The Orioles have more mound decisions on their plate.
They needed a starter for tonight and must remove a reliever to fit him onto the roster. Trevor Rogers will go from taxi squad to active roster after his 6 1/3 scoreless innings against the Red Sox at Fenway Park. And Grant Wolfram could be one-and-done after the Orioles recalled him yesterday to replace Colin Selby, who was one-and-done.
Interim manager Tony Mansolino didn’t confirm Rogers’ start during his pregame session with the assembled media in Tampa, but he said, “We’re excited to kind of get him in here tomorrow.”
The food room? The showers?
He’s going to be on the mound and trying not to stand in a puddle of sweat. The heat seems intense. Dean Kremer’s skin had the shine of a glazed donut last night. He looked like he collided with the Exxon Valdez.
(Look it up.)
Rogers was the 27th man for Game 2 of the doubleheader in Boston and the Orioles returned him to Triple-A Norfolk later that night. But it takes a long memory. He hasn’t appeared in the majors since May 24.
It’s probably past time for the Orioles to give Rogers another shot, and they can do it more easily with Cade Povich on the injured list. The only other possible solution would involve putting Charlie Morton back in the bullpen, but he’s lowered his ERA to 6.05 and tossed five scoreless innings with 10 strikeouts in his last start against the Angels.
Morton stumbled in his previous start, with four runs, six hits and four walks in 2 1/3 innings in Sacramento, but he allowed only four earned runs in 23 innings in five appearances leading into that game. And the Orioles are paying him $15 million.
Mansolino told the media in Tampa that Povich’s left hip inflammation appears to be minor. Yeah, I know, we’ve heard that plenty of times about other injuries, and the stays on the injured list become lengthier than expected. We’ll see what happens with Povich.
We’ll also see if Rogers has staying power with the Orioles.
Four starts in 2024 left him with a 7.11 ERA and 1.842 WHIP in 19 innings. The Orioles optioned him, he didn’t return, and he arrived in spring training with a right knee subluxation. He didn’t pitch until a one-game rehab assignment with Double-A Chesapeake on April 23. He started for Triple-A Norfolk six days later
Rogers has allowed two earned runs in each of his last three starts with the Tides over 5 2/3, 6 2/3 and four innings. He’s also surrendered 22 hits but walked only two batters.
The velocity isn’t quite at the same level as his start in Boston, when the fastball topped out at 95.6 mph, his hardest pitch with the Orioles, but he’s exceeding his average from 2024.
Maverick Handley was behind the plate for Rogers’ start and knew early on that the fastball had more giddy-up.
“The first one, I caught it a little bit higher, a little bit more velo on it. I was like, ‘Oh (shoot), he’s ready to play today,’” Handley said.
“Out of the get-go, the first ball that he threw, the first fastball I caught from him, it was from the beginning.”
The temperature in Tampa has reached the mid-90s, but Rogers is used to the heat. He’s felt it since the Orioles traded prospects Kyle Stowers and Connor Norby to get him at the 2024 deadline. But the grade remains incomplete with less than a full year passing.
Povich’s return will lead to another roster decision and it might hinge on Rogers. Povich could replace him if the veteran is ineffective. Povich could become a third left-hander in the bullpen and a bulk relief weapon. He tossed 3 2/3 scoreless innings after replacing opener Scott Blewett. Or he could be optioned.
If Povich and Rogers stay, it becomes more likely that Blewett is sent packing. He’s out of minor league options and would be designated for assignment. And of course, there’s always the possibility of another injury or more roster shuffling like we’re seeing this week. Active rosters have the shelf life of an unpeeled banana.
Blewett already could be long gone, since Povich isn’t eligible to return until June 31. But he’s ahead of the other pitchers on the injured list.
Grayson Rodriguez is supposed to throw his first bullpen session this week, as he told the local media on Friday. He’s optimistic about returning in the second half. The Orioles won’t get back Kyle Bradish or Tyler Wells until after the break. Wells threw another bullpen session Saturday, mixing in his changeup, and is supposed to start throwing breaking balls this week.
Wells and Bradish haven’t been cleared to face hitters, but at least they’re trending that way.
The last check on Albert Suárez indicated that his shoulder is feeling better and his last MRI showed that he’s healing. But that’s about it.
As for the position players, Jorge Mateo was eligible to be reinstated yesterday but remains on the injured list with left elbow inflammation. Mansolino provided more of an explanation Saturday than an update.
“The initial thing was that it wasn’t super serious, that it was more of taking care of him,” Mansolino said. “There was some soreness from the collision, and it was getting to the point where we probably needed to just kind of step on the brakes a little bit for him and give him a chance to be himself.
“We need Jorge to be Jorge Mateo and not a guy that’s banged up, and kind of what we were getting out of him and how he was feeling. So I think we thought the best way to do it was to give him a chance to kind of rest and let things heal.”
Luis Vázquez remains on the roster, and mostly the bench, while Mateo is out.
The Orioles can take their time figuring out a way to make room for Tyler O’Neill. He’s shut down again after receiving an injection in the AC joint in his left shoulder.