MICHAEL LORENZEN NEWS

Goldschmidt, Arenado deliver, Cards open fast, top Reds 11-6

Paul Goldschmidt and newcomer Nolan Arenado combined for six hits in a boosted St. Louis lineup, and the Cardinals roughed up Luis Castillo for six runs in the first inning to beat...

APRIL 2, 2021 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Lands on injured list Lorenzen (shoulder) has been placed on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to March 29.

Impact Lorenzen dealt with a right shoulder strain late in camp and recently experienced a small setback in his rehab program. It's not yet clear when the right-hander will be able to make his season debut, but Jeff Hoffman and Jose De Leon will fill in as starters while Lorenzen and Sonny Gray (back) are unavailable.

APRIL 1, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Hits snag in recovery Reds pitching coach Derek Johnson said Lorenzen (shoulder) won't be ready for the start of the season after experiencing a small setback in his rehab program, Bobby Nightengale of...

Impact Cincinnati hasn't established a firm timeline for when Lorenzen will be ready to make his season debut, but he'll almost certainly get placed on the 10-day injured list before the Reds finalize their Opening Day roster. With Sonny Gray (back) also set to begin the season on the shelf, the Reds will turn to Jeff Hoffman and Jose De Leon to fill the two openings in the rotation.

MARCH 31, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Akiyama, Gray among hurting Reds who will miss opening day

Spring training took its toll on some of the Cincinnati Reds and some players won't be ready for opening day

MARCH 30, 2021 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Won't be ready to start Lorenzen (shoulder) is not expected to be ready to start any of the Reds' first five games, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Impact Lorenzen looked likely to open the season as a starter but has been dealing with a strained right shoulder for the past week. It's not yet clear whether or not he'll need a trip to the injured list, but he won't have time to build up as a starter by Opening Day. With Tejan Antone (hip) and Sonny Gray (back) also dealing with injuries, Jeff Hoffman and Jose De Leon are both expected to begin the season in the rotation.

MARCH 27, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Lorenzen's Opening Day status unclear Reds rotation candidate Michael Lorenzen isn’t sweating his readiness for the regular season. Lorenzen might not be on the active roster fro...

MARCH 25, 2021 • MLB.COM

Status remains uncertain Lorenzen (shoulder) is expected to resume throwing soon, but it's still unclear whether he'll be able to avoid a trip to the injured list, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enqui...

Impact Lorenzen and Tejay Antone (hip) entered camp as the favorites for the Reds' fifth starter job. Sonny Gray's back issues will temporarily open up a second spot in the rotation, but both Lorenzen and Antone have injuries of their own. It's already been announced that Antone is expected to open the year in the bullpen, and it now seems as though Lorenzen may not be ready to start right away either. The Reds are confident he'll be able to build up his innings once the season begins, but the team may need to turn to pitchers like Jeff Hoffman or Jose De Leon for some spot starts in early April.

MARCH 25, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

May not miss time Lorenzen (shoulder) may not need to miss any time at the start of the season, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Impact Lorenzen was diagnosed with a shoulder strain Saturday, but the Reds evidently aren't too concerned about the issue. Both Lorenzen and Tejay Antone (hip) are in the mix as either a fifth starter or a high-leverage reliever, and both are battling minor injuries, but the Reds remain positive about the pair. It's possible that whoever wins the rotation spot may see their workload slightly reduced to start the year due to their disrupted buildup.

MARCH 23, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Dealing with shoulder strain Lorenzen was diagnosed with a right shoulder strain after exiting Saturday's "B" game, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

Impact It's not believed to be a serious injury, but it remains a concerning development with less than two weeks before Opening Day. Lorenzen is the leading candidate to open the season as Cincinnati's No. 5 starter, and his primary competition, Tejay Antone (groin), is dealing with his own injury.

MARCH 21, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Castillo set to start for Reds on opening day vs Cardinals

Luis Castillo has been picked to start on opening day for the Cincinnati Reds

MARCH 20, 2021 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Optimistic Reds believe key pieces are in place to win now

The Cincinnati Reds say the key pieces are in place for them to make a run in the National League Central

MARCH 17, 2021 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

2-way matchup is all Shohei: Ohtani hits 2 HRs off Lorenzen In the matchup of baseball’s most prominent two-way players, Shohei Ohtani had it all his way against Michael Lorenzen.

MARCH 16, 2021 • OLEANTIMESHERALD.COM

2-way matchup is all Shohei: Ohtani hits 2 HRs off Lorenzen In the matchup of baseball’s most prominent two-way players, Shohei Ohtani had it all his way against Michael Lorenzen

MARCH 16, 2021 • USATODAY.COM

2-way matchup is all Shohei: Ohtani hits 2 HRs off Lorenzen

In the matchup of baseball’s most prominent two-way players, Shohei Ohtani had it all his way against Michael Lorenzen

MARCH 16, 2021 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Notes: Lorenzen, rotation plans, Gutierrez In his second appearance (first start) of Spring Training on Wednesday, rotation candidate Michael Lorenzen pitched 2 1/3 innings and allowe...

