The outlook for the Orioles’ pitching staff became clearer before Tuesday’s series opener with the Mariners. Interim manager Tony Mansolino provided updates on numerous arms, for better or worse.
The season is over for two starters. Zach Eflin, who went on the injured list with lower back discomfort at the end of July, will undergo a lower microdiscectomy procedure soon. He will rehab at home and be a free agent after the season. Grayson Rodriguez had surgery to remove a bone spur from his right elbow on Aug. 11. He will rehab in Sarasota and is aiming to be ready for spring training in February. He never appeared in a game in 2025.
The news is especially disappointing but not surprising for Rodriguez. The issues started in early March, when he dealt with triceps soreness and started the season on the injured list with elbow discomfort. That turned into inflammation, which he said on “Foul Territory” in late March is something he’s dealt with for three to four years.
Rodriguez had a bullpen session canceled in mid-April due to shoulder soreness, later revealed to be a mild lat strain. More than two months after being transferred to the 60-day injured list, his throwing program was pulled back again amid elbow discomfort — what started the spiral of injuries.
“This has felt like this for a while this year,” Mansolino said about the injuries the starting rotation suffered throughout the season. “I don’t think today is a day of finality by any means, it’s just something that we’ve kind of had to take on throughout the year.”
Closer Félix Bautista also will not pitch again this year. He has a “significant shoulder injury” and has a doctor’s appointment later this week. There’s no clarity regarding his outlook for the start of next season.
Bautista came back strong from Tommy John surgery, striking out 50 batters in 34.2 innings with a 2.60 ERA. But he went on the injured list on July 24 with an injury that cropped up right after the All-Star break. There were “no indications” of anything wrong prior to that, Mansolino said.
Kyle Bradish and Tyler Wells, meanwhile, are making progress as they make their way back from elbow injuries. Bradish has two more rehab starts on the docket, while Wells has two or three more. Both are being built up as starters.
Albert Suárez (shoulder) is not a rotation candidate. Mansolino said the club plans for Suárez, whose lone big league outing this season came on March 28, to help out as a bulk-inning reliever. He had his first rehab outing on Aug. 13, allowing four runs in two innings at Double-A Chesapeake.
Suárez’s eventual return will give the bullpen a much-needed multi-inning option, especially with Bradish and Wells not expected to provide a ton of length once they make it back to Baltimore. Mansolino mentioned Dietrich Enns as another bulk-inning option.
“We’re just trying to figure out how to make this thing work,” Mansolino said. “It’s hard to break in two guys at the same time coming off surgery in the rotation.”
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