Royals Place Michael Lorenzen, Two Starters On Injured List

The Kansas City Royals placed right-hander Michael Lorenzen on the 15-day injured list retroactive to July 11 due to a left oblique strain, making him eligible to return no sooner than July 26. Lorenzen, who re-signed with the Royals on a one-year, $7 million deal, has been a solid back-end starter this season, posting a 4.61 ERA and a 1.30 WHIP over 99 2/3 innings across 18 starts. His most recent outing before the injury was a dominant seven scoreless innings against the Arizona Diamondbacks on July 6. The Royals face a shortage of healthy starters, with only four available on their major league roster and other potential options either injured or in the minors. It remains uncertain if Lorenzen will be ready to pitch immediately upon IL eligibility, as oblique strains can sideline players for about a month. The team has yet to announce a corresponding roster move following Lorenzen's placement on the injured list.