The starting pitching depth is beginning to dry up like a summertime puddle of water.

More specific, the starters who are ready now to assist the major league club.

Let’s harken back to the not-too-distant days of rotation excess. Wondering how to fit Trevor Rogers, Kyle Bradish, Shane Baz, Chris Bassitt, Dean Kremer and perhaps Zach Eflin. That was the wild card. What if Eflin was ready to break camp?

He did. And the Orioles optioned Kremer, their innings leader in 2025, to Triple-A Norfolk in an absolute stunner.

Brandon Young and Cade Povich would have to wait their turns, sent back down to the minors as expected and told to stay ready. Don’t get discouraged. Teams aren’t able to navigate a season with the same 26 players.

Let’s move ahead to the present. Eflin has undergone season-ending Tommy John surgery, his return to the Orioles lasting 3 2/3 innings. Kremer came back, made two starts and landed on the 15-day injured list with a quadriceps strain in another unexpected development.

His injury happened while working out between appearances. He didn’t leave the mound with an athletic trainer. We didn’t witness it.

Rogers was the Opening Day starter, beating out Bradish, and he went on the 15-day IL Wednesday with the flu. Again, no warning. The club made the announcement after the rainout.

That’s how bad it’s gotten for the Orioles. Their game is postponed and they lose Rogers anyway.

They aren’t safe anywhere and under any circumstances.

“I mean, look, I was in Tampa, so I get it,” Baz said. “We had years like that. But I think the worst thing you can do is kind of dwell on it and think about it all the time. So I think the best way to go about it is just the next man up type of mindset.

“All the starters I’ve seen, even in camp, were impressive, and I don’t think anyone’s really worried about, are we gonna get production out of this guy? Or, is this guy going to throw strikes? Stuff like that. That’s obviously really nice to have.”

Young started Game 2 of yesterday’s doubleheader and allowed seven earned runs and 10 total in four innings, a big step back that disappointed him.

“Got my butt kicked,” he said at his locker. “Not much I can say. It sucks. I thought I turned a page from last year, not having these kind of blow-up outings.”

The Orioles haven’t announced their rotation for the four-game series at Yankee Stadium that begins tonight, but Povich is expected to be recalled. A source confirmed a Baltimore Banner report that he’s joining the team in New York. Povich hasn’t pitched since Saturday, when he faced Memphis and allowed three runs in six innings.

Povich has made two appearances with the Orioles, including a start, and allowed three runs in 12 1/3 innings. He’s surrendered nine runs in 16 innings with the Norfolk, walking four batters and striking out 23.

Having Povich on the team also gives the Orioles a replacement left-hander for Rogers, if that really matters.

The top 30 Orioles prospect lists remain heavy in position players, but more pitchers are surfacing the past few years. Norfolk’s staff includes Trey Gibson, Nestor German and Levi Wells, which puts them a phone call away from debuting. But Young and Povich are the immediate answers when another starter goes down.

A team that’s trying to get back in the playoffs and win the city’s first championship since 1983 doesn’t want to rely on the younger arms before they’re ready.

That isn’t depth. That’s desperation.

“I think just the way that B.Y.’s thrown the ball, the way Povich came up and threw the ball, I think everyone has a lot of confidence in just the group as a whole,” Baz said yesterday morning.

“I’m glad it’s nothing serious with Rog. Just kind of getting him feeling good and having him back. So that’s obviously really nice. But I don’t think anybody’s down about it or worried about it. I think we’re all kind of getting our footing on the year and getting a little more comfortable and stuff like that. I don’t think anybody’s worried about it.”

Maybe that’s also due to the “come-to-Jesus” moment that Bassitt referenced yesterday after Game 1, when he held the Astros to one run in 6 2/3 innings.

“I’m not going to give you our secrets, but I think all of our starters have been pretty poor throughout the year,” he said.

“Just had some talks, hard talks about kind of how we were pitching, our mindset of pitching. And then Shane went out there and did his thing. I thought he was on the attack, and it was just, that’s how we want to be we. I think overall we’ve been too cute throughout the year and we didn’t do well.

“So it’s just, we have guys bullpen-wise, and obviously starters, that are way too good to be being cute out there. So, yeah, honestly, between Frenchy (Drew French) and what he’s been doing behind the scenes, and obviously Shane, it was just kind of passing the baton, so to speak.”

Some of the hands are missing.

The Orioles must continue to believe that no one is going to drop it.

*Minor league health updates:

On Wednesday, pitcher Blake Money underwent right elbow UCL reconstruction and internal brace surgery with Dr. Keith Meister in Arlington, Texas.

Yesterday, pitcher Hayden Nierman underwent right shoulder surgery, also handled by Dr. Meister.

Class A Delmarva infielder Joshua Liranzo was removed from last night’s game with left shoulder discomfort.