2 weeks Ago
The Baltimore Orioles received a lot of criticism for their offseason and lack of acquiring a top of the rotation pitcher. They let Corbin Burnes walk in free agency, and their biggest acquisitions were Charlie Morton and Tomoyuki Sugano. With Zach Eflin on the IL, now Grayson Rodriguez , once the top pitching prospect in baseball, will miss more time for Baltimore, as well.
Manager Brandon Hyde said that Rodriguez was diagnosed with a mild lat strain and won't begin throwing for a few weeks, according to Jake Rill of MLB.com . The right hander is coming off a promising sophomore season, where he accumulated 1.
4 bWAR in 20 starts with a 3.86 ERA and 130 strikeouts in 116.2 innings.
It seems that his performance in 2024 was good enough that the Baltimore brass decided to ride with him as a huge part of the rotation given his pedigree. While the Orioles put a lot of their hopes on an even bigger breakout, the 25-year-old has yet to throw a pitch in 2025. He was placed on the 15-day IL in March with right elbow inflammation, after only throwing three innings in Spring Training.
After the setback, it will be even longer for the Orioles without their ace hopeful. Combined with the Eflin injury, this is a huge blow to a Baltimore team who is looking to make another playoff push. As it stands with just three starts between the two, the Orioles have the worst starting ERA in all of baseball with 6.
22. Charlie Morton, in his age 41 season, has started five games to the tune of a 10.89 ERA and a league leading 25 earned runs allowed.
He was brought in to be the steady, veteran arm in the rotation. On the other hand, rookie Tomoyuki Sugano has been their best starter, collecting a 3.43 ERA in four starts, but only striking out eight batters in 21 innings.
Such a low K/9 stands out and might be an indicator that his stuff won't compete at a high level. The other two starters in the rotation, Dean Kremer and Cade Povich, both have ERAs north of six. Needless to say, this type of rotation is not one that can compete a deep playoff push in its current state.
Baltimore needs Rodriguez back and fully healthy for a potential breakout in order to help fix the glaring hole. If they want to get over that first round curse, the rotation needs immediate reinforcements, and Rodriguez could be that in time. Recommended Articles.
