MIAMI -- Bryce Harper and Michael Lorenzen have known each other since they were kids.

Harper might have been nine when they first met. Lorenzen would have been 10.

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“I remember my first time pitching against Bryce,” Lorenzen said Wednesday afternoon at loanDepot park. “I’ll never forget it. It was in a tournament [in California]. He hit a double off the wall. I was like, ‘Gosh, who is that kid?’ He was really good. Then he hit another double off the wall. Then you start hearing about this legendary Bryce Harper. He’s playing for all these different travel ball teams. I’m like, ‘Oh, that was the kid.’ Then I got to play with him on the USA team when we were 16. Just certain travel ball tournaments before and after that. So I've known him for a while. Obviously, for him to live up to the hype is impressive. It's always been fun to watch.”

Two decades later, Harper and Lorenzen are teammates again. The Phillies traded prospect Hao-Yu Lee to the Tigers on Tuesday for Lorenzen, who will make his Phillies debut in Thursday’s series finale against the Marlins. The Phillies also acquired utility infielder Rodolfo Castro for Triple-A left-hander Bailey Falter.

Lorenzen, who will be a free agent after the season, will be part of a six-man rotation through at least Aug. 13.

He can’t wait to get started.

“I have a good relationship with [pitching coach] Caleb Cotham from the Reds,” Lorenzen said. “So I texted him, ‘When am I pitching?’ So he asked me what my normal rest was. I said, ‘I’m ready to go whenever you want.’ He said, ‘Is Thursday good?’ I said, ‘Yeah. Let’s do it.’ That was it.”

Lorenzen and Cotham were teammates with the Reds in 2016. Cotham later became Cincinnati’s assistant pitching coach.

“He helped me a ton over in Cincinnati in developing certain pitches,” Lorenzen said. “He helped me develop my sweeper -- that slider that I have now. I have two different sliders. But the sweeper was a pitch that's been extremely good for me. Really, like, educational on what to look for in certain metrics. He's really good at translating the numbers side of it and the analytical side of it. Not many guys who are as educated in the analytical side also played the game so recently. He was really good at translating information in how a player would be able to process it.”

Lorenzen began his career as a starter before pitching six seasons as a reliever. He returned to the rotation with the Angels in 2021, then he made his first All-Star team with the Tigers this year. Lorenzen’s experience as a reliever was attractive to the Phillies, because they feel he provides valuable versatility.

There might come a time when the Phillies ask him.

“To hit?” Lorenzen said.

He paused.

“I'm just kidding,” Lorenzen said. “I know my first big league start in center field was against the Phillies.”

It’s true. Lorenzen is a tremendous athlete who has homered seven times in his career, including twice against the Phillies. But how would he feel about a potential move to the bullpen in September or October, if needed?

“You come to a team like this, winning is the priority,” Lorenzen said. “So we want to win ballgames. We want to go deep. I just want to be part of something great. So I'm going to trust these guys to do whatever they need to do.”

Castro said the same. He was at  Triple-A Indianapolis when the Phillies acquired him. Asked how it feels to go from playing Triple-A baseball for an organization without postseason expectations to playing in the Majors for a team with World Series expectations, Castro said, “It’s a very exciting opportunity for me. It’s a dream for any kid that plays baseball.”