On another busy day for the Baltimore Orioles, manager Brandon Hyde spent the pregame hours preparing his lineup card and meeting his starting pitcher.
Left-hander Trevor Rogers made his debut for the AL East leaders on Thursday night, just two days after being traded from the Miami Marlins.
“I literally just met him an hour ago,” Hyde said about Rogers, who had a 2-9 record and a 4.53 ERA this season. “He’s excited and ready to pitch for us. It was an awesome conversation. He’s pumped to be here pitching for a winning team right now.
“Hopefully he can give us a boost.”
Rogers was activated before the start of a four-game series against the Guardians — a matchup between the teams with the best records in the league.
In addition to Rogers, the Orioles also activated outfielder Eloy Jiménez, who joined the team this week in a trade with the Chicago White Sox.
Hyde, who has known Jiménez since he was 16, is excited to have him as a powerful offensive player.
“One thing Eloy has been able to do is really, really hit,” Hyde said. “A hitter first, but also with huge power. Able to change the game with one swing, but also take really good at-bats. We’re hoping he can bring that for us here. He’s a real threat at the plate.”
The Orioles also placed All-Star infielder Jordan Westburg on the 10-day injured list due to a broken right hand and sent outfielder Heston Kjerstad and left-hander Keegan Akin to Norfolk.
Outfielder Cristian Pache was designated for assignment, less than a week after being acquired from Philadelphia. The Orioles traded outfielder Austin Hays for Pache and reliever Seranthony Domínguez last Friday.
Westburg injured his hand when he was hit by a pitch in Wednesday’s win over Toronto. This injury could create an opportunity for top corner infield prospect Coby Mayo, but the Orioles haven’t called him up yet. They do have an open spot on their 40-man roster.
“I’m sure you’ll see Coby here at some point,” Hyde said.
Regarding Westburg, Hyde remains hopeful he’ll be able to return this season.
“He’s got a fractured hand and we have to wait and see how that heals,” Hyde said. “It’s terrible. He wants to be here. He wants to play. It’s tough.”
Hyde also mentioned that deciding to option Kjerstad was a difficult choice.
