Kansas City Royals acquire former All-Star pitcher in trade with the Texas Rangers

The Royals made another trade to bolster their pitching staff Monday, acquiring right-handed pitcher Michael Lorenzen from the Texas Rangers for lefty Walter Pennington.

Lorenzen, 32, has a 3.81 ERA in 19 appearances this season. He’s made 18 starts and finished one game. Lorenzen has struck out 75 and allowed just 82 hits in 101 2/3 innings, while issuing 48 walks.

The trade comes less than 24 hours after a pair of Royals relief pitchers were injured in Sunday’s loss to the Cubs and one day before the Major League Baseball trade deadline (Tuesday at 5 p.m. Central Time).

John Schreiber (knee discomfort) is likely headed to the injured list, Royals general manager J.J. Picollo said Monday. Hunter Harvey (back spasms) is not expected to go to the IL.

But the bullpen injuries mean the Royals haven’t established Lorenzen’s role.

“It’s to be determined,” Picollo said. “We know he’s started this year and he’s thrown in relief. He’s filled both roles. So in a lot of ways he is very, very good insurance for us, regardless of what his role is, and we think it’ll just play out in time.”

Lorenzen started for the Rangers on Saturday in Toronto and gave up four runs while recording just two outs. On Sunday, he came on in relief and gave up one run on three hits in four innings.

The Royals had a scout at the Rangers-Blue Jays series this weekend, and those two appearances made an impression.

“Yesterday they had something happen to their starter,” PIcollo said. “And we can only assume that he went and said, ‘Hey, I’m available’ and threw four innings yesterday.

“And everything that we’ve been told about Michael, from his time in Philadelphia, Detroit and previous stops Cincinnati, is that he’s a team guy. He’s a warrior. He’s gonna do what the team needs. We got a great example here in the last two days of what he’s about.

“So I’m looking forward to talking to him about that to find out exactly what happened.”

The Royals don’t expect to have Lorenzen available to pitch until Wednesday at the earliest. But they plan to make a transaction if Schreiber goes on the injured list.

Six-man rotation?

The Royals’ braintrust is cognizant of how a jump in innings worked for all their starters this season. So it’s possible Lorenzen could be used as a starter if the Royals go to a six-man rotation.

“When you look at all the options we have,” Picollo said, “that is something that we can discuss. Six-man rotations aren’t for the long term. They are for times when you have a long string of games. We’re in the middle of one right now, 13 straight games. We have another one at the end of August going into September. With somebody like Michael and the starters that we have, that is something we can at least kick around and decide if it’s best for the team.

“But a lot of that also depends on how the bullpen is being used. If the bullpen is being used a lot, it’s hard to go with a six-man rotation and seven relievers. If the bullpen is not being used much, then you can consider a six-man rotation. ... It’s not ideal unless you can use it as a way to get an extra off-day for a starter.”

The Rangers signed Lorenzen to a one-year, $4.5 million contract in March. He made his first All-Star Game last season with the Detroit Tigers. He had a 3.58 ERA in 18 starts in 105 2/3 innings a year ago with the Tigers, who traded him to the Phillies before last year’s deadline.

Lorenzen threw a no-hitter in his second start with Philadelphia, then struggled down the stretch and was moved to the bullpen. In the playoffs, he pitched 2 2/3 scoreless innings in relief.

After seven seasons with the Reds to start his career, Lorenzen went to the Angels in 2022 and then the Tigers.

Pennington, 26, made his major-league debut on July 5 against the Rockies at Coors Field and retired the only two batters he faced with one strikeout. In 37 appearances with Triple-A Omaha this season, he had a 2.26 ERA.

Earlier this month, the Royals added to their pitching staff when they acquired relief pitcher Hunter Harvey from the Washington Nationals.