Rodriguez shut down with shoulder soreness

Any potential timeline for Grayson Rodriguez to get back into the Orioles’ rotation is scrambled again after he experienced another setback.

The hits keep coming without appearing in games.

Rodriguez was supposed to throw a bullpen session today but the club canceled it a few days ago due to soreness in his right shoulder. Rodriguez was sent for an MRI.

This is another major blow for the rotation, which also lost No. 1 starter Zach Eflin to a lat strain. Eflin won’t be ready when he’s eligible to return on Wednesday.

Manager Brandon Hyde shared the Rodriguez news with the media.

“We scratched the side a day or two ago,” he said. “He woke up a few days ago with a little bit of soreness in his shoulder area, so we’re getting imaging this morning. The results have not come back from that yet.”

Asked about his level of concern, Hyde said, “We’ve got to wait for the results to come back. I’m not really sure at this point. We’re hoping for the best, but we felt like it was necessary to get some imaging.”

Rodriguez went on the 15-day injured list retroactive to March 24 with inflammation in his right elbow/triceps area. He made two starts in spring training and experienced a pronounced decline in velocity against the Twins in Fort Myers.

Executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias offered an update on Rodriguez during Tuesday’s dugout media session.

“Recuperating from the sore tricep/elbow injury that he had in spring training,” Elias said. “He’s thrown two bullpens now. His most recent one had off-speed pitches, spins as we say, and he’s got another bullpen day after tomorrow. So far he is tolerating everything well physically, so that’s good news, but we still have a lot ahead of us in terms of bullpens, buildup, live BP, ultimately rehab assignment, and I’m not ready to assign a timetable to his recovery yet.

“I know that he’s doing everything he can to strengthen up and get back to help the team as soon as possible, but we’re not at the point yet of kind of ballparking when that’s going to be. But he continues to feel pretty good.”

The optimism has dissolved with the latest injury to Rodriguez, the 11^th-overall pick in the 2018 draft and a pitcher that Elias and his staff inherited after joining the organization. Elias often used Rodriguez and DL Hall as examples of how the cupboard wasn't bare.

Rodriguez strained his lat/teres at Triple-A Norfolk in 2022 and missed three months of the minor league season, ruining his chances of earning a promotion. He went on the IL on April 30, 2024 with right shoulder inflammation and again on Aug. 7 with another lat/teres strain. The Orioles tried to get him ready for the playoffs but ran out of time.

After making 20 starts last season, Rodriguez was hoping to increase the total to 30-plus but has no shot at it.

“I’m sure he’s frustrated,” Hyde said. “I haven’t really talked to him about it. I’ll talk to him about it once the imaging comes in.”

Outfielder Tyler O’Neill is out of the lineup again with soreness in his neck. He’s feeling better today.

“Available,” Hyde said. “If he wasn’t I’d still say he was available.”

Cade Povich is starting Friday night against the Reds at Camden Yards and Charlie Morton closes out the series on Sunday. The Orioles list Saturday as TBA, but prospect Brandon Young was transferred from Norfolk to High-A Aberdeen to keep him close and he remains the most likely option.

A bullpen game doesn’t appear to be a consideration.

“We’d like to avoid that,” Hyde said.

The Reds are starting left-hander Andrew Abbott (1.80 ERA), right-hander Hunter Greene (0.98) and left-hander Nick Lodolo (2.31).

Félix Bautista warmed last night but didn’t pitch as the Orioles scored four times in the eighth to extend their lead to 9-1. He isn’t cleared to work back-to-back games.

“That’s part of being a reliever,” Hyde said. “We’re kind of in that spot. I’m not gonna pitch him when we go up eight or nine runs. I think it’s a nice little test for him. We haven’t checked that box yet of him getting up to go in a game and not getting in the game. This is just part of what this season’s going to be like, where he’s gonna do some things that isn’t scripted, and it’s hard to script relievers, especially guys in the back end of your bullpen.”

For the Guardians

Steven Kwan LF
José Ramírez DH
Carlos Santana 1B
Gabriel Arias 3B
Nolan Jones RF
Lane Thomas CF
Daniel Schneemann 2B
Austin Hedges C
Brayan Rocchio SS

Tanner Bibee RHP