Baltimore right-hander Grayson Rodriguez will be sidelined for an undetermined period due to a mild strain in his right shoulder and back. The Orioles are “optimistic” about his return this season, according to manager Brandon Hyde.
Rodriguez was placed on the 15-day injured list, starting from Sunday. This decision was made after Rodriguez was pulled from a start in Toronto and returned to Baltimore for tests.
“He’s going to miss some time,” Hyde said. “We’re going to shut him down for a little while, give him some rest and recovery, and start some rehab. We’re hopeful he’ll join us again soon, but we’ll see. We’ll let him rest a bit before starting him up again.”
This adds to the challenges for the Orioles’ rotation, which has already lost Kyle Bradish, John Means, and Tyler Wells for the season. The team attempted to bolster their starting pitching by acquiring Zach Eflin and Trevor Rogers at the trade deadline.
Rodriguez had been their No. 2 starter behind Corbin Burnes. He is 13-4 with a 3.86 ERA, sharing the major league lead in victories with Chris Sale of Atlanta and Julio Lugo of Kansas City.
Without Rodriguez on Tuesday, the Orioles lost 5-2 and fell half a game behind the New York Yankees in the AL East.
Hyde mentioned that it is too early to determine how long Rodriguez will be out.
“We’re just monitoring him daily,” Hyde said. “The medical team will decide.”
Rodriguez, who was Baltimore’s first-round pick in the 2018 draft, has won five of his last six decisions. He went 7-4 with a 4.35 ERA in 23 starts last season.
Albert Suárez filled in for Rodriguez on Tuesday, pitching five scoreless innings with six strikeouts.
“He’s a good option to fill the spot for now,” Hyde said.
Additionally, Baltimore placed outfielder Heston Kjerstad on the 10-day injured list due to concussion symptoms and right-hander Jacob Webb on the 15-day injured list with a sore right elbow.