MARCH 10, 2021 • MLB.COM

Leading fifth-starter candidate Lorenzen is the leading candidate to win the Reds' fifth-starter job, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports. "(Lorenzen's) in a good position to earn a starting spot...

Impact Tejay Antone turned a lot of heads with his first spring training performance, and Lorenzen struggled as he purposefully backed off his velocity a bit. With this battle, as with many other spring training job battles, it serves well to remember that Opening Day is a starting point, not the finish line. It's still possible for both Lorenzen and Antone to start in the long run, even if things don't begin that way.

MARCH 8, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Purposefully backing off velocity Lorenzen gave up three earned runs on three hits over 1.1 innings Friday against Arizona, throwing his fastball around 93 mph, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Impact Lorenzen was throwing around 97 mph last season, but is purposefully backing off a little on his fastball and throwing more breaking pitches in order to build up as a starter this season. He's battling with Tejay Antone and Jose De Leon to be the Reds' fifth starter.

MARCH 6, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Ohtani fans 5 in return to mound; Harper HR on 1st swing

Shohei Ohtani figured he’d be careful in his return to the mound after two injury-spoiled seasons

MARCH 6, 2021 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Might still have bullpen role The Reds might choose to use Lorenzen in a bullpen role, even if he pitches well as a starter in spring training, if they decide they need him more as a reliever, Bobby Nightengale...

Impact The Reds are sort of locked in with Wade Miley as the fourth starter, at least to begin the season, as he's less suited to relieving. That leaves one starting slot open between Lorenzen, Tejay Antone, Jose De Leon and Jeff Hoffman. The Reds might ultimately decide they're better balanced with Lorenzen beginning the year in the bullpen and Antone starting, for instance. The team has suggested that they'd prefer a five-man rotation over a six-man one, at least for now.

FEBRUARY 28, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Bauer-less Reds fall back on the familiar for rotation

Cincinnati Reds manager David Bell is going to have to figure out how to work around the departures of two pitchers who were among his most important players last season

FEBRUARY 19, 2021 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Minor knee procedure Lorenzen had a minor procedure on his left knee this offseason that included a PRP injection to address patellar tendinitis there, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer repo...

Impact Lorenzen saw a doctor last week and had the knee rehab and strengthening declared a success. Lorenzen had been dealing with the tendinitis the last two seasons, mostly when playing the outfield and running the bases. He should be able to give starting pitching a full go this spring.

FEBRUARY 15, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Lorenzen, Castillo among 6 to reach deals with Reds

The Cincinnati Reds reached one-year deals with all six of their arbitration-eligible players, agreeing with pitcher and outfielder Michael Lorenzen at $4,437,500 and with right-ha...

JANUARY 16, 2021 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Avoids arbitration with Cincy Lorenzen signed a one-year, $4.438 million contract with the Reds on Friday to avoid arbitration, Robert Murray of FanSided.com reports.

Impact The 28-year-old is in his final year of arbitration eligibility and and was able to reach a deal with the Reds ahead of Friday's deadline. Lorenzen entered the big leagues as a starter in 2015 but has worked as a reliever over the past five seasons, but he's expected to be a member of the starting rotation in 2021.

JANUARY 15, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Prepping for full-time starting gig Lorenzen said Wednesday that he will report to Cincinnati's spring training as a starting pitcher, and he expects to be a full-time member of the rotation in 2021, Jon Morosi of ML...

Impact Like most pitching prospects, Lorenzen was developed as a starter during his minor-league career, and he made 21 starts during his first season in the majors in 2015 before converting to a bullpen role. The 28-year-old has been mostly dependable in that capacity the past five seasons, but he showed some renewed signs of promise as a starter in September when called upon to fill in for the injured Sonny Gray. Lorenzen covered 9.2 innings and gave up three runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out 14 over his two spot starts, and the pair of strong performances apparently convinced him to pursue a return to the rotation. Cincinnati is still expected to try and re-sign ace Trevor Bauer or perhaps pursue more affordable arms this offseason, so Lorenzen will still likely need to impress in spring training to ensure he breaks camp in a starting role.

NOVEMBER 11, 2020 • ROTOWIRE

Potential starter in 2021 Lorenzen will be under consideration to start for the Reds next season, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports. There could be two openings in the Reds rotation, as b...

Impact Lorenzen finished the season in a hybrid role for the Reds, making two spot starts along with a number of longer relief outings. "I think he set himself up to be looked at next year as a possible solution for our starting five," Reds pitching coach Derek Johnson said. "I know he wants to do that, and I don't think it's been any secret that he wants to do that. He's put himself in that position to potentially do that. I think there is some competition there for him."

OCTOBER 10, 2020 • ROTOWIRE