Baltimore Orioles Officially Move Star Pitcher to Injured List

As expected, the Baltimore Orioles will be without one of their star pitchers for some time after moving him to the injured list.

Jul 26, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles pitcher Grayson Rodriguez (30) throws a second inning pitch against the San Diego Padres at Oriole Park at Camden Yards / Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

The issues for the Baltimore Orioles pitching staff continues to rear its ugly head.

Not only are they without three of their starters for the remainder of the year, but one of their star relievers is also not expected to be back until September since he currently occupies a spot on the 60-day injured list.

Then, it was revealed on Wednesday the Orioles had moved important bullpen piece Jacob Webb to the 15-day IL because of elbow inflammation.

Now, star pitcher Grayson Rodriguez has joined him.

This was probably to be expected following his exit from the road trip to head back home to Baltimore to undergo further tests and imaging after he was scratched from his scheduled start with what is being described as an "injured lat."

Roch Kubatko of MASN reports there is internal concern that this is similar to what sidelined him for three months during his 2022 season with their Triple-A affiliate, something that ultimately delayed his Major League debut.

"I don't have my arms around it yet to responsibly talk about it publicly ... We're in the process of getting it checked out that involves imaging, multiple opinions usually, and it usually takes some time. So we'll have to let all the dust settle before we can sprinkle any information out there publicly. Even I don’t know at this point, the length of the IL stint," general manager Mike Elias said about the situation.

It goes without saying this is a devasting blow to the Orioles.

No matter how much time Rodriguez ends up missing, it comes at a terrible time since they are in a fight for the AL East division title and are seeing their rotation crumble before they enter the playoffs.

One of the reasons why Elias was so aggressive in landing Corbin Burnes this winter was to give this team a better chance to compete in the postseason following their sweep in the ALDS last year.

Keegan Akin was recalled from Triple-A to take the place of their young star while he is on the injured list, but the veteran has primarily been used as a reliever the last three seasons, having only started two games over his last 116 outings.

Albert Suarez will likely move back into the rotation with Akin taking his spot in the bullpen.

This will be something to monitor as more information gets revealed about the extent of the injury Rodriguez suffered.