Royals' Michael Lorenzen: Yields four runs in loss
Rotowire
Lorenzen (1-3) took the loss against the Tigers on Thursday, allowing four runs on seven hits and three walks while striking out three across 4.2 innings.
Lorenzen wasn't able to make it out of the fifth inning despite tossing 102 pitches (63 of which were strikes). He has allowed at least five hits in each of his first four starts of the 2025 season and has a 4.57 ERA, 1.43 WHIP and 17:7 across 21.2 innings to begin the year. Lorenzen will look to get back into the win column in his next outing, which is tentatively slated for next week at home against the Rockies.
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Royals' Michael Lorenzen: Allows three runs in loss
Rotowire
Lorenzen (1-2) took the loss against the Guardians on Saturday, allowing three runs on seven hits and one walk with four strikeouts over 5.2 innings.
Lorenzen came up just short of a second consecutive quality start, allowing a run with two outs in the sixth inning before being lifted at 85 pitches. So far, the 33-year-old has pitched into the sixth and allowed three earned runs or fewer in all three of his starts. He'll take a 3.71 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 14:4 K:BB across 17 frames into a road matchup with the Tigers next week.
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Royals' Michael Lorenzen: Quality start in win
Rotowire
Lorenzen (1-1) earned the win Monday against the Twins, allowing one run on five hits and no walks over six innings. He struck out three.
Lorenzen managed to generate a solid 11 whiffs out of his 89 total pitches. The only blemish on the veteran right-hander's outing came in the second inning via a Willi Castro double. Lorenzen has looked sharp in the Kansas City rotation, pitching to a 3.18 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 10:3 K:BB over 11.1 innings. The 33-year-old faces a tall order in his next start, currently slated to be against the Yankees in New York this weekend.
Royals' Michael Lorenzen: Mixed bag in season debut
Rotowire
Lorenzen (0-1) took the loss after allowing three runs on five hits and three walks in 5.1 innings Tuesday against the Brewers. He struck out seven.
It was a mixed bag for Lorenzen, who did fan seven but also served up a solo homer to Eric Haase in the third inning. The right-hander worked into the sixth frame but watched Rhys Hoskins drive in a run on a single before he was lifted for Sam Long, who allowed one of Lorenzen's inherited runners to score. The veteran righty is next slated to take the mound early next week at home against Minnesota.
Royals' Michael Lorenzen: Back with KC on one-year deal
Rotowire
The Royals re-signed Lorenzen to a one-year, $5.5 million contract Monday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.
The deal also includes a $12 million mutual option or $1.5 million buyout for 2026. Lorenzen, 33, collected a 3.31 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 97:60 K:BB over 130.1 innings between the Rangers and Royals in 2024. He'll presumably begin the 2025 season in Kansas City's rotation, which would leave Alec Marsh and Kris Bubic competing for one spot. Lorenzen had been hoping to be used at designated hitter early in the season with the goal of earning a two-way roster designation, but that appears to be out the window now.
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Michael Lorenzen: Aiming for two-way designation
Rotowire
Lorenzen's agent, Ryan Hamill, is marketing his client as a two-way player this offseason, with the goal of gaining a two-way roster designation, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.
The only major league player to qualify for two-way status since it was introduced in 2020 is Shohei Ohtani. A player with the designation does not count against a team's 13-pitcher limit on their 26-man roster, effectively allowing them to serve as a 14th pitcher. Lorenzen's plan is to sign with a club -- likely a non-contender -- and then accrue 20-plus innings as a pitcher and play 20-plus games as a position player or designated hitter (with at least three plate appearances in each game), which would meet the necessary criteria for two-way status. Gaining the two-way designation would, in theory, make Lorenzen an attractive trade target for a contending club keen on taking advantage of having an extra pitcher on their roster. Lorenzen has not hit in a major-league game since 2021 and hasn't had more than one plate appearance since 2019, but he boasts a career .710 OPS with seven home runs over 321 plate appearances. He was an effective rotation piece for the Rangers and Royals last year with a 3.31 ERA across 130.1 innings during the regular season.
Royals' Michael Lorenzen: Makes return over weekend
Rotowire
Lorenzen (lower body) struck out three and allowed an unearned run on one hit in two innings out of the bullpen in Saturday's 2-1 loss to Atlanta.
Lorenzen made his final start of the regular season last Wednesday, when he tossed two-plus innings against the Nationals before leaving early due to lower-body fatigue. He made his return to action out of the bullpen a few days later, with the clean appearance assuaging any concerns about his health. He was included on the Royals' 26-man wild-card roster but went unused during the club's two-game sweep of the Orioles.
Royals' Michael Lorenzen: Removal deemed precautionary
Rotowire
Lorenzen left his start against Washington on Wednesday as a precaution due to lower-body fatigue.
Lorenzen was activated off the injured list earlier Wednesday after missing the past month with a hamstring strain, so the Royals likely didn't want to push it once he reported discomfort on the mound in the third inning. The 32-year-old's abbreviated outing will presumably mark the end of his regular season, leaving him with a 3.37 ERA and 1.25 WHIP alongside a 94:60 K:BB across 25 appearances (24 starts), and he'll now look to prepare for the Royals' postseason run.
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Royals' Michael Lorenzen: Exits with trainer
Rotowire
Lorenzen was removed from Wednesday's game against the Nationals due to an apparent injury, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.
Lorenzen was able to get through 2.1 innings in his first start back from the injured list before motioning for a trainer to come take a look at him. The Royals haven't yet specified what was bothering the right-hander enough for him to ask out of the game, though it may be related to the hamstring injury that kept him sidelined for nearly a month prior to Wednesday's outing.
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Royals' Michael Lorenzen: Activated ahead of start
Rotowire
The Royals activated Lorenzen (hamstring) from the 15-day injured list Wednesday.
Lorenzen will rejoin the rotation Wednesday versus the Nationals after missing the last four weeks of action with a strained hamstring. The righty was limited to 1.2 and 3.2 innings in his two minor-league rehab appearances, so he'll likely be operating on a restricted workload in what will be his final start of the regular season.
Lorenzen (hamstring) will be reinstated from the 15-day injured list to start Wednesday against the Nationals, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.
The right-hander has been out since late August due to a hamstring strain but will rejoin Kansas City's rotation after a pair of rehab outings. Lorenzen had a limit workload in both rehab appearances and will likely have some limitations Wednesday, which will be his final start of the regular season.
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