Rangers acquire LHP Walter Pennington from Kansas City Royals in exchange for RHP Michael Lorenzen

St. Louis, Mo. — The Texas Rangers this morning announced that the club has acquired left-handed pitcher Walter Pennington from the Kansas City Royals in exchange for right-handed pitcher Michael Lorenzen.

Pennington, who is currently on option at Triple-A Omaha, will be assigned to Triple-A Round Rock.

Pennington, 26, made his Major League debut with the Royals on July 5 at Colorado (0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO), his only big league action spanning two one-day stints with the Royals this season (July 5, July 10). The debut came in his home state for the Broomfield, Colorado native. Pennington has spent the balance of the campaign with Triple-A Omaha, going 6-3 with 2 saves and a 2.26 ERA (15 ER/59.2 IP) over 37 games/2 starts for the Storm Chasers. He has produced a 0.989 WHIP figure while averaging 11.9 strikeouts per 9 innings, 3.0 walks per 9, and 0.9 home runs allowed per 9.

Pennington has spent his entire professional career in the Royals organization since being signed by Kansas City as a minor league free agent on August 19, 2020. He pitched at Colorado School of Mines, finishing his collegiate career with a 24-10 record over 51 appearances/30 starts, including 6 complete games, 3 saves and 1 shutout. He graduated from the school with a degree in mechanical engineering. He graduated from Broomfield (Colo.) High School in 2016 after posting a 0.83 ERA (5 ER/42.0 IP) and .323 batting average as a senior.

Lorenzen has gone 5-6 with a 3.81 ERA (43 ER/101.2 IP) over 19 games/18 starts for Texas this season after signing a one-year free agent contract on March 22. He ranks among Rangers team leaders in starts (T2nd, 18), innings (3rd, 101.2), and strikeouts (4th, 75). Lorenzen also produced a notable finish to his Rangers stint, becoming the first player to pitch back-to-back days for Texas (openers excluded) with at least one appearance being a start since Roger Pavlik on August 14-15, 1992 (credit Elias Sports Bureau).

Following this trade, the Rangers remain at the 40-man limit on the club’s Major League roster, along with seven players on the 60-day Injured List: Cody Bradford, Carson Coleman, Jacob deGrom, Josh Jung, Tyler Mahle, Austin Pruitt, Cole Winn.