The Baltimore Orioles have five starting pitchers on their 60-day injured list. One would like to return sometime in the second half.
Grayson Rodriguez — who hasn’t pitched this season — spoke to Orioles beat writers on Friday and told them that he plans to throw off a mound next week. It will be the first time he’s throw off a mound since April.
His goal is simple, according to MLB.com’s Jake Rill — he wants to pitch sometime this year.
“Yeah, absolutely,” Rodriguez said. “Absolutely. I’m pretty confident with that. Exactly, I don’t really have a week or anything specific, but yeah, definitely going to pitch this year.”
The 25-year-old right-hander landed on the 15-day injured list to start the season with right elbow inflammation. He was growing close to a return before he suffered a right lat strain, which compelled the Orioles to move him to the 60-day injured list on April 28.
Per Matt Weyrich of the Baltimore Sun, who posted to X (formerly Twitter), Rodriguez said the elbow issue is “behind him.”
What remains mysterious is Rodriguez’s susceptibility to lat injuries. He has had three in the last four years, and he indicated that the Orioles’ medical and coaching staff is examining everything to determine how to prevent those in the future.
Rodriguez was the Orioles’ first-round pick in 2018 out of Central Heights High School outside of Nacogdoches, Texas. He made his MLB debut with Baltimore in 2023. After a rough start his rookie season, he emerged as potential long-term ace for the rotation.
In 2023 he finished 7-4 with a 4.35 ERA with 129 strikeouts and 42 walks in 122 innings. He helped Baltimore win 101 games and the American League East Division title.
Last year he went 13-4 with a 3.86 ERA in 20 starts, as he struck out 130 and walked 36 in 116.2 innings.
But he dealt with injuries last season, too. He missed time in May with right shoulder inflammation and was moved to the IL in August with a right lat/teres discomfort and didn’t pitch again.
The Orioles’ starting rotation has been embattled all season, to the point where there they an entire rotation hiding on the 60-day IL. Along with Rodriguez, Baltimore has Kyle Bradish, Cody Poteet, Albert Suarez and Tyler Wells on the shelf.
Both Bradish and Wells are working through long-term elbow recoveries. Suarez has a right subscapularis strain in his throwing shoulder and Poteet has right shoulder inflammation.
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