KC Royals suffer bad injury news in Cleveland

One of the mistakes the KC Royals can least afford in their fight for a playoff spot this season has happened.

The starting lineup has just been hit by an injury.

Shortly before first pitch of Wednesday's series finale in Cleveland, the Royals announced they had placed Michael Lorenzen, acquired in a trade deadline deal with Texas late last month, on the 15-day injured list. Lorenzen suffered a grade-II hamstring strain that could sideline the right-hander for two or three weeks, according to Kansas City TV analyst Joel Goldberg.

The severity of Lorenzen's injury, sustained while defending first base in the second inning of Tuesday night's win at Cleveland, remains to be seen, but being out for any amount of time could jeopardize the club's postseason hopes. Lorenzen has a 2-0 record and a 1.85 ERA in five starts since joining the Royals and appears to have settled in well with manager Matt Quatraro's excellent rotation.

Now, however, his stay on the injured list will keep him out of action until at least Sept. 12, one day after the Royals finish their current 20-game series with other rival clubs and one day before they begin a three-game weekend series in Pittsburgh.

The Royals recalled Steven Cruz from Triple-A Omaha to take Lorenzen's spot on the roster. He's not a starter in the traditional sense, although Quatraro used him as an opener in four of the 10 games the right-hander played for the club last season. He's primarily a reliever and returns to Kansas City after compiling a 6-1, 3.35 ERA record in 44 relief appearances in Omaha.

Given all of this, Cruz offers Quatraro some flexibility. The KC captain can use him as an opener again, but that seems unlikely given the inconsistent state of the club's bullpen and the need to keep his players as fresh as possible until the end. Cruz is more valuable out of the bullpen, a role he is much more accustomed to.

By keeping Cruz in the bullpen, Quatraro can use Daniel Lynch IV in Lorenzen's place until he returns. Although Lynch earned his first major league save with three scoreless innings in Monday's second game against Cleveland, he lacks most of his experience outside of the rotation.

The Royals will be without Lorenzen and will have to hope that his hamstring injury does not keep him on the injured list for more than 15 days.