With the 2024 trade deadline quickly approaching, the Orioles traded infielder Connor Norby and outfielder Kyle Stowers to the Miami Marlins for left-handed pitcher Trevor Rogers.
The trade raised the eyebrows of Orioles fans because Rogers had a 4.53 ERA and 1.53 WHIP at the time of the trade. Those questions persisted earlier this season with Stowers in the midst of an All-Star season. He was hitting .288/.368/.544 before being placed on the 10-day injured list with a left oblique strain on Aug. 17.
But Baltimore may have found a top-of-the-rotation starter in Rogers. The 6-foot-5, 217-pound lefty has a 5-2 record in 11 starts with a 1.43 ERA and 0.81 WHIP along with 60 strikeouts in 69.1 innings this season.
After spending April and most of May rehabbing an offseason knee injury, Rogers got his first start of the season as the 27th man for a doubleheader in Boston on May 24. He shut out the Red Sox, finishing the night with two hits and five strikeouts in 6.1 innings. Rogers says that the start gave him confidence that he was back on track.
“I knew that offseason that the work I put in, and I trusted that I was back to where I was a couple of years before that,” Rogers said on Glenn Clark Radio Aug. 8. “But at the end of the day, for me, I need to see results just to prove that I am back to where I need to be. And that was what that Boston start was … the start of something special, as far as going into the rest of the year.”
The road back to success wasn’t easy for Rogers. He had a stellar start to his career in 2021 in his first full season with the Marlins, earning an All-Star nod and finishing second in NL Rookie of the Year voting. Rogers largely struggled from 2022-2024, with back, lat and biceps injuries playing a major role.
Rogers allowed 15 earned runs in 19 innings (four starts) for the Orioles in 2024 before being optioned to Triple-A Norfolk, where he finished out the season.
“There was a moment where we were packing up our apartment to head back down to Triple-A,” Rogers said. “I just told my wife, ‘I don’t know how much longer I can do this, to be honest, I’ve worked my butt off every day just to try to get better, and it feels like I’m going backward and I don’t get it, I don’t understand it.’ I told her I’m going to give this two more years, and if nothing changes, I’m going to find something else to do because this just isn’t fun for me anymore.”
Rogers believes that the organization’s belief in him and his work with Driveline Baseball helped him overcome his slump.
“[Orioles pitching coach Drew French] and I had a really good conversation,” Rogers said. “His words, I was the future of this thing. That put in my mind that they had a plan in place. It wasn’t that they sent me down to Triple-A because, ‘We thought it was a good trade, but it didn’t work out, so go to Triple-A.’ It wasn’t that deal. I went to Driveline and really put in the work.”
Another key: Rogers’ wife Tessa has worn the same pants to all of his recent starts …
… including his most recent seven-inning, one-run effort against the Seattle Mariners on Aug. 13.
“They were worn,” Rogers said after the 4-3 win. “I’m going to have that conversation with her to make sure they’re washed and ready to go for five days from now.”
Rogers has seen his hard work pay off throughout the 2025 season, and fans have had an opportunity to show their appreciation during the left-hander’s home starts. After allowing one hit and one walk and striking out five in seven scoreless