Popular Baltimore Orioles Trade Target Goes on 15-Day Injured List

One of the most popular names rumored to be a potential trade option for the Baltimore Orioles is now out with an injury.

May 22, 2024; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Marlins pitcher Jesus Luzardo (44) throws a pitch against the Milwaukee Brewers during the first inning at loanDepot Park. / Rich Storry-USA TODAY Sports

Jesus Luzardo has been one of the most popular names on the pitching trade market all season. The Miami Marlins starter, to some, could be a game-changer for a contender like the Baltimore Orioles.

On Saturday, the Marlins announced he was being placed on the 15-day injured list with a lumbar stress reaction. The move is retroactive to Wednesday.

Per a report by MLB.com, Luzardo has been trying to pitch through the discomfort for a couple of weeks. Miami's manager Skip Schumaker told reporters the team discussed scratching Luzardo from his start last Sunday.

Instead, he pitched five innings and allowed two hits against the Washington Nationals.

The 26-year-old left-hander is 3-6 with a 5.00 ERA in 12 starts, with 58 strikeouts and 22 walks in 66.2 innings. Last season he went 10-10 with a 3.58 ERA for the Marlins, who qualified for the playoffs.

In 2023, he also struck out nearly 30 percent of the hitters he faced and walked just 7.4 percent.

For any team seeking to trade for Luzardo, two things bear monitoring.

First, this is his second trip to the injured list this year. He missed about three weeks earlier this season with tightness in his left elbow. He has a Tommy John surgery in his past, too.

Second, the timeline for this injury, per Schumaker, might keep Luzardo from pitching again before the trade deadline on July 30. He said the lefty could be out anywhere from four to six weeks.

“You definitely don’t want to push through something, especially the back, because it could lead to other things,” Schumaker said. “So we’ll see what the results say and what the doctors say, but it’s definitely not something that you push through.”

Luzardo may not be the option for the Orioles that he was a month ago. The same could be said for any team. But one thing that makes him attractive is that he is signed through the 2026 season. So, whoever gets him will have him for two more years.

Baltimore is in a position where they need starting pitching reinforcements now, thanks to three season-ending injuries in the rotation.

They just lost Kyle Bradish, an All-MLB performer last season, after he underwent Tommy John surgery on Wednesday. Two other Orioles starters also underwent elbow surgery and are out until at least midway through 2025 — John Means and Tyler Wells.

Starter Dean Kremer is set to make another rehab start as he works his way back from a right triceps strain.

Baltimore’s rotation right now looks like Corbin Burnes, Grayson Rodriguez, Albert Suárez, Cole Irvin and rookie Cade Povich.