Top pitching prospect Grayson Rodriguez gave the entire Orioles organization a scare when he had to leave his June 1 start for Triple-A Norfolk with a strained lat muscle.
While the injury isn’t devastating, Rodriguez will be out indefinitely and puts a crimp on the Orioles’ rebuilding plans because he was expected to make his MLB debut in the coming weeks. Rodriguez and catcher Adley Rutschman are expected to be the club’s cornerstone players for years to come.
While Rutschman was promoted this year and is an everyday starter for the Orioles, Rodriguez, the game’s No. 3 overall prospect according to Baseball America, could possibly be looking at 2023 before he makes his debut at Camden Yards.
“It’s certainly a very disappointing development in terms of the 2022 calendar and our hopes and his, but it’s something that we will ultimately get through,” Orioles GM Mike Elias said June 2 prior to the Orioles-Mariners game.
Rodriguez suffered the injury in Norfolk’s game against Jacksonville June 1. Rodriguez was having another dominant performance before the setback and had thrown 5.2 scoreless innings.
Last week, Rodriguez was named the International League Pitcher of the Week. He gave up just two hits with 10 strikeouts in seven scoreless innings during Norfolk’s 5-2 victory against Gwinnett 5-2 on May 27.
Rodriguez is 5-1 with a 2.09 ERA and 0.84 WHIP in 11 starts for the Tides this season. He has struck out 80 hitters and walked 14 in 56 innings.
“The start before this one, and the start this happened in, were probably his two best appearances of the year, and certainly I’ve talked about it ad nauseam, but there has been so much thought and planning into the calendar of his throwing every since the end of 2019, and even before that, that this just happened,” Elias said. “It’s not something that I think at this point in time looks particularly worrisome from a long-term standpoint, and we’ve had guys pull muscles all the time, but it’s an unfortunate timing development for both him and the Orioles, obviously.”
While Elias and the organization are disappointed by the setback, they are grateful it was not an arm-related injury. While the team doctors are still assessing the injury, it’s likely Rodriguez will continue his rehab at the Orioles’ complex in Sarasota, Fla.
The future still appears bright for the Orioles’ blue-chip prospect.
“We were watching every start of his very carefully, and carefully building him toward readiness from a workload standpoint, from an everything-you-can-think-of standpoint, to what’s going to be a very long and fruitful pitching career. And obviously, this is a delay,” Elias said.
Austin Hays: Orioles All-Star?
Orioles left fielder Austin Hays extended his hit streak to a season-long 13 games May 2 in a 7-6, 10-inning loss to the Seattle Mariners.
It’s the longest streak by an Oriole this season and the second-longest of his career, trailing a 17-game stretch from Aug. 24 to Sept. 11, 2021.
Hays also flashed the glove again and recorded his fourth outfield assist at third base in the first inning. He is tied for the team lead with center fielder Cedric Mullins, who also recorded an outfield assist at second base in the fifth inning.
When Hays can avoid injuries, he is one of the Orioles’ most productive players. Hays is slashing .302/.373/.453 with five homers and 25 RBIs this season. If he continues to play well, he could find his way onto the American League All-Star team this season.
“He’s really talented,” Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said of Hays. “Austin has had a little bit of an injury-plagued career and he’s had consistent at-bats when he’s healthy. He’s getting four or five at-bats a game and seeing a guy in his third or fourth year making adjustments and swinging the bat really well.”
Photo Credit: Vanessa Garcia