Royals Veteran Trade Acquisition Makes Rehab Start, Could Return Soon
As they draw closer to locking up a playoff spot, the Kansas City Royals are beginning to get healthy again.
In early September, injuries were the theme for a Royals team that suffered a seven-game losing streak. First baseman Vinnie Pasquantino broke his thumb, reliever Will Smith landed on the injured list, and the Royals also lost a key trade deadline acquisition.
Michael Lorenzen, who the Royals received from the Texas Rangers in exchange for reliever Walter Pennington on Jul. 29, had been missing in action since Aug. 28 with a Grade 2 hamstring strain, which he suffered while hustling to first base trying to cover the bag on a double play.
Lorenzen has been on the 15-day injured list ever since, and the Royals have been without a clear number-five starter. But it appears things are trending in the right direction for Lorenzen to make his return.
On Tuesday night, Lorenzen made his return to the mound, marking off a key step in his return to the Royals' rotation. He made a rehab start with the Royals' Double-A affiliate, the Northwest Arkansas Naturals.
Lorenzen didn't fare well on the mound against the Seattle Mariners' Double-A lineup. In 1 2/3 innings, he allowed three runs on five hits, walking out one and striking out two, throwing a total of 39 pitches.
The initial timeline for Lorenzen's return was two to three weeks, which would put him on track to make his next start in the big leagues if the Royals feel he is ready.
Getting a healthy Lorenzen back will be key to the Royals' pitching staff as it ramps up for October. Even if Lorenzen isn't going to start games for Kansas City in the postseason, he could be a force to be reckoned with out of the bullpen.
Making a deep playoff run is going to require contributions not only from the Royals' superstars, but some unexpected heroes as well. Perhaps Lorenzen can become one of those heroes.
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Jackson Roberts is a former Division III All-Region DH who now writes and talks about sports for a living. A Bay Area native and a graduate of Swarthmore College and the Newhouse School at Syracuse University, Jackson makes his home in North Jersey. He grew up rooting for the Red Sox, Patriots, and Warriors, and he recently added the Devils to his sports fandom mosaic. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding "Kansas City Royals On SI," please reach out to Scott Neville: scott@wtfsports.org