It sounds like, even if Carlos Estévez were healthy enough to pitch, the Royals would start him in lower-leverage situations and handle him with kid gloves.
per @anne__rogers
Fun statistic shared on the Fox broadcast: the Royals were 72-0 last year when leading after eight innings. Carlos Estévez just served up a walk-off grand slam at the bottom of the ninth...you know what's coming...
The first save of 2026 goes to Ryan Helsley #Birdland, closing out a one-run lead with a scoreless ninth. He allowed a hit and recorded three strikeouts on 19 pitches (13 strikes - 68.4 Strike%) with six whiffs (31.6 SwStr%).