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Seth Lugo

Seth Lugo

35-Year-Old PitcherSP
Kansas City Royals
15-Day IL
Injury Back
Est. Return 9/24/2025
2025 Stats
W-L
8-7
ERA
4.15
WHIP
1.29
K
125
SV
0
Rest-of-Season Projections
W-L
ERA
WHIP
K
SV
Unlock Our Projections
2025 Fantasy Outlook
No team allocated free agent starting pitching dollars more wisely than the Royals last offseason. Michael Wacha was great and Lugo was even better, winning 16 games and finishing with an even 3.00 ERA over a league-high 33 starts. A 21.7 percent strikeout rate left something to be desired, but Lugo provided so much volume with a surprising 206.2 innings that he accumulated 181 strikeouts, which tied him for 20th in baseball. It looked from July to August like the former reliever might be tiring as he put up a 4.86 ERA, but Lugo bounced back with a 2.28 ERA and 26:4 K:BB in 27.2 September innings. Perhaps the big workload increase will catch up with Lugo in 2025 instead, and some natural regression is likely either way, given his xERA of 3.72 in 2024. Read Past Outlooks
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RANKS
Rest of Season
#Subscriber-Only
Overall Rank
#Subscriber-Only
Dynasty
From Preseason
#181
ADP
League Majors
Bats R
Throws R
40 Man Yes
Height 6'5"
Weight 225
DOB 11/17/1989
Born Shreveport, LA
College Centenary
Drafted 34th Rd 2011 NYM
Signed a two-year, $46 million contract extension with the Royals in July of 2025. Contract includes $20 million vesting option or $17 million team option ($3 million buyout) for 2028.
Return delayed
PKansas City Royals
Back
September 16, 2025
Lugo (back) did not respond well to his bullpen session Monday, so he will be shut down for a few more days, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.
Analysis
Lugo was looking at a possible return in the middle of the week, but Cole Ragans is set to start Wednesday and Stephen Kolek will now take the mound Thursday. Given the setback, Lugo's next start may not come until next week, if he's able to return at all before the end of the regular season.
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Pitching Stats
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2025 MLB Game Log
2025
2024
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
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Pitching Appearances Breakdown
Average Pitch Count
92
Last 10 Games
88
Last 5 Games
88
How many pitches does Seth Lugo generally throw?
 
1-10
 
11-20
 
21-30
 
31-40
 
41-50
 
51-60
 
61-70
 
71-80
 
81-90
 
91-100
 
101-110
 
111-120
 
121+
 
1-10
 
11-20
 
21-30
 
31-40
 
41-50
 
51-60
 
61-70
 
71-80
 
81-90
 
91-100
 
101-110
 
111-120
 
121+
 
1-10
 
11-20
 
21-30
 
31-40
 
41-50
 
51-60
 
61-70
 
71-80
 
81-90
 
91-100
 
101-110
 
111-120
 
121+
What part of the game does Seth Lugo generally pitch?
 
 
 
1st
 
 
 
2nd
 
 
 
3rd
 
 
 
4th
 
 
 
5th
 
 
 
6th
 
 
 
7th
 
 
 
8th
 
 
 
9th
 
Extra
 
 
 
1st
 
 
 
2nd
 
 
 
3rd
 
 
 
4th
 
 
 
5th
 
 
 
6th
 
 
 
7th
 
 
 
8th
 
 
 
9th
 
Extra
 
 
 
1st
 
 
 
2nd
 
 
 
3rd
 
 
 
4th
 
 
 
5th
 
 
 
6th
 
 
 
7th
 
 
 
8th
 
 
 
9th
 
Extra
% Games Reaching Innings Threshold
% Games By Number of Innings Pitched
Left/Right Pitching Splits
Since 2023
 
