Kansas City Royals' Michael Lorenzen Lands on Injured List With Strained Hamstring

Michael Lorenzen left Tuesday's game against the Cleveland Guardians with a left hamstring strain, and now the Kansas City Royals have placed the veteran pitcher on the injured list.

Aug 27, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Michael Lorenzen (24) delivers a pitch in the first inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field. / David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

The Kansas City Royals have placed right-handed pitcher Michael Lorenzen on the 15-day injured list with a left hamstring strain, the team announced Wednesday afternoon.

Lorenzen left Tuesday's game against the Cleveland Guardians with two outs in the second inning, having only allowed one hit and one walk to that point. He hurt his hamstring trying to cover first base on a potential double play ball, and he got pulled one batter later.

The Royals' five relievers combined to give up just one earned run, one walk and two hits over the next 7.1 frames, helping Kansas City secure a 6-1 victory.

Losing Lorenzen could be tough to overcome for the Royals, however, considering how well he had been pitching since arriving in Kansas City. The Royals acquired the 32-year-old veteran from the Texas Rangers ahead of the trade deadline, and he proceeded to go 2-0 with a 1.85 ERA, 1.151 WHIP and 1.0 WAR in his next five starts.

On the whole this season, Lorenzen is 7-6 with a 3.43 ERA, 1.254 WHIP and 2.5 WAR.

Lorenzen will be eligible to return to the active roster on Sept. 12. In the meantime, Kansas City recalled right-handed pitcher Steven Cruz from Triple-A Omaha.

We have made the following roster moves: pic.twitter.com/DqfjaoKpzD

— Kansas City Royals (@Royals) August 28, 2024

Lorenzen was the Cincinnati Reds' first round pick in the 2013 MLB Draft, and he made 21 starts as a rookie in 2015. He spent the following six seasons coming out of Cincinnati's bullpen, going 19-14 with a 3.65 ERA, 1.281 WHIP and 5.4 WAR in that span.

The righty has been a bit of a hired gun ever since the Los Angeles Angels made him a full-time starter again in 2022. He got traded from the Detroit Tigers to the Philadelphia Phillies at the 2023 deadline, shortly after earning his first All-Star nod, then he got flipped from the Rangers to the Royals a year later.

Over the last three seasons, Lorenzen is 24-21 with a 3.94 ERA, 1.243 WHIP and 4.5 WAR.

The Royals are currently tied with the Guardians atop the AL Central at 75-58. Kansas City now has a gap in its starting rotation heading into a weekend series with the Houston Astros, though, which could prove critical in the ongoing Wild Card race.

Wednesday's finale between the Royals and Guardians is scheduled to get underway at 1:10 p.m. ET. Kansas City and Houston will open their series at 8:10 p.m. ET on Thursday.

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