The Kansas City Royals made a move to bolster their starting rotation before the trade deadline, acquiring right-hander Michael Lorenzen from the Texas Rangers on Monday.
The Rangers received left-hander Walter Pennington in exchange for Lorenzen, who is 5-6 with a 3.81 ERA in 19 appearances (18 starts) this season.
Lorenzen, who signed a one-year contract with the Rangers in March, will be an unrestricted free agent after the season.
The Royals (57-49) currently occupy the third wild-card spot in the American League.
An All-Star last season, Lorenzen threw a no-hitter for the Philadelphia Phillies against the Washington Nationals on Aug. 9, 2023. He is 45-44 with a 4.08 ERA and 15 saves in 361 games (87 starts) with the Cincinnati Reds (2015-21), Los Angeles Angels (2022), Detroit Tigers (2023), Phillies (2023) and Rangers.
Pennington, 26, made his major league debut for the Royals on July 5 at the Colorado Rockies and retired both batters he faced with one strikeout.
Since joining the Kansas City organization in 2021, he is 22-11 with a 3.54 ERA in 147 games (four starts) in the minor leagues. Pennington has struck out 255 batters and walked 100 in 241â…“ innings.
Also Monday, the Royals placed John Schreiber on the 15-day injured list with a patella tendon injury in his right knee and recalled fellow right-handed reliever Will Klein from Triple-A Omaha.
Schreiber, 30, is 3-3 with one save in four chances and a 4.14 ERA in 43 appearances this season, with 30 strikeouts and 13 walks in 37 innings.
In six seasons with the Detroit Tigers (2019-20), Boston Red Sox (2021-23) and Royals, Schreiber is 11-9 with a 3.69 ERA and 10 saves in 20 chances. In 182 games (two starts) over 180â…“ innings, he has 195 strikeouts and 66 walks.
Klein, 24, who made his major league debut on April 28, is 1-0 with a 6.35 ERA, six strikeouts and two walks in five relief appearances.
Field Level Media contributed to this report.