 
-14%
BAA vs RHP
2025
 
 
-25%
BAA vs RHP
2024
 
 
-14%
BAA vs RHP
2023
 
 
-3%
BAA vs RHP
BAA Batters K BB H 2B 3B HR
Since 2023vs Left .256 1112 244 81 259 50 8 40
Since 2023vs Right .220 939 202 58 191 38 2 22
2025vs Left .272 362 67 31 88 13 1 21
2025vs Right .203 249 58 24 45 10 0 6
2024vs Left .246 443 101 32 99 22 5 7
2024vs Right .211 393 80 16 78 14 1 9
2023vs Left .252 307 76 18 72 15 2 12
2023vs Right .245 297 64 18 68 14 1 7
More Splits→ View More Split Stats
Home/Away Pitching Splits
Since 2023
 
 
-1%
ERA on Road
2025
 
 
-24%
ERA at Home
2024
 
 
-22%
ERA on Road
2023
 
 
-4%
ERA on Road
ERA WHIP IP W L SV K/9 BB/9 HR/9
Since 2023Home 3.52 1.23 248.1 15 14 0 7.6 2.8 1.0
Since 2023Away 3.49 1.13 250.0 17 9 0 8.5 2.3 1.2
2025Home 3.61 1.36 77.1 4 4 0 7.3 4.2 1.5
2025Away 4.76 1.22 68.0 4 3 0 8.2 2.5 1.9
2024Home 3.36 1.14 107.0 7 6 0 7.0 2.1 0.7
2024Away 2.62 1.03 99.2 9 3 0 8.8 2.1 0.7
2023Home 3.66 1.23 64.0 4 4 0 8.9 2.1 1.0
2023Away 3.50 1.18 82.1 4 3 0 8.4 2.3 1.3
More Splits→ View More Split Stats
Stat Review
How does Seth Lugo compare to other starting pitchers?
This section compares his stats with all starting pitcher seasons from the previous three seasons (minimum 120 innings)*. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that stat and it would be considered average.

* Exit Velocity, Barrels/BBE %, Balls Hit 95+ MPH %, and Spin Rate are benchmarked against 2019 data (min 120 IP). See here for more exit velocity/barrels stats plus an explanation of current limitations with that data set.
  • K/BB
    Strikeout to walk ratio.
  • K/9
    Average strikeouts per nine innings.
  • BB/9
    Average walks per nine innings.
  • HR/9
    Average home runs allowed per nine innings.
  • Fastball
    Average fastball velocity.
  • ERA
    Earned run average. The average earned runs allowed per nine innings.
  • WHIP
    Walks plus hits per inning pitched.
  • BABIP
    Batting average on balls in play. Measures how many balls in play against a pitcher go for hits.
  • GB/FB
    Groundball to flyball ratio. The higher the number, the more likely a pitcher is to induce groundballs.
  • Left On Base
    The percentage of base runners that a pitcher strands on base over the course of a season.
  • Exit Velocity
    The speed of the baseball as it comes off the bat, immediately after a batter makes contact.
  • Barrels/BBE
    The percentage of batted ball events resulting in a Barrel. A Barrel is a batted ball with similar exit velocity and launch angle to past ones that led to a minimum .500 batting average and 1.500 slugging percentage.
  • Spin Rate
    Spin Rate is the rate of spin on a baseball after it is released. It is measured in revolutions per minute (rpm).
  • Balls Hit 95+ MPH
    The percentage of batted balls hit that met or exceeded the 95 MPH threshold.
  • Swinging Strike
    The percentage of pitches that result in a swing and a miss.
K/BB
2.27
 
