The Baltimore Orioles have yet another starting pitcher out for the season after right-hander Grayson Rodriguez was shut down on Wednesday. Rodriguez has been shut down and will not pitch for Baltimore again this season, according to manager Brandon Hyde. The young right-hander was the last remaining Orioles player on the injured list with a chance to return this season.
The Orioles won’t have Grayson Rodriguez for their playoff run pic.twitter.com/uPnwqEgKWE
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) September 25, 2024
Rodriguez last pitched against the Toronto Blue Jays on July 31st. He allowed three earned runs and struck out eight in what has become his final six innings of the season. Rodriguez was scheduled to start against the Blue Jays again in Toronto but was scratched 10 minutes before the first pitch after throwing in the outfield. He went on the 15-day injured list with a right lat/teres strain on August 7th and had hoped to return for the postseason. The second-year starter was throwing in the bullpen, but as of this weekend, the team doctors had not cleared him to face live hitters. General manager Mike Elias said that “time and the calendar is not exactly our friend here,” when asked about Rodriguez last week. Now the former first-round pick will focus on getting healthy for next season.
“We’re going to get him ready for 2025,” Hyde told reporters on Wednesday. “Just ran out of time with him. It’s disappointing and tough, but he’s so talented and a huge part of our rotation going forward. We just ran out of time with him.”
Orioles Right-Hander Grayson Rodriguez Out for 2024 Season
Rodriguez began the season as Baltimore’s No. 2 starter behind ace Corbin Burnes, who the Orioles acquired in February. He made six starts before experiencing right shoulder inflammation in April and spending roughly three weeks on the injured list. Rodriguez finishes his second season in the majors with a 13-4 record and a 3.86 ERA. He struck out 130 batters in 116 ⅔ innings over 20 starts.
“He was progressing fine,” Hyde said. “It’s normally an injury which takes some time, and to get him back for the playoffs was going to be a little bit of a rush. We just felt like for his health, his future, it was the right thing to do.”
Rodriguez missed three months with a similar shoulder injury with Triple-A Norfolk in 2022. Elias told reporters in August that this shoulder strain appeared “relatively mild and much less severe than the one that he had in 2022.” The 24-year-old joins teammates Kyle Bradish, John Means, and Tyler Wells as the latest Orioles starter to suffer a season-ending arm injury.
Despite the injuries and their second-half slump, Baltimore clinched a postseason berth with their win over New York on Tuesday. This marked the first time in 27 years that the Orioles clinched back-to-back postseason berths. As it stands with Rodriguez shut down, right-handers Zach Eflin and Dean Kremer will join Burnes as Baltimore’s postseason starters.
Photo Credit: © Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images
