Rodriguez won't pitch again for Orioles this year

NEW YORK – The Orioles are shutting down Grayson Rodriguez. He won’t pitch again in 2024.

Rodriguez was the last remaining player on the injured list with a chance to return, the rest working toward being healthy next season. However, right lat/teres discomfort and the clock conspired to remove him from the club’s stretch run and playoff plans.

The final start didn’t offer any hints to being the last this summer. Rodriguez faced the Blue Jays on July 31 and allowed three earned runs and struck out eight in six innings to leave his record at 13-4 with a 3.86 ERA and 1.243 WHIP in 20 appearances. He struck out 130 batters in 116 2/3 innings.

The Orioles intended to have Rodriguez start against the Blue Jays again in Toronto but he was a late scratch after throwing in the outfield.

“We’re going to get him ready for 2025,” manager Brandon Hyde said earlier today. “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.”

Don’t call it a setback.

Rodriguez was throwing in the bullpen but never received clearance to face hitters.

“He was progressing fine,” Hyde said. “It’s normally an injury which takes some time, and to get him back for the playoffs was gonna be a little bit of a rush, and we just felt like for his health, his future, it was the right thing to do.”

Rodriguez missed about three weeks earlier in the season with right shoulder inflammation. He returned on May 18 and shut out the Mariners on one hit in six innings.

A similar injury with Triple-A Norfolk in 2022 cost Rodriguez exactly three months. The Orioles didn't seem as concerned about his current ailment, believing that it wasn't as severe because of its location.

"I think, No. 1, we’re optimistic that the strain appears relatively mild and much less severe than the one that he had in 2022 in a similar region, and we’re also hopeful that we will be able to get him back up and running before the end of the regular season and position him and us for playoff baseball, which obviously he would be an enormous part of for us,” executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias said on Aug. 10.

“We won’t have a real definitive timeline until later but we’re optimistic at this point that we have a good chance to get him back before the end of September.”

The Orioles can send out Corbin Burnes, Zach Eflin and Dean Kremer in a playoff series, with Albert Suárez and perhaps rookie Cade Povich also available. Suárez also could move to the bullpen, leaving the Orioles to decide between Povich and Bryan Baker for the final spot on the Wild Card roster.

A win tonight and a Twins loss would allow the Orioles to clinch the top Wild Card spot and host a three-game series beginning Oct. 1.

“That’s a loss and we’ve missed him,” Hyde said of Rodriguez. “But the way Dean’s throwing the ball, and Suárez and Povich have pitched well, and then you’ve got these two guys going the next two days, you feel good about it.”

Hyde won’t allow himself to ponder the possibilities if Rodriguez, Kyle Bradish, John Means, Tyler Wells and Félix Bautista were healthy. Baseball life must go on.

“I’ve kind of passed that,” he said. “Love to have them, though. It’s part of the game, unfortunately. Part of the game that stinks. But we’ve been missing guys all year and hung in there. We’re excited about these next five and going into the postseason.”

Eflin starts tonight and Burnes on Thursday before the Orioles fly to Minnesota. Hyde said he won’t shorten their outings leading into the playoffs.

“I’m not going to extend them and be irresponsible, but we try to win with these guys,” Hyde said.

“They’re important. One, to better our position in the postseason. And two, would like to see us play well. I thought last night was one of our better played games in a long time, in all areas. The way we got some big hits, the way the starter did an outstanding job. The bullpen guys. Navigated some tough innings. And our defense was really good. For me, that was a great win for us last night, especially in a sold-out Yankee Stadium. To play like that says a lot about the character of our club.”

The 9-2-6-2-5-2-6 putout that ended the seventh and kept the Orioles ahead 4-3 was a thing of beauty for Hyde. They got Gleyber Torres in a rundown between third and home after catcher Adley Rutschman fired to second base trying to nab Juan Soto.

“Absolutely perfect. That’s going in the manual,” Hyde said.

“Just the throws alone. Adley, the chest-high throw to Gunnar (Henderson), Gunnar, the chest-high throw back to the plate. Adley committing Gleyber one way or the other. Gunnar goes from second, sprints to third base, is there for the throw there. They did everything right on that play, and those are the types of plays you need to make to win games against tough teams.”