The Kansas City Royals placed veteran right-hander Michael Lorenzen on the injured list on Wednesday because of a strained left hamstring. Lorenzen suffered the injury during the second inning of his start on Tuesday against the Cleveland Guardians. In a corresponding move, the Royals recalled righty Steven Cruz from Triple-A Omaha.
Lorenzen, 32, joined the Royals in a deadline trade with the Texas Rangers. He had performed well to date, compiling a 1.85 ERA (238 ERA+) and a 1.70 strikeout-to-walk ratio through his first five starts with Kansas City. On the year, he now has a 3.43 ERA (117 ERA+) and a 1.59 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 126 total innings. His contributions have been worth an estimated 2.5 Wins Above Replacement, according to Baseball Reference.
Lorenzen's absence comes at a suboptimal time for the Royals in multiple respects.
The Royals entered Wednesday's series finale against the Guardians tied atop the American League Central. While Lorenzen wouldn't have played a direct role in Wednesday's game, him exiting so early on Tuesday forced manager Matt Quatraro to use more relievers than he may have liked and could have some implications for Wednesday's contest. Additionally, Lorenzen's stint on the injured list also means he won't be able to take his next start -- scheduled for this weekend against the Houston Astros. If and/or how much those aspects will end up mattering in the AL Central race is to determined. We think it's fair to write that it's not ideal all the same.
It's not yet clear who the Royals will insert into Lorenzen's rotation spot. One obvious candidate is Alec Marsh, who made a spot-start on Monday as part of a doubleheader versus the Guardians. Because Marsh was designated as the Royals' 27th player, he's not beholden to the same mandatory assignment length rules that generally apply to optioned players.
