Royals’ Michael Lorenzen Lands on 15-Day IL With Left Hamstring Strain
The Kansas City Royals’ starting rotation has taken a considerable hit, with right-hander Michael Lorenzen being placed on the 15-day IL prior to Wednesday’s series finale against the Cleveland Guardians.
Lorenzen, acquired from the Texas Rangers last month, departed Tuesday’s outing in the second inning after suffering a left hamstring strain. He completed just 1.2 frames, throwing 28 pitches before leaving Progressive Field with team trainers.
In a corresponding move, the Royals recalled fellow righty Steven Cruz from Triple-A Omaha, adding a fresh arm to the bullpen.
The 32-year-old injured his left leg while running to cover first base on a double-play attempt via a ground ball from Daniel Schneemann. Afterwards, Kansas City’s training staff came onto the field to examine the 6-foot-3 hurler, but he stayed in the game after testing his lower half with a few warm-up pitches.
At least initially, that is.
Lorenzen struck out Lane Thomas on four pitches – three sweepers and a slider – and threw a cutter to Bo Naylor before a second injury delay ended his night. Carlos Hernández arrived out of the bullpen on short notice, providing 2.1 innings of relief while allowing one run.
“When he stretched to try to complete the double play, he just kind of landed awkwardly,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro told reporters post-game, including The Kansas City Star’s Jaylon Thompson.
The Royals went on to win, 6-1, over the Guardians thanks to the run support from Paul DeJong – who blasted his 23rd home run of the season – Michael Massey, Maikel Garcia and Freddy Fermin.
“I think initially he [Lorenzen] was trying to figure out not what it was, but how bad it was,” Quatraro said. “You saw him kind of gingerly throw the first warm-up pitch and then he had a couple more with a little more intensity on it. As he pitched to Thomas, he aggravated it. He was going for a strikeout there. He probably ramped up a little too much.”
After the contest, Lorenzen flew back to Kansas City to receive an MRI, which the team couldn’t provide the results of prior to first pitch Wednesday morning. Even so, the injury appears serious enough to sideline him for at least the next two weeks.
In his absence, the team could turn to right-hander Alec Marsh, who’s made 20 starts (one relief appearance) in the majors this season. He served as the 27th man during Monday’s double-header in Cleveland, surrendering four runs (two earned) on five hits and a walk while punching out a pair across 4.2 innings.
“We know it’s a hamstring,” Quatraro said. “He is flying back early in the morning to get an MRI so we can find out. We think it’s mild, but doubtful that he will be able to pitch in five days. But we will have to wait until (Wednesday).”
Lorenzen, an All-Star in 2023 with the Detroit Tigers, has been a tremendous acquisition for the Royals thus far, pitching to a sparkling 1.85 ERA with 17 strikeouts over 24.1 innings in five starts. He also owns a 2-0 record during that span.
After joining the Philadelphia Phillies at last season’s trade deadline, the veteran starter threw a no-hitter against the Washington Nationals in only his second start following the deal. In the off-season, he signed a one-year deal worth $4.5 million with the Rangers.
Before being moved at the trade deadline for a second straight season, Lorenzen – a free agent this winter – posted a 3.81 ERA and 5.17 FIP in 19 games (18 starts), earning 83 strikeouts and 27 walks.
The Royals, who are 15-9 in August, entered Wednesday’s series finale tied atop the AL Central with the Guardians, who’ve led the division for most of this season.
-Thomas Hall
Twitter: @Hall_Thomas_
Photo: Minda Haas Kuhlmann. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.