[1] Lucas made his major league debut on April 16, 1980, pitching one relief inning in a Padres' loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

He was used as a starting pitcher for much of his rookie season before being used exclusively as a reliever for the remainder of his major league career.

In his final major league appearance, Lucas pitched 2+1⁄3 innings of scoreless work to close out a Jack Lazorko win for the California Angels on October 3, 1987.

Wanting to be closer to his home in Rice Lake, Wisconsin, Lucas asked to be reassigned back to Beloit, where he remained through 2012,[3] when the Twins moved their Midwest League team to Cedar Rapids.

Lucas spent one year in Cedar Rapids, before being moved to the Twins High-A franchise, the Fort Myers Miracle in 2014.