Seth Lugo

36-Year-Old PitcherSP

Kansas City Royals

Out

Injury Back

Est. Return 2/1/2026

2025 Stats

W-L

8-7

ERA

4.15

WHIP

1.29

125

2026 Projections

W-L

ERA

WHIP

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2026 Fantasy Outlook

After a career year in 2024 that saw Lugo entrench himself as an MLB starter with a 3.00 ERA and 1.09 WHIP over 206.2 innings, he took a step back last season before missing all of September due to a back injury. The right-hander actually delivered a strong first half in 2025 with a 2.67 ERA, but he stumbled out of the All-Star break and never got back on track, surrendering 37 earned runs over 44.1 frames in his final nine starts. Lugo especially struggled with free passes during the second half, as his 4.9 BB/9 nearly doubled his first-half mark of 2.8. The long ball was also an issue, with his 1.7 HR/9 ranking seventh worst among pitchers with at least 140 innings. Lugo primarily worked as a reliever early in his MLB career but has been a full-time starter the past three seasons, with him being very effective in those first two years. It's possible the heavier workload has started to catch up with him -- particularly after throwing 200-plus innings during 2024 -- but that's not quite enough to fully write him off for 2026. Lugo's 3.50 ERA and 1.18 WHIP across the past three seasons offer plenty of fantasy value, but his 8.1 K/9 during that stretch limits his upside, especially coming off a down year. Read Past Outlooks

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