"His role is going to be high leverage... he’s ready to go from pitch one" - Royals manager Matt Quatraro on Lucas Erceg's potential and impact

Kansas City Royals manager Matt Quartaro talked about how new trade arrival Lucas Erceg fits into his pitching rotation. Erceg was traded from the Oakland Athletics in a deal that saw three prospects – Mason Barnett, Will Klein and Jared Dickey – go the other way.

Talking to MLB Network Radio on Sunday, Quartaro talked about the kind of role he envisions for Erceg:

"His role's going to be high leverage. He came in the other day in the sixth in the biggest spot in the game. Yesterday, he pitched the eighth (against) the heart of the (batting) order. He's probably gonna get some save opportunities, probably going to work multiple innings."

Talking about the huge potential Erceg holds and how he could be a part of plans in Kansas for the foreseeable future, Quartaro added:

"It's really intriguing. As you guys know, he's a conversion (from catcher to pitcher), so I think even with the success he's had, we're just scratching the surface with him. With the multiple years of control, he's going to be a big part of what we do this year, but also in the future. So, that's really exciting."

Finally, the Royals boss praised the quality of pitching that Erceg brings to the mound whenever he's entrusted with the baseball:

"He's got power. He's upper 90s to 100 plus, changeup, slider, all the ingredients that you want. It certainly seems from what I've heard from the people in Oakland and what we've witnessed so far. It's game time when he goes out there. He's ready to go from pitch one; he doesn't care when it is."

Royals acquire De Jong and Erceg on deadline day

After completing the deal to bring Micheal Lorenzen in from the Texas Rangers, many Royals fans may have been slightly worried about their team being done with business as far as trades were concerned.

However, as the clock ticked towards the trade deadline last month, the Royals made two more shrewd deals to boost their offense and shore up their bullpen, bringing in Chicago White Sox infielder Paul DeJong and Oakland reliever Lucas Erceg. Both additions promise to add a lot of quality.

Chicago White Sox vs. Texas Rangers - Source: Getty

In 38 games for the Oakland Athletics this season, Erceg had a 3.68 ERA and three saves with a 2-3 record. He's also struck out 41 batters in the process. The fact that Erceg plied his trade for a struggling team perhaps made it easy for the Royals to complete an under-the-radar deal that adds a good arm to their bullpen.

As for DeJong, the former White Sox infielder was batting .228, smashing 18 home runs and recording 41 RBIs. The 31-year-old veteran can play anywhere across the infield and will bring more power to the Royals' batting order. In exchange for DeJong, the White Sox received prospect Jarold Rosado.

With the final stretch of the season coming into sight, the Kansas City faithful will be hoping the new arrivals can hit the ground running at the Kauffman Stadium.