Matthew Lugo has spent enough time around the game to know a familiar ballpark when he sees one, and Saturday at Fenway Park brought a full-circle kind of moment.
The Royals utility man walked through the visiting dugout with a look toward the Green Monster, a sight he could read a little better than most after his days handling balls off the Maine Monster at Hadlock Field with Double-A Portland. It was also a chance to take stock of how far he’s come since the Red Sox made him their second-round pick in the 2019 MLB Draft.
Lugo spent parts of five seasons in Boston’s system, and his strongest stretch came early in 2024 with Portland, when he blasted 11 home runs in 43 games and posted a 1.069 OPS. He was quick to credit the organization for the way it handled him during that climb.
“Great, great experience with them,” Lugo said of the Red Sox. “They had a great staff throughout the Minor Leagues, great coaches.
I feel like that's an organization that treats Minor League players well. They invest in the Minor League system and I had a great six years with them.”
One of the biggest influences on that run was Chad Epperson, then Lugo’s manager in Portland and now on Boston’s big-league staff as third-base coach for interim manager Chad Tracy. Lugo said Epperson stood out as the kind of manager players gravitate toward.
“I think he was a players’ coach,” Lugo said. “Probably throughout my career in the Minor Leagues, he was my favorite manager.
Same guy every day. He cares about the players, not just the baseball side aspect of it, but just the personal side aspect of it as well.
“I think we had a lot of conversations, not just about the game but about life in general. He helped me and made me feel comfortable.
Made me feel like I had the talent to play in the big leagues in the future at that time. So I'm very thankful for him.”
Lugo’s path has kept moving since then. He made his MLB debut in 2025 with the Angels before landing with Kansas City, and the Royals claimed him off waivers on June 2. Now 25, he says he’s not the same player who left Boston’s system at the Trade Deadline two years ago.
“Significantly,” Lugo said of his development. “I think just meeting new people, having different perspectives of different organizations about baseball and how they operate games.
I think it has grown me as a player. Also, you know, playing winter ball, playing [in the] World Baseball Classic, just different types of baseball and games.
I felt like that has helped me to progress in my personal career.”
That World Baseball Classic experience came with Team Puerto Rico, which reached the quarterfinals before falling to Team Italy, a roster that included Royals teammate Vinnie Pasquantino. Lugo said the event left a lasting impression because of how intense and condensed the competition felt.
“When you're playing for your country, it feels pretty intense,” Lugo said. "It's different baseball, because this is a short tournament, it's a little different.
You gotta play a small game, you gotta play to win, you gotta do those small things. Whatever you can to win.
So it's a great experience. I feel like it has helped me a lot and if any player has the opportunity to do it in the future, I would do it.”
For Lugo, those experiences now feed into a new opportunity with a Royals club that’s still taking shape and looking ahead to 2027. With 38 games of big-league experience, he knows the assignment is simple: keep producing and give Kansas City a reason to make room for him.
“Just keep working, keep controlling what you can control,” Lugo said. “That year in [Portland] in 2024, I started as a bench player that year and then I kept working.
Unfortunately a couple of guys got hurt, then I started playing it every day. I did my thing, I got traded and then that just opened my door to be in the big leagues.
So just stay working and control the things you control.”
In Other News...
Royals Finally Got An Encouraging Jac Caglianone Injury Sign
Jac Caglianone took a meaningful step forward this week by getting back on the field for batting practice, his first such session since suffering a Grade 1 flexor strain in his left elbow. For a Royals team tracking every update on his recovery, that alone counts as encouraging news, especially after he had been limited to the margins while working his way back from the injury.
Matt Quatraro struck a hopeful tone about where Caglianone stands, though he stopped short of saying whether the young hitter would be available to pinch-hit in the next game. Caglianone still has not resumed throwing with game intensity, but he did make several throws during batting practice, another sign that the rehab process is moving in the right direction as Kansas City waits for the next checkpoint. [Read more 🡒]
Seth Lugo Gave The Royals Something They Had Been Missing On The Road
Road games have been a grind for Kansas City for much of the season, so Seth Lugos night at Fenway Park stood out for more than just the result. The right-hander settled in after Boston put up some early pressure, held the Red Sox to two runs over five innings and picked up his seventh win in a 3-2 Royals victory. Kansas City also got an encouraging showing from rookie Carter Jensen, who doubled twice and scored twice, while the bullpen took care of the rest with scoreless work to close it out.
For a club that has needed more dependable starts away from home, Lugo gave them the kind of steady outing that can travel. The Royals are still well below .500 at 66-82, but this was the sort of win that can matter in a season like this, especially with a young lineup contributor like Jensen making his Fenway debut look comfortable and the relief corps protecting a slim lead against a Boston team that has now dropped three straight. [Read more 🡒]
Nate Pearson Is Giving The Royals A Bullpen Decision To Make
Nate Pearson arrived in Kansas City in late July with the kind of arm that can change the conversation in a bullpen, and he has spent the weeks since backing that up. In 21 innings for the Royals, the right-hander has allowed just one earned run and piled up 20 strikeouts, giving the club a late-season look at a power pitcher who has fit in quickly after coming over from Houston.
Pearsons immediate impact has also created an offseason decision the Royals will have to sort through. Kansas City controls him through the 2027 season, which gives the front office some flexibility, but it also raises the question of whether his recent work has made him a legitimate piece for next years bullpen rather than just a short-term arm added for depth. [Read more 🡒]