John

Schreiber

Schreiber had a successful run with the division-rival Red Sox earlier in his career. He was cut loose by Kansas City over the weekend after posting a respectable 3.72 ERA across 48 1/3 innings this season. He’ll help solidify New York’s questionable middle relief depth.

Schreiber was waived by the Royals on Saturday and now joins a bullpen in the thick of the playoff race. The 32-year-old hurler holds a 3.72 ERA and 1.30 WHIP over 48 1/3 innings on the season, but that has come with a 4.54 SIERA and 4.52 xFIP. That being said, he is holding right-handed hitters to a .143 batting average and .231 slugging percentage, so he can be great against right-handed pockets.

With only around $600,000 remaining on his contract for the remainder of the season, the Royals are hoping to get some salary relief as a team in the market for bullpen help will likely snatch him up off of waivers. The 32-year-old hurler holds a 3.72 ERA and 1.30 WHIP over 48 1/3 innings on the season and has been especially dominant against right-handed batters.

Lucas Erceg and Matt Strahm were both given the day off after pitching the last two days, and Carlos Estévez went unused, presumably due to his ankle injury. Those are supposed to be the Royals’ top three relievers, but the team still got scoreless innings from Daniel Lynch IV, Nick Mears and Schreiber to finish off the Twins. Erceg figures to be the choice to close if the Royals have another save chance Wednesday after the odd day Tuesday.

Schreiber ate innings for the Royals out of the bullpen in 2025, posting a 3.80 ERA and 62/19 K/BB ratio in 64 innings. He has thrown over 50 innings in three of the last four seasons out of the bullpen, which gives him added value.

With Carlos Estevez unavailable after working on Monday night, Schreiber was called upon with the Royals leading 5-2 entering the ninth inning on Tuesday. After getting the first two outs in the inning, he issued a walk to Marcus Semien before getting Josh Jung on a fly ball to right field to end the ballgame. While he has shown that he’s capable of handling the spotlight in the ninth inning, he’s at best the third option for saves in the Royals’ bullpen behind Estevez and Lucas Erceg.

The 30-year-old right-hander wasn’t quite at his best in his first season with the Royals, posting a 3.66 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and a 46/20 K/BB ratio over 51 2/3 innings in his 59 appearances. He’s probably third in line for save chances behind Lucas Erceg and Hunter Harvey entering the 2025 season, so his usefulness from a fantasy perspective is limited to leagues that count holds.

Schreiber missed three weeks with a knee injury. The Royals’ team leader with 19 holds this season, he’ll return to a setup role.

Schreiber seems set to avoid a lengthy absence. He’ll be eligible to come off the injured list on Aug. 13.

Schreiber will get at least 15 days off after leaving Sunday’s game. The veteran has a 4.14 ERA and a team-high 19 holds in 43 appearances for the Royals.