unearned run and two hits while throwing 12 of his 19 pitches for strikes in an inning of work. "I feel great," Estvez said. "Everything is going well with my body, and I'm in a good spot. The 32-year-old veteran was delayed getting into games after experiencing mild back tightness in the early portion of camp. After signing a two-year, $22.2 million deal with KC in the offseason, Estevez figures to be their primary choice for saves, although Lucas Erceg and Hunter Harvey could also be involved. As long as his back doesn't flare up on him Estevez is expected to be ready for Opening Day on March 27. Fantasy managers should consider him a No. 2 closer option heading into his first year with the Royals.

Kansas City Royals right-handed reliever Carlos Estevez (back) threw a live batting practice session in camp on Tuesday, and manager Matt Quatraro said it went "really well." As a result, Estevez is scheduled to make his Cactus League debut on Friday against his former team, the Los Angeles Angels. The 32-year-old veteran has been battling lower-back tightness in spring training but appears to have put it past him as he tries to get ready for Opening Day in his first year with the Royals. He is running out of time to ramp up with only two weeks until the start of the 2025 regular season, but as long as Estevez doesn't have a setback with his back as he gets into games, he should be able to avoid starting the year on the injured list. Because of his (82 career saves in eight MLB seasons) and his strong year in 2024, he should be the favorite to close for the Royals, although Lucas Erceg could have something to say about that.

Kansas City Royals right-handed reliever Carlos Estevez (back) is scheduled to throw a live batting practice session in camp on Tuesday and then will hopefully be able to make his Cactus League debut next Friday, according to MLB.com's Anne Rogers. Estevez has slowly been ramping up in spring training due to lower-back tightness, but if he doesn't suffer any setbacks from here on out, the 32-year-old veteran could be ready for Opening Day in late March. At the very least, Estevez should be competing for saves with the Royals in his first year in KC with right-hander Lucas Erceg. The Dominican pitcher was solid in 2024 with a 2.45 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, 26 saves, 50 strikeouts and only 12 walks in 55 innings with the Los Angeles Angels and Philadelphia Phillies. Estevez is more of a No. 2 closer in fantasy because of the fact he's not a lock for full-time closing duties, but he does have 82 career saves in eight big-league seasons.

Kansas City Royals relief pitcher Carlos Estevez (back) threw his "best" bullpen session on Wednesday and is set to complete his next session on Saturday. Estevez has been battling lower-back tightness since late-February. However, it appears the 32-year-old has been progressing well and may avoid missing time during the regular season. Fantasy managers should continue to keep a close eye on his status as he looks to ramp-up his workload. Earlier in the offseason, the Royals signed Estevez to a two-year $32 million contract. Given his salary, Estevez is expected to compete for a high-leverage role in the bullpen alongside Lucas Erceg. Last season, Estevez logged 55 innings to the tune of a 2.45 ERA and a 0.91 WHIP. He tallied 50 punchouts but with a 3.19 xERA, which suggests he may face minor regression when he returns to the bump. If healthy, Estevez will compete for save opportunities with Erceg.

Kansas City Royals right-handed reliever Carlos Estevez (back) is dealing with mild lower-back tightness in camp, according to manager Matt Quatraro. It's the reason why Estevez hasn't made his Cactus League debut yet in Arizona. However, he threw off the mound on Wednesday and said he felt good. Quatraro said the Royals think there's plenty of time to "get him six to seven outings later in camp." The good news is relievers don't need as much time to ramp up. The bad news is that the 32-year-old could be in danger of missing Opening Day if he has any flare-ups once he gets into game action. After signing a two-year, $20.2 million deal in free agency, it's believed that Estevez will have a leg up for primary closing duties in his first year in KC, but Lucas Erceg could have something to say about that. RotoBaller has Estevez ranked as the No. 18 fantasy reliever.