Kansas City Royals acquire pitcher Michael Lorenzen in trade with Texas Rangers

The Kansas City Royals have bolstered their pitching staff with a trade for the second time this month, acquiring right-handed pitcher Michael Lorenzen from the Texas Rangers on Monday.

In exchange, the Royals are sending minor-league lefty Walter Pennington back to the Rangers.

Lorenzen is in his 10th season in the majors and the Royals will be his sixth team. In 19 games with the Rangers this season, he’s made 18 starts and has a 5-6 record, posting a 3.81 ERA in 101.2 innings pitched with 75 strikeouts. Lorenzen has been a full-time starter for the last three seasons, including an All-Star campaign in 2023, but was predominantly a relief pitcher before that. 274 of his 361 career appearances have come in relief.

He was also a two-way player on a limited basis early in his career with the Cincinnati Reds. From 2015-2021, Lorenzen played 96 innings in the outfield and has a career OPS of .710 as a batter.

Pennington made just one appearance for the Royals this year, retiring both batters he faced in two-thirds of an inning against the Colorado Rockies on July 5. In Triple-A with the Omaha Storm Chasers this year, Pennington has a 2.26 ERA while striking out 11.9 batters per nine innings.

Earlier this month, the Royals acquired reliever Hunter Harvey from the Washington Nationals in exchange for third base prospect Cayden Wallace and a draft pick. Harvey has pitched in three games with the Royals since being acquired but had to leave his most recent appearance on Sunday due to an injury.

Kansas City also sent minor leaguer Jesus Tinoco to the Chicago Cubs this month, receiving cash in return. Chicago has already designated Tinoco for assignment.

This is the second year in a row that Kansas City and Texas have swapped pitchers. Last season, the Royals sent reliever Aroldis Chapman to the eventual World Series champions, receiving starting pitcher Cole Ragans in exchange. Ragans was an All-Star this year and has a 3.37 ERA.

The MLB trade deadline is Tuesday, July 30 at 5:00 p.m. central time.

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