Losing Lucas Erceg would be the worst possible scenario for the KC Royals

The Kansas City Royals fell to 8-13 after their fifth consecutive loss on Friday evening to the Detroit Tigers.

Kansas City has seen mutliple concerning things occur during this losing skid. Their offense has been nearly non-existent, averaging just two runs a game. The starting pitching hasn't looked as sharp as it usually does, with each starter allowing at least three runs this time through the rotation. And their already depleted bullpen has seen it's fair share of blow-ups in recent days.

At this stage, losing one of their few high performing key contributors would be devastating. Sadly, though the Royals worst nightmares are coming to life, after Lucas Erceg was forced to exit the game in the seventh after taking a hard-hit Riley Greene comebacker off the foot. He'd need to be helped off the field, which was the worst possible sight for Royals fans.

While X-rays did come back negative, as per Anne Rogers of MLB.com, it's an unsettling visual all the same. Thankfully though, according to Rogers, Erceg is optimistic about avoiding the IL.

"We're just going to take it day-to-day" Erceg told Rogers. "I don't think it requires an IL stint as of right now."

Losing Lucas Erceg would be the worst possible scenario for the KC Royals

Kansas City prided themselves on entering the 2025 season with a formidable trio in the backend, that could go toe-to-toe with the best in the American League, between Erceg, Carlos Estévez and Hunter Harvey.

Erceg and Estévez have already been fighting an uphill battle of late, after Hunter Harvey hit the IL. While they aren't alone when it comes to other quality arms - thanks to names like Daniel Lynch IV stepping up in a big way to start the season, as well as recent call-ups like Evan Sisk and Steven Cruz plugging in nicely when called upon - the more trusted names in the past like Ángel Zerpa and John Schreiber have looked more hittable of late.

So if Erceg is forced to miss any time, the result could be catastrophic for the Royals given their recent slide.

He's been their most impactful reliever up to this point. Entering tonight's contest, the right-hander had yet to surrender an earned run, while holding a 0.45 WHIP and a .105 BAA. He pairs this with his brilliant performance upon arriving to the Royals in the second half of 2024, where he threw to a 2.88 ERA, 1.17 FIP, 0.84 WHIP and .194 BAA in 25 innings.

The Royals aren't the most efficient of bullpens this year, entering Friday night's contest ranking 17th in ERA (3.77), 23rd in FIP (4.37), 21st in WHIP (1.37), 18th in BAA (.237), 22nd in K/9 (8.56) and 22nd in BB/9 (4.35). So, losing a rock like Erceg would not only surely see those rankings continue to fall, but would also leave the Royals with the seemingly impossible task of trying to replace him.

All the Royals can do now is hope Erceg is right and this really is just a day-to-day issue.