By MLB.com Staff & Royals.com
Aug. 28: RHP Michael Lorenzen (left hamstring strain) placed on 15-day injured list; RHP Steven Cruz recalled from Triple-A Omaha
After straining his hamstring and leaving Tuesday’s start against the Guardians in just the second inning, Lorenzen headed back to Kansas City on Wednesday morning to undergo an MRI on his left leg. The scan confirmed the strain, so Lorenzen was placed on the 15-day IL.
In a corresponding move, the Royals recalled Cruz — who was already in Cleveland as part of a taxi squad — to help fortify their bullpen after a heavy workload the past two days.
Lorenzen felt his hamstring pull while covering first base trying to turn a double play. The right-hander tried to stay in the game after a few warmup pitches and struck out Lane Thomas, but Lorenzen left with a trainer after throwing one ball to Bo Naylor.
It’s unknown right now how severe the strain is and how long Lorenzen will be out, but for at least the next two weeks, the Royals will be tapping into their depth to fill his spot. They could move Daniel Lynch IV out of the bullpen to make spot starts or bring Alec Marsh, who started the second game of Monday’s doubleheader, back up to the big league club. That spot will come up again on Sunday in Houston.
10-DAY/15-DAY INJURED LIST
RHP Michael Lorenzen (left hamstring strain)
Expected return: September
Lorenzen strained his hamstring on Aug. 27 against the Guardians while covering first base and stretching out to try and complete a double play. He stayed in the game to strike out Lane Thomas but left during the next at-bat. An MRI on Aug. 28 confirmed the strain, and the Royals placed Lorenzen on the 15-day IL. They’ll be will be tapping into their pitching depth to fill his spot in the rotation until he can come back, but how severe the strain is and how long Lorenzen will be out is not yet publicly known. (Last updated: Aug. 28)
LHP Will Smith (low back spasms)
Expected return: September
Smith had been dealing with back issues for a few weeks prior to the Royals placing him on the IL on Aug. 26. He had been trying to pitch through it, but it was directly impacting him on the mound. The spasms got worse after throwing back-to-back days against the Phillies on Aug. 24 and 25, when he allowed seven runs across two innings. The Royals want Smith fresh for the last month of the season, so a reset on the IL could help.
“We’re going to try to take the time to get that right so we can have him out there like we’d like, getting big outs against lefties late in the season,” Quatraro said. (Last updated: Aug. 26)
OF Hunter Renfroe (right hamstring strain)
Expected return: Early September
The Royals placed Renfroe on the 10-day injured list on Aug. 25 after he felt something while running in the outfield on Aug. 24 against the Phillies. Quatraro said Renfroe had been dealing with general back and leg soreness before the IL stint, but it was not considered serious. The club does not believe Renfroe will be out long. It’s possible he returns after the 10-day minimum, but a move was necessary because the Royals were slated to play 14 games in 13 days starting on Aug. 25. (Last updated: Aug. 25)
RHP Hunter Harvey (mid-back tightness)
Expected return: Early September
Harvey felt something pull in his back while participating in his normal pregame routine on Aug. 5, and the Royals tried to stay away from using one of their high-leverage arms the rest of the week. After he was unavailable on Aug. 9 against the Cardinals and the bullpen had to cover 4 2/3 innings, the club put Harvey on the 15-day IL, retroactive to Aug. 7, to refresh their ‘pen.
Harvey suffered a setback in his rehab program on Aug. 20 when he had to receive a cortisone injection because his back wasn’t loosening up as much as he or the Royals would have liked to see at that point. After a few days of no activity, Harvey was cleared by the team doctors to play catch on Aug. 24. He will continue to progress with his throwing program with the hope of returning to Kansas City’s bullpen in the next couple of weeks. (Last updated: Aug. 24)
60-DAY INJURED LIST
LHP Josh Taylor (left arm/biceps nerve injury)
Expected return: September
Taylor felt soreness when he was warming up for his Cactus League outing on March 17, and was shut down afterward with left biceps soreness. The lefty reliever was diagnosed with a musculocutaneous nerve injury and placed on the 60-day IL in April. Taylor was shut down for a while and did not begin throwing until July.
But now, Taylor is on a normal progression to ramp up back into pitching shape, getting ready to begin live bullpen sessions. It will still be a good amount of time before he is ready for a big league return after that long of a layoff, but the Royals hope to get Taylor on the mound by the end of the season. (Last updated: Aug. 27)
RHP Dan Altavilla (right lat strain)
Expected return: September
Altavilla threw an elevated fastball to A’s leadoff hitter Max Schuemann on June 19 and immediately grimaced in pain while grabbing his side. Altavilla exited a few moments later with a trainer, was placed on the 15-day IL on June 20 and was transferred to the 60-day IL on July 5 to make room on the 40-man roster.
After Altavilla was placed on the IL with a right oblique strain, Quatraro described the injury as a lat strain. Altavilla began a rehab assignment on Aug. 6 with Triple-A Omaha. (Last updated: Aug. 9)
RHP Kyle Wright (right shoulder surgery)
Expected return: 2025
The Royals traded for Wright in November in exchange for Jackson Kowar knowing Wright was coming off shoulder surgery after the 2023 season. They made the move thinking ahead a year, foreseeing how Wright, who will be 29 in ’25, could help after he led the Majors with 21 wins and posted a 3.19 ERA in ’22.
Pitchers who have this procedure typically take a year to return, and Wright is rehabbing in Kansas City and remains on track to have a normal, non-rehabbing offseason later this year. (Last updated: Aug. 5)