K/9
7.7
 
BB/9
3.4
 
HR/9
1.7
 
Fastball
91.6 mph
 
ERA
4.15
 
WHIP
1.29
 
BABIP
.271
 
GB/FB
1.15
 
Left On Base
78.6%
 
Exit Velocity
82.6 mph
 
Barrels/BBE
7.0%
 
Spin Rate
2512 rpm
 
Balls Hit 95+ MPH
28.3%
 
Swinging Strike
8.4%
 
Advanced Pitching Stats
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Defensive Stats
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Stats Vs Today's Lineup
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Royals Depth Chart
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Recent RotoWire Articles Featuring Seth Lugo See More
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Recent RotoWire Articles Featuring Seth Lugo See More
Past Fantasy Outlooks
2024
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
Lugo, long a multi-inning reliever, was a full-time starter in 2023 for the first time with mixed results. He finished the season with solid ratios, but a decline in strikeouts and wins in just 8 of his 33 starts limited his overall fantasy value. Lugo has long been known for his high spin rate pitches, but his two primary offerings did not perform the same as a starter as they did when he came in from the pen. The league hit .171 off his fastball and .159 off his curveball in 2022, but those numbers jumped to .247 and .280 last year when he worked as a starter despite both pitches maintaining their high spin rates. Lugo's velocity dipped a bit working in the rotation as well. He opted out of the final year of his deal to become a free agent and cashed in with a three-year, $45 million deal in Kansas City. The workload increase of nearly 100 innings from 2021 to last year is a concern, but Lugo's contract should assure him a rotation spot with the Royals while he remains healthy.
Lugo signed a one-year, $7.5 deal with the Padres that includes incentives for starting and relieving. The 33-year-old has appeared in 275 games throughout his seven-year career, with only 38 of those outings coming as a starter. Lugo has worked exclusively in relief the past two seasons, compiling a 3.56 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 124:37 K:BB over 111.1 innings, but he currently projects to open 2023 as San Diego's fifth starter and will build up as such. If he wins that job during spring training, it's reasonable to envision him shifting to the bullpen at some point, similar to Nick Martinez last year.
Once an elite reliever in 2018 and 2019, Seth Lugo posted a 2.68 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 28.6% K%, and 6.1% BB% in 181.1 innings. Lugo saved nine games in 15 chances with 32 holds in 2018 and 2019. He continued as a starter and reliever in 2020 and 2021 with an above-average 28.7% K%, but the ratios jumped to a 4.23 ERA and 1.33 WHIP, plus an increase in BB% to 8.2% in 83 innings. Lugo underwent elbow surgery to remove loose bodies in February 2021, then returned in June as a reliever. He possesses starter-like stuff with four pitches eliciting a double-digit SwStr% in the 4-seam, curve, slider, and change. It's rare for a reliever to use four pitches relatively evenly too. Assuming full health, Lugo should improve the K-BB% closer to 2019 and 2020 (26.4%) in a middle relief role to help with ratios and strikeouts. However, he's more of a waiver wire pickup or draft-and-hold league target.
To this point, the Mets haven't been able to figure out what to do with Lugo. After breaking him in as a swingman, they tried him as the closer down the stretch in 2019 and Lugo thrived, but then they talked about potentially stretching him back out as a starter. Lugo was in the bullpen when the 2020 season finally got underway and he racked up three saves in his first seven appearances, but then New York did indeed move him to a starting role, which proved to be a bad move as Lugo struggled to a 6.15 ERA as a starter (2.61 ERA as a reliever). His fastball velocity was only around 92-93 mph on average in September, down a couple ticks from where he was as a reliever in 2019. Lugo's overall K-BB% was still a stellar 23.1%. Hopefully this new regime puts Lugo in the bullpen and leaves him be. He's a lot better than he showed in 2020 and we know he can be a late-inning weapon, ultra-effective in short spurts.
Lugo had his best season yet in his fourth year in the majors, his first one spent entirely in the bullpen. While his 2.70 ERA was marginally behind his numbers in 2016 and 2018, his 2.70 FIP and 3.24 xFIP were each career bests. His 5.1% walk rate was likewise a career low, while his excellent 33.1% strikeout rate smashed his previous career high of 25.1%. With Edwin Diaz falling far short of expectations, Lugo even picked up six saves. The Mets want Diaz to be the closer they expected when they traded for him prior to the 2019 season, and there is talk that Lugo might be stretched out as a starter this spring. If Diaz struggles for the second straight year, newly-signed Dellin Betances looks like the most likely beneficiary. Lugo can still offer value in rotisserie leagues due to his heavy workload (80 innings) and high strikeout rate, just don't expect him to top last year's saves total.
