New arrival Michael Lorenzen excited to help Kansas City Royals make postseason run

New Kansas City Royals pitcher Michael Lorenzen made his much-awaited arrival on Thursday at Comerica Park.

Lorenzen, in a fresh No. 24 jersey, was in a familiar place. He knew his way around the clubhouse after previously spending time with the Detroit Tigers. He could navigate his way to the dugout and onto the field with ease.

However, Lorenzen was still in an unfamiliar spot. After joining the Royals at the MLB Trade Deadline, he was surrounded by new faces.

The feeling didn’t last long.

Lorenzen met with several teammates as evident by his introductory handshake with Royals outfielder MJ Melendez in the clubhouse. Later, he was out on the field for warmups with the rest of the team.

“I’m excited for the opportunity,” Lorenzen said. “I think it’s a great team to join and kind of plug right in. It seems like a lot of good guys. You know, being with Detroit last year, I made a few starts against Kansas City. And I’m happy to be a part of it.”

The Royals are set to utilize Lorenzen in the starting rotation. He is scheduled to start on Saturday night against the Tigers. He will occupy the fifth starter spot after the Royals sent second-year pitcher Alec Marsh to Triple-A Omaha.

“I’m planning on giving this team a start every five days and giving them everything that I have,” Lorenzen said.

Lorenzen is the latest acquisition to join the Royals this week. He follows new teammates Lucas Ecreg and Paul DeJong as trade deadline additions. Both Ecreg and DeJong made their Royals debut against the Chicago White Sox.

The Royals are excited to see Lorenzen take the mound. He brings a competitiveness that should pair well in the clubhouse. Recently, Lorenzen pitched back-to-back games with the Texas Rangers.

On July 27, he made a start against the Toronto Blue Jays but lasted one inning. The Rangers, who were faced with injuries, need fresh arms. So, Lorenzen stepped up and volunteered to pitch the next night.

Lorenzen tossed four innings in the following game. He allowed three hits and one run during the relief appearance.

“Yeah, it’s just doing whatever the team needs,” Lorenzen said. “I think that it’s an important quality to have for a successful team. … We are professionals, and so I think, you know, I don’t see that as anything special. I think just being a baseball player, that’s what you should want to do is play baseball whenever you get the opportunity to.”

The Royals could lean on Lorenzen’s postseason experience. Prior to Thursday’s game, KC sat at 60-49 and six games behind the Cleveland Guardians in the American League Central. Additionally, the Royals hold the final AL Wild Card spot over the Boston Red Sox.

Lorenzen adds more stability to a dynamic starting rotation. He is 5-6 with a 3.81 ERA in 19 appearances (18 starts). Lorenzen has posted 75 strikeouts and 48 walks in 101 ⅔ innings pitched.

“He is another piece just like the guys we brought in as free agents,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “The Lugos, Wachas, Renfroes and all those guys. They are great examples to the rest of the team and they are selfless. They know what it takes to win and they’ve been in this environment. It’s something that the younger guys can watch.”

Lorenzen was added to the Royals’ active roster. In a corresponding move, the Royals sent pitcher Jonathan Bowlan to Triple-A Omaha.

“I played with (Michael) Wacha and (Adam) Frazier on the college USA team back when I was a position player,” Lorenzen said. “This will be the first time being teammates with them as a pitcher. … My job is to just go out there and pitch and be successful and win baseball games no matter what the situation is. So that’s what I’m here for.”