Right-handed pitcher Grayson Rodriguez was among the prospects added to the Orioles’ 40-man roster ahead of the Nov. 15 deadline to protect players from the Rule 5 Draft, which will take place in San Diego Dec. 7 during the winter meetings.
The Orioles added pitchers Noah Denoyer, Seth Johnson and Drew Rom and infielder Joey Ortiz to the roster as well. The 40-man roster sits at 39 players.
Rodriguez, who turns 23 on Nov. 16, was expected to make his major league debut during the 2022 season but nearly missed three months with a Grade 2 lat strain suffered in early June. He made six starts in September, including three with Triple-A Norfolk, but ran out of time to make his big league debut.
Rodriguez will compete for a rotation spot in spring training. The 6-foot-5, 220-pound right-hander was taken by the Orioles out of a Texas high school with the 11th overall pick of the 2018 MLB Draft. His ascent through the organization has only been delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and the lat injury in 2022. Rodriguez has posted a 2.47 ERA in 292.0 innings with the organization, striking out 419 hitters and walking just 98.
Denoyer, 24, signed with the Orioles as an undrafted free agent following the 2019 MLB Draft. The 6-foot-5, 225-pound right-hander posted a 2.89 ERA in 71.2 innings (five starts, 16 relief appearances) across three levels in 2022, then put up a 5.85 ERA in 20.0 innings (five starts, one relief appearance) in the Arizona Fall League.
Johnson, 24, is recovering from Tommy John surgery and is expected to miss the entire 2023 season. The 6-foot-1, 200-pound right-hander was part of the three-team deal that sent Trey Mancini to Houston and Jose Siri to Tampa Bay this past summer. Johnson was drafted by the Rays in the first round of the 2019 MLB Draft and pitched well prior to his injury (2.81 ERA in 137.2 minor league innings from 2019-2022).
Rom, who turns 23 in December, was drafted by the Orioles in the fourth round of 2018 MLB Draft. The 6-foot-2, 170-pound left-hander has steadily risen through the organization, posting a 25-9 mark and 3.41 ERA across 353.2 innings (69 starts, 11 relief appearances) since 2018.
Ortiz, 24, was drafted by the Orioles in the fourth round of 2019 MLB Draft. The 5-foot-11, 175-pound infielder is considered one of the top defensive shortstops in the organization. He has hit .271/.349/.425 with 78 extra-base hits since entering the system in 2019. Ortiz broke out in a big way in the second half of the 2022 season, hitting .346/.400/.567 in 115 plate appearances late in the year with Triple-A Norfolk.
Photo Credit: Vanessa Garcia