TORONTO — The Orioles on Wednesday placed right-handed pitcher Grayson Rodriguez on the 15-day injured list with right lat/teres discomfort after he was scratched before his scheduled start Tuesday night against the Toronto Blue Jays.
Manager Brandon Hyde described the strain as “mild” Wednesday and said the Orioles were “optimistic” he could return before the end of the season. Rodriguez felt some discomfort warming up before Tuesday’s 5-2 loss and was sent back to Baltimore to be evaluated. Albert Suárez started in Rodriguez’s place and pitched five scoreless innings.
As shown on the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network’s broadcast of the game, Rodriguez paused his warm-up in the outfield to talk with pitching coach Drew French approximately 20 minutes before he was scheduled to take the mound. He appeared to tell French, “I don’t feel right,” before departing for the clubhouse.
Rodriguez, 24, has been a bright spot for a banged-up rotation this season, recording a 3.86 ERA with 130 strikeouts while going 13-4 in 20 starts. The 2018 first-round draft pick has not been immune from the injury bug, however, missing two and a half weeks with right shoulder inflammation in May.
“This was all new,” Hyde said when asked if Rodriguez’s injury cropped up before Tuesday. “He had a little bit of shoulder soreness early in the year. Gave him some time off. He’s been feeling fine. Threw a really good bullpen in Cleveland and it came up tonight.”
The Orioles also placed outfielder Heston Kjerstad on the 10-day IL with a concussion and right-handed reliever Jacob Webb on the 15-day IL with right elbow inflammation. Webb, who was unavailable out of the bullpen Tuesday, returned to Baltimore for further testing. In corresponding moves, the Orioles recalled left-handed reliever Keegan Akin and right-handed reliever Bryan Baker from Triple-A Norfolk.
Kjerstad, 25, missed time last month with a concussion after being hit in the back of the helmet by a 96 mph fastball from New York Yankees closer Clay Holmes, which sparked a benches-clearing confrontation at Camden Yards.
The Orioles’ No. 4 prospect according to Baseball America, Kjerstad was optioned to Triple-A Norfolk last week to get veteran outfielder Austin Slater, acquired from the Cincinnati Reds for cash, on the roster. The 2020 No. 2 overall draft pick has dominated the minors, posting a .998 OPS with the Tides this season. Across three stints in the major leagues, Kjerstad has a .779 OPS in 113 plate appearances, but he’s never played regularly.
Nobody has made more appearances out of the bullpen for Baltimore this season than Webb, who has become a key high-leverage arm for Hyde since the Orioles claimed him off waivers in August 2023. He’s posted a 3.08 ERA and 1.17 WHIP in 53 appearances so far in 2024.
Baker has a 4.58 ERA and 1.08 WHIP in 14 games for the Orioles this year. This will be his third stint with the club since making his season debut on June 13. Akin, in his fifth season with Baltimore, has a 3.34 ERA and 0.971 WHIP in 56 2/3 innings out of the bullpen.
O’s add J.D. Davis
The Orioles announced Wednesday that they agreed to a minor league deal with veteran infielder J.D. Davis.
The 31-year-old was released by the San Francisco Giants this offseason and signed with the Oakland Athletics. He then missed time with a right adductor strain and struggled at the plate, batting .236 with a .670 OPS before being designated for assignment in June. He was acquired by the New York Yankees before the trade deadline but battled an illness and only played in seven games before being released.
Although the Orioles recently called up top prospects Jackson Holliday and Coby Mayo, they need depth in the infield after injuries to Jorge Mateo (dislocated elbow) and Jordan Westburg (fractured hand).
While Davis has struggled this season, he was an above-average hitter from 2019 to 2023 with the New York Mets and Giants, posting a slash line of .268/.352/.443 with 63 home runs and 203 RBIs.
Baltimore Sun sports editor C.J. Doon contributed to this article from Baltimore.