The Kansas City Royals have sent LHP Walter Pennington to the Texas Rangers for RHP Michael Lorenzen in a trade. The Rangers had signed Lorenzen as a starter, but he recently found himself pitching out of the bullpen. He has a 3.81 ERA over 101.2 innings pitched while striking out 75 batters and walking 48. Lorenzen was stellar in May and June, posting a 2.87 ERA in May and a 3.48 ERA in June. July has been a much different story, as he’s compiled a 5.49 ERA and 1.68 WHIP.

The Royals sent Walter Pennington to the Rangers in return for Lorenzen. While Pennington wasn’t a top 30 prospect for the Royals, he had a 2.26 ERA in 37 games in Omaha (Triple-A) and struck out 79 batters in 59 2/23 innings. An undrafted free agent out of the Colorado School of Mines, Pennington made his major league debut on July 5th against the Colorado Rockies in his home state. The 26-year-old left-hander pitched 0.2 innings while striking out one batter. He could become an immediate impact arm for the Rangers.

It is unclear what the Royals’ plans are for Lorenzen at this point, but with Alec Marsh has recent struggles in the first inning, there is a chance they could piggyback Lorenzen and Marsh. Lorenzen has seen his velocity tick up in the bullpen, and the Royals will likely have the opportunity to utilize him in many ways. He adds so much-needed length to this Royals pitching staff.