Lorenzo Cain planning to return to Kansas City to retire as a member of the Royals

Outfielder Lorenzo Cain heard plenty of cheers from Royals fans during his seven seasons in Kansas City.

Cain was so beloved that he was hailed by the Kauffman Stadium crowd when he hit a home run in his first game back in KC after signing as a free agent with the Milwaukee Brewers.

That came in 2018 when Cain clubbed a Burch Smith pitch over the right-center field fence at the K.

“That’s once-in-a-lifetime type stuff there,” Cain said at the time. “I definitely enjoyed it, it was a nice feeling that I hit a homer on the road and people cheer for you.”

It’s a testament to how beloved Cain is in Kansas City, and it explains why he plans to retire as a member of the Royals.

Cain was released by the Brewers last June and he has no plans to return to baseball, The Athletic reported Tuesday. But he will sign and officially retire with the Royals this season, a source with the team confirmed.

A date for the ceremony, which will take place at Kauffman Stadium, has not been set.

Cain was drafted by the Brewers in 2004, and he made his big-league debut in July 2010. Five months later, he was traded to the Royals as part of the Zack Greinke deal.

During his stint with the Royals, Cain was an All-Star, finished third in the 2015 MVP voting, helped the Royals win the World Series that same year and was MVP of the 2014 American League Championship Series.

Only one honor eluded Cain in KC: despite being one of the best defensive center fielders in baseball with the Royals, he never won a Gold Glove award. Cain finally got that hardware in 2019 with the Brewers.

“I went to some All-Star Games,” Cain told The Athletic’s Andy McCullough. “Won a championship with some great teammates in Kansas City. It’s been a lot of fun. It’s been a blast. I couldn’t really ask for more.”