Lorenzen will not be used as a hitter for the Tigers, manager A.J. Hinch told Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press on Thursday.
Lorenzen logged 147 plate appearances with the Reds between 2015-2021, but the Tigers want him to focus solely on pitching and believe he can be an effective part of their regular starting rotation. The 31-year-old signed a one-year, $8.5 million contract with Detroit in December after working to a 4.24 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and 85:44 K:BB in 97.2 innings (18 starts) last season with the Angels.