Texas Rangers Trade Michael Lorenzen to Kansas City Royals for Minor League Pitcher

The Texas Rangers made their second trade before the deadline by dealing Michael Lorenzen for minor league pitcher Walter Pennington.

Jul 27, 2024; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Texas Rangers starting pitcher Michael Lorenzen (23) walks towards the dugout after being relieved against the Toronto Blue Jays during the first inning at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports / Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports

The Texas Rangers remained busy on the trade front by dealing starter Michael Lorenzen to the Kansas City Royals for pitcher Walter Pennington.

Pennington, currently on option at Triple-A Omaha, will be assigned to Triple-A Round Rock.

The Lorenzen trade comes of the heels of the Rangers dealing for Detroit Tigers catcher Carson Kelly. Texas is in a unique position of buying and selling before the July 30 trade deadline.

Lorenzen has been a pleasant surprise for the reigning World Series champions after signing a one-year deal in the offseason. He helped bring stability to a rotation beset with injuries, going 5-6 with a 3.81 ERA over 19 games/18 starts for the Rangers, ranking among the team leaders in starts (tied for second), innings (third, 101 2/3), and strikeouts (fourth, 75).

Lorenzen also produced a notable finish to his Rangers stint, becoming the first player to pitch back-to-back days for Texas (openers excluded) with at least one appearance being a start since Roger Pavlik on August 14-15, 1992 (credit Elias Sports Bureau).

Pennington, 26, made his MLB debut with the Royals on July 5 at the Colorado Rockies. Pennington has spent the balance of the campaign with Triple-A Omaha, going 6-3 with two saves and a 2.26 ERA over 37 games/two starts for the Storm Chasers.  He has produced a 0.989 WHIP figure, while averaging 11.9 strikeouts per nine innings, 3.0 and 0.9 home runs allowed.

Pennington has spent his entire professional career in the Royals organization since being signed by Kansas City as a minor league free agent on August 19, 2020.  He pitched at Colorado School of Mines, finishing his collegiate career with a 24-10 record over 51 appearances/30 starts, including six complete games, three saves and one shutout.  He graduated with a degree in mechanical engineering.

Following this trade, the Rangers remain at the 40-man limit on the club’s MLB roster, along with seven players on the 60-day injured list: Cody Bradford, Carson Coleman, Jacob deGrom, Josh Jung, Tyler Mahle, Austin Pruitt and Cole Winn.

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