Lugo was versatile for the Mets last season, serving as a starter, closer and middle reliever at different times throughout the campaign. His 2019 plan looks similar; he’s been told by the new regime in New York to prepare for any job, though closing is probably off the table after the Mets acquired Edwin Diaz from Seattle. Lugo’s fastball played up in relief and gave him closer-like peripherals, but he can also spread the wealth with five solid-to-awesome offerings as a starter, including a Statcast-melting curveball. Chances are, he will spend most of the year in a high-leverage, multi-inning bullpen role, once again pitching roughly 100 innings. This is the wave of the future, and these highly-skilled non-closers, previously afterthoughts in traditional mixed leagues, are growing more appealing with fewer workhorse starters in the game. Consider tucking Lugo away in the late rounds.
Formerly an unheralded depth piece, Lugo spun a 2.68 ERA in eight starts to end 2016 and looked like valuable insurance for a brittle Mets rotation. The right-hander was bit by the injury bug himself, unfortunately, crashing to a 4.71 ERA over 19 appearances last year while pitching with a slight UCL tear. He later missed time due to a shoulder impingement. The good luck from his .230 BABIP and 85.7 left-on-base percentage the previous year dissolved into .325 and 68.4, respectively. Lugo features an elite curveball, which led the league in spin rate across 2015 and 2016 with a combined 3337 rpm average and finished sixth in 2017 with 3058, per Statcast. His 3.40 K/BB showed a solid foundation for command. However, Lugo is in limbo with no opening as a starter heading into 2018, but he could wind up being traded or filling an injury void for a significant stretch, making him a logical deep-league dart.
Seen as a non-prospect entering last season, Lugo logged eight starts for the Mets due to injuries in the rotation, and the results were surprisingly excellent in 47 innings as a starter. Unfortunately, his 4.93 FIP and 90.9 percent strand rate suggest he was pretty fortunate. That said, some Statcast data suggests Lugo is worth monitoring. He has the highest average curveball spin rate over the past two seasons (Garrett Richards and Jesse Hahn round out the top three). It is an awfully effective pitch, as it held opposing hitters to a .235 average and .294 slugging percentage. The rest of Lugo's pitches are just mediocre offerings, which is why his 17.3 percent strikeout rate does not back up the notion that he might have an 80-grade curveball in his toolbox. He is unlikely to break camp in the starting rotation, but if an injury opens up a spot, Lugo's curveball makes him interesting enough to be worth an add in deeper formats.
More Fantasy News
Receives cortisone injection
PKansas City Royals
Back
September 5, 2025
Lugo (back) received a cortisone injection Thursday and will resume throwing Sunday or Monday, Jaylon T. Thompson of The Kansas City Star reports.
Analysis
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Lands on injured list
PKansas City Royals
Back
September 4, 2025
The Royals placed Lugo on the 15-day injured list Thursday with a lower-back strain, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.
Analysis
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Next start pushed back
PKansas City Royals
Back
September 3, 2025
Manager Matt Quatraro said Wednesday that Lugo's next start will be delayed due to lower-back tightness, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.
Analysis
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Continues struggling in second half
PKansas City Royals
August 30, 2025
Lugo (8-7) took the loss Friday against the Tigers, allowing four runs on eight hits and four walks in 3.1 innings. He struck out five.
Analysis
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Struggles in no-decision
PKansas City Royals
August 24, 2025
Lugo did not factor into the decision Sunday against the Tigers, allowing six runs on six hits and two walks over 4.1 innings. He struck out five.
Analysis
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Latest Fantasy Rumors
Target for Cubs?
PKansas City Royals
July 23, 2025
According to Jon Morosi of MLB Network, the Cubs have checked in with the Royals about acquiring a starting pitcher likely Lugo or Kris Bubic.
Analysis
Kansas City could elect to hold onto Lugo and extend him a qualifying offer after the season, but the Cubs are likely to be in the mix should the Royals elect to offload him. The right-hander has been a rotation staple for the Royals this year and has a 2.94 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 93:31 K:BB across 107 innings through 18 starts.
See All MLB Rumors