The Toronto Blue Jays added veteran right-hander Michael Lorenzen on Thursday, signing the former All-Star to a one-year deal as they look to stabilize a rotation battered by injuries down the stretch.
Lorenzen reported to the Rogers Centre and was expected to be active for Thursday night’s game against the Kansas City Royals.
To clear roster space, Toronto optioned right-hander Chad Dallas to Triple-A Buffalo and transferred outfielder Jonatan Clase to the 60-day injured list.
The 34-year-old was released by the Colorado Rockies last week after a difficult 2026 season.
In 25 starts (26 appearances) he went 3-11 with a 7.08 ERA, 1.88 WHIP and 82 strikeouts in 115 2/3 innings, allowing a major-league high in hits. Coors Field magnified the damage: his home ERA sat well above his road mark. Colorado remains responsible for the rest of the $8 million contract Lorenzen signed last winter; Toronto owes only the prorated major-league minimum.
That low-cost flexibility is the point. Manager John Schneider said Lorenzen will begin in the bullpen but is prepared to work in any role. The right-hander himself said he was ready to throw as many as 100 pitches if needed.
With Shane Bieber on the injured list with shoulder inflammation and other starters sidelined at various points this year, Toronto needed another experienced arm who can start or absorb innings in relief.
Lorenzen is not a finished product this season, but he is not a blank slate either. A 2023 American League All-Star with the Detroit Tigers, he has appeared for seven previous clubs since debuting with the Cincinnati Reds in 2015: the Angels, Tigers, Phillies, Rangers, Royals and Rockies.
Career numbers entering the signing were 57-66 with a 4.40 ERA, 908 strikeouts and 15 saves in 1,111 2/3 innings. From 2022 through 2025 he logged more than 500 innings of roughly 4.10 ERA work as a back-end starter. He has historically been sharper out of the bullpen than in the rotation, a split that could matter if Toronto uses him in shorter stints first.
The Blue Jays are chasing a postseason berth after a World Series run the previous year and a busy offseason that included adding Dylan Cease. Lorenzen will not replace a front-line starter on his own.
He can, however, give Schneider a veteran option when the fifth starter spot or a long-relief inning opens up—and at almost no extra payroll cost.
Whether the former All-Star can recapture the form that once made him a midseason selection will play out over the final weeks.
For a club short on healthy innings, the bet is that a change of scenery and a lower mound altitude are enough to make him useful again.
