Baltimore Orioles Top Pitching Prospect Moved to Injured List

It's likely that one of the Baltimore Orioles' top pitching prospects is now done for the season after being moved to the injured list.

Jul 24, 2024; Miami, Florida, USA; Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Chayce McDermott (60) pitches against the Miami Marlins in the first inning at loanDepot Park / Jim Rassol-USA TODAY Sports

Before the trade deadline, Baltimore Orioles general manager Mike Elias was trying to see which of his internal players could potentially slide into the starting rotation and hold that role for the rest of the season.

The first player he looked at was Cade Povich, their No. 7 ranked prospect.

The intriguing left-hander was given a long runway, hoping that he could build upon the bright spots where he flashed his potential and put behind some of the issues he had at the Major League level.

Unfortunately, he could never be consistent enough where the Orioles were comfortable having him pitch meaningful innings for them down the stretch.

After eight starts where he finished with an ERA of 6.27, and an unthinkable 23 walks in 37.1 innings pitched compared to 25 strikeouts, Baltimore will likely keep him down in Triple-A for the remainder of the year.

Before going out and acquiring Zach Eflin and Trevor Rogers ahead of the deadline to fill the holes within this rotation, Elias also wanted to see what their top pitching prospect Chayce McDermott could do in the MLB after leading all of minor league baseball in strikeouts.

They called him up for his debut on July 24, but after four innings where he gave up three earned runs on five hits, they sent him back down to Triple-A.

Because of the Orioles' deadline additions, it's unclear if Povich or McDermott would have been called back up later in the year like prospects normally are because of the expanded rosters, but based a report from Roch Kubatko of MASN, it seems like McDermott won't be in the mix due to an injury.

Norfolk RHP Chayce McDermott (right scapula stress reaction) is being placed on the Injured List. #orioles

— Roch Kubatko (@masnRoch) August 6, 2024

A stress reaction is never a good sign, and based on it being in his throwing shoulder, they are likely going to be very cautious with him because of the arm issues their staff has already accrued this year.

The former fourth round pick of the Houston Astros in 2021 has turned into their top minor league pitching prospect at this point in time and could become a major part of their rotation in the future if he's able to figure out his command.

Hopefully this move to the injured list is more cautionary than anything serious.