ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The news wasn’t good, but given how this season has gone for the Orioles, what general manager Mike Elias revealed Saturday was much better than the worst-case scenario.
Grayson Rodriguez, the Orioles’ No. 2 starting pitcher, is not expected to miss the remainder of the season. Elias said the strain in Rodriguez’s shoulder muscle is “mild” and the club is “hopeful” he returns by the end of the regular season.
The 24-year-old right-hander will be shut down for 10 days and then will receive updated imaging on the muscle to determine next steps. The injury is to the right lat/teres area of his upper back/shoulder. Elias said the strain is more in the teres major, which is located near the shoulder.
“We’re hopeful that we’ll be able to get him back up and running before the end of the regular season and position him and us for playoff baseball, which obviously he would be an enormous part of for us,” Elias said. “We’re optimistic at this point that we have a good chance to get him back before the end of September.”
For however long Rodriguez is out, his absence is a big blow to a rotation already hampered by injuries this season. Starters Kyle Bradish, John Means and Tyler Wells are all out for the season after undergoing elbow surgery, while Dean Kremer spent time on the injured list earlier this season with a triceps strain.
The Orioles were fortunate in 2022 and 2023 to avoid many significant injuries. Aside from Means’ first Tommy John elbow reconstruction surgery in 2022 and closer Félix Bautista’s last year, Baltimore was one of the majors’ healthiest teams. That hasn’t been the case this year.
“It’s been a tough injury year for us,” Elias said. “It’s like that all around baseball, it’s part of it and we just keep trucking along.”
Rodriguez suffered the injury while warming up before Tuesday’s game against the Toronto Blue Jays. The Orioles scratched him from his start, and journeyman Albert Suárez pitched five scoreless innings in his stead.
Elias and manager Brandon Hyde were thankful Rodriguez told pitching coach Drew French that he wasn’t feeling normal instead of pushing through his start, which could have caused a more severe injury.
“I don’t know what would’ve happened if he tried to, but that was a pretty mature move by him, honestly, to know that something didn’t feel right and let us know right away,” Hyde said. “It was a scramble once he let us know, but he definitely did the right thing.”
The injury to that area is the second of Rodriguez’s professional career. In 2022, a strained lat delayed his big league call-up and kept him out three months. Elias said the club believes Rodriguez’s current strain is “less severe” than the one he suffered two years ago.
Rodriguez was enjoying a solid sophomore campaign with a 3.86 ERA and 130 strikeouts in 116 2/3 innings. His 13 wins are most on the Orioles and tied for first in MLB. His current stint on the IL is his second this season after missing the few weeks of May with right shoulder inflammation.
After an up-and-down rookie season, Rodriguez has been far more consistent this year with only three bad starts out of 20. In the other 17, he’s either pitched at least six innings or allowed two or fewer runs.
“We’re optimistic that he can help us at some point,” Hyde said. “I think he’s starting to feel better already, so that’s a good sign. We’re hopeful we can have him back.”
Without Rodriguez, the Orioles will lean even more on ace Corbin Burnes and trade acquisition Zach Eflin atop their rotation. Kremer, Suárez and newcomer Trevor Rogers will likely round out the starting corps until Rodriguez can return.
Elias named three pitchers with Triple-A Norfolk who could be starting options down the stretch if Baltimore needs them: Cade Povich, Cole Irvin and Brandon Young. Povich, the club’s top pitching prospect, posted a 6.27 ERA in eight starts with the Orioles earlier this season. Irvin was excellent to begin the season but struggled this summer as he was designated for assignment and outrighted to Norfolk after passing through waivers. Irvin has a 4.85 ERA in 94 2/3 innings.
Young, an undrafted free agent in 2020’s COVID-shortened draft, has impressed this season with a 31% strikeout rate and a 3.82 ERA between Double-A Bowie and Norfolk. The 26-year-old isn’t seen as a top prospect on most rankings, but FanGraphs considered him for its midseason top 100 list. Baseball America has him as the No. 21 prospect in Baltimore’s farm system. Elias said Young is “on the radar screen” for a potential call-up if the Orioles need a starter.
“I hope we do. We’re testing it the hard way,” Elias said when asked if the Orioles have enough rotation depth to repeat as American League East champions. “I think that we do, but the way this is going, I can’t make that proclamation with any confidence because anything can happen. Getting two starting pitchers at the trade deadline was big.”
The Orioles also received good news on reliever Jacob Webb, who was placed on the 15-day IL with elbow inflammation the same day as Rodriguez. Elias said there is no structural damage in Webb’s elbow, which was “barking” at him. Elias believes Webb’s stint on the shelf could be short.
Webb has been one of manager Brandon Hyde’s most-trusted relievers this season, leading the team in appearances with 53. As a platoon-neutral right-hander, Webb pitched in nearly 48% of the team’s first 111 games as Hyde deployed him frequently against the heart of opposing lineups. The 30-year-old posted a 3.08 ERA with 53 strikeouts in 49 2/3 innings. He joined the Orioles one year ago as the club claimed him off waivers from the Los Angeles Angels on Aug. 7.
“It’s been a long year,” Elias said. “There’s nothing structurally concerning in the imaging. Hopeful at this point that it’s just kind of a two-week blow and a short IL stint, but obviously you never know.”
This story will be updated.