BALTIMORE — Grayson Rodriguez is coming again to Baltimore to rejoin the Orioles’ rotation. And this time, it could be a everlasting promotion.
On Sunday, Baltimore supervisor Brandon Hyde introduced that the staff shall be recalling Rodriguez from Triple-A Norfolk to start out Monday night time’s sequence opener vs. the Dodgers at Camden Yards. It’ll be the eleventh profession huge league begin for the 23-year-old right-hander, who started the season as one of many prime prospects in baseball per MLB Pipeline.
Although Rodriguez didn’t break camp with the Orioles out of Spring Training, he shortly obtained his first callup to the Majors, as he began the staff’s sixth recreation of the 12 months vs. the Rangers on April 5 after Kyle Bradish went on the injured record with a proper foot contusion. Rodriguez, a local of Nacogdoches, Texas, pitched 5 stable innings in entrance of his family and friends in an encouraging MLB debut.
Not all went effectively for Rodriguez after that, although. Over his first 10 begins for Baltimore, he posted a 7.35 ERA and a 1.74 WHIP whereas incessantly struggling to find his pitches. He had 56 strikeouts and 21 walks in 45 1/3 innings, however he went greater than 5 frames solely as soon as and by no means accomplished six.
“I think the message was pretty clear when he went down the reasons why and what we felt like he needed to work on,” Hyde stated. “The stuff has always been there. It’s all about command with him.”
Rodriguez took the teachings he discovered in his first huge league stint and utilized the information throughout his return to Triple-A. The outcomes had been spectacular, as he recorded a 1.69 ERA over seven begins with Norfolk, with 54 strikeouts and 15 walks over 37 1/3 innings.
In June, Rodriguez was named the International League Pitcher of the Month. He additionally accomplished six innings 5 occasions throughout his newest run with the Tides, whereas notching double-digit strikeouts in three of these outings.
“They’ve done a nice job applying what we talked about up here before he went down,” Hyde stated. “We feel comfortable where he is right now, and hopefully, he can impact us positively the rest of the year.”
That’s the objective. The Orioles (56-35 coming into Sunday) are in win-now mode amid a critical bid for his or her first postseason berth since 2016. They wouldn’t be recalling Rodriguez in the event that they didn’t assume he might present a lift to their rotation.
Rodriguez, who was chosen by Baltimore with the No. 11 general decide within the 2018 MLB Draft, has the potential to turn into the top-of-the-rotation ace the franchise has wanted for therefore lengthy. On Monday, he’ll attempt to take step one towards securing a everlasting spot with the O’s.
“We’re in the mindset of winning games right now, and hopefully, he sticks in the rotation the rest of the summer,” Hyde stated.
The Orioles might want to make a transfer to clear house on the 26-man roster for Rodriguez. Since the ultimate recreation earlier than the All-Star break, the staff has been carrying 14 place gamers and 12 pitchers, however that will not stay the case for for much longer.
With Rodriguez returning to the rotation, Baltimore has moved left-hander Cole Irvin to the bullpen. The 29-year-old pitched effectively over his remaining three begins of the primary half (a 1.88 ERA over 14 1/3 innings), and he can present size in aid.
Content Source: www.mlb.com