Michael Lorenzen's Stats, Metrics, Game Logs, Projections & Rankings

Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Michael Lorenzen exited Tuesday's game against the division-rival Cleveland Guardians with a left hamstring strain. Lorenzen sprinted over to cover first base on a force out in the second inning, appearing to have his left leg hyper-extended as he tried to complete a double play. He grimaced as he fell to the ground and stayed in the contest following a few warmup pitches, but he finally departed after striking out Guardians outfielder Lane Thomas. Lorenzen tentatively lines up to take the mound next on Sunday against the Houston Astros, but fantasy managers should be making other arrangements and preparing for a potential stint on the injured list. It's rough timing for the 32-year-old veteran right-hander, who holds two wins, a 1.85 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, and 17:10 K:BB over 24 1/3 innings since joining the Royals this year.

Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Michael Lorenzen threw seven shutout innings on Wednesday, striking out five hitters during his start against the visiting Los Angeles Angels at Kauffman Stadium. Lorenzen scattered four hits and two walks on Wednesday against the Angels, picking up his seventh win of the season in the victory for KC. Since joining the Royals ahead of the trade deadline in late July, the 32-year-old veteran right-hander owns a 1.99 ERA and 1.15 WHIP with 16 punchouts and nine walks over 22 2/3 frames (four starts) as he heads into a tough matchup for Tuesday's showdown on the road against the first-place Cleveland Guardians.

Kansas City Royals third baseman Maikel Garcia will head to the bench Saturday night for the Royals debut of Michael Lorenzen against the Detroit Tigers. He will be replaced in the lineup by the recently acquired Paul DeJong, who will bat seventh in and play third base in Garcia's place. Garcia is hitting .237 with six home runs, 45 RBI, 27 stolen bases and 69 runs scored in 467 plate appearances. It's a rare day off for a guy who leads the league in games played with 108. This seems to be a day of rest for Garcia, who should be back in the lineup tomorrow for the series finale.

Right-hander Michael Lorenzen will join the Kansas City Royals' starting rotation and make the start on Saturday versus the division-rival Detroit Tigers, according to manager Matt Quatraro. There was some question as to whether Lorenzen would be a starter with KC after being acquired from the Texas Rangers in a trade on Monday, but he'll take over the rotation spot of right-hander Alec Marsh after Marsh was sent to Triple-A Omaha on Wednesday. The 32-year-old veteran's fantasy value shouldn't change all that much with the move to KC, but he'll maintain his value rotation depth in deep mixed leagues now that he'll continue in a starting role. In 19 appearances (18 starts) for the Rangers this year, Lorenzen had a 3.81 ERA and 1.28 WHIP with 75 strikeouts and 48 walks in 101 2/3 innings pitched. He'll be a popular streamer this weekend against Detroit.

Kansas City Royals general manager JJ Picollo said that the role of right-hander Michael Lorenzen is to be determined after the club acquired him on Monday from the Texas Rangers in exchange for left-hander Walker Pennington. Lorenzen has experience pitching as a starter and a reliever in the big leagues, and his ultimate role with the Royals the rest of the season could depend on whether the Royals make more pitching acquisitions before Tuesday's trade deadline. The 32-year-old veteran started 18 of his 19 appearances for the Rangers before Monday's trade, going 5-6 with a 3.81 ERA and 1.28 WHIP with a 75:48 K:BB in 101 2/3 innings pitched. Lorenzen could be slightly more attractive in fantasy now that he's with the Royals, but only if he's in the team's starting rotation to close out the second half of the season.