Orioles unable to carry two Rule 5 pitchers through season

The rarity of breaking camp with two Rule 5 pitchers is followed by the rarity of keeping them through an entire season.

The Orioles took a stab at it, needing right-handers Tyler Wells and Mac Sceroler to remain on the active roster for 90 days. Sceroler didn't make it. He was designated for assignment on Tuesday.

Let me begin by pointing out that the reference order used to be Mac Sceroler and Tyler Wells based on their selections at the Winter Meetings, though the former had less professional experience. Wells was making the jump from Double-A, compared to Sceroler's more daunting climb from high Single-A.

Sticking with a 14-man pitching staff, in theory, made it easier for the Orioles. Sceroler's two-month stay on the injured list with shoulder tendinitis also eased the strain, so to speak. And there's the way Wells gained manager Brandon Hyde's trust and moved into higher-leverage situations based on performance and a lack of choices.

This is why the move with Sceroler took me a bit by surprise, but the Orioles felt there was too much season left to basically stash him until a game became lopsided. But more on that later.

There isn't much debate left over the wisdom of keeping Wells. He has to stay, whether as a multi-inning reliever, back-end specialist or starter.

I'm saying it, not the Orioles, but how could anyone argue?

Wells, who missed the 2019 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery, began last night leading major league rookie relievers with 42 strikeouts. He's registered a 4.01 ERA and 1.010 WHIP in 33 2/3 innings.

"He came into spring training ready to work, ready to compete," said pitching coach Chris Holt, who also serves as director of pitching. "He showcases elite stuff and a mindset that allows him to attack major league hitters routinely."

Wells was stuck with a blown save Saturday afternoon against the Blue Jays after Bo Bichette dumped a game-tying two-run single into shallow right field, with Anthony Santander unable to make the diving catch. Wells came back and retired the Astros in order with two strikeouts in the ninth inning of Tuesday night's 3-1 loss.

"I didn't think it was going to faze him," Hyde said. "I expect him to be fine and pitch in big spots the rest of the year."

The Orioles are figuring out exactly what he's capable of doing in the present and further down the road of his professional career. What his role could be and whether he needs more development in the minors in 2022.

"It' s really difficult to even define that (role) right now, because coming into this year we knew he hadn't pitched in two years and we're certainly not wanting to extend him out from a workload perspective," Holt said. "Allowing him to come in and attack and just kind of see how he does with what he's been given and access later on where we feels that goes."

Hyde has been asked about it multiple times and said again yesterday that the rotation is a consideration, but the Orioles like Wells in his current high-leverage role.

Options are kept open with Wells and "you never know what's going to happen the rest of the year," Hyde said, "but we're comfortable where he is right now getting the experience that he is in the bullpen."

Sceroler was complicated because he experienced some major struggles, posting a 14.09 ERA and 2.870 WHIP in 7 2/3 innings. But the Orioles chose him because they believed his pitch mix eventually would play at this level and he could become a starter option. The challenge was getting him through the 2021 season and gaining the flexibility to option him next spring.

The numbers said he was overmatched and the Orioles could make better use of his roster spot, that he should be returned to the Reds if he passed through waivers. But for that to make sense, I thought, the Orioles needed to reverse their opinions of him.

They aren't winning in 2021, in case the memo got lost. There didn't seem to be a better time to suck it up and accept the results - again, if the Orioles truly believed that he could be a good major league pitcher.

They do. I checked again.

"It's extremely disappointing to see him have to go," Holt said. "(Darren) Holmes and I really enjoy working with him, we think the world of him. We feel like he's a for-sure big leaguer and the circumstances are that he, at this point, has to go, so it's really disappointing, but we're thankful for the time we got to spend with him. He is a tremendous talent."

Perhaps it speaks to the increase in legitimate pitching prospects and the high ranking among farm systems in baseball that Sceroler is deemed expendable. It no longer can be said that they don't have an arm like that.

Of course, he wasn't ready. His last game before the Rule 5 draft came in the-Florida State League.

Pedro Araujo pitched for Single-A Myrtle Beach in 2017 before the Orioles selected him. Did he look ready?

A contender certainly would have relinquished Sceroler, as the Orioles did in 1997 with Mike Johnson and 2018 with Nestor Cortes Jr. - yes, they still fancied themselves as contenders in April - but they could have come up with acceptable reasons to hold back Sceroler for lower-leverage situations like Monday night's 10-2 loss to the Astros.

Hyde must be exhausted from his searches for a hot hand in the bullpen. He needs innings with his starters unable to push through the middle portion of games. None of this aided Sceroler's cause.

Judging Sceroler fairly was difficult because of the weeks missed with his injury and the sporadic usage. He's a starter. He's been accustomed to a regular routine that no longer existed.

"He took on a tremendous challenge and we're very proud of him and every effort that he put in to doing this," Holt said. "It can be a challenge coming out of A-ball and trying to jump and get guys out in the big leagues. I would say that, because he's always been a starter, that could play into some sense of irregular work or lack of routine, but he also understood what his likely role would be and when he would pitch, so he did work to adjust that and adjust how he goes about his daily work in order to suit that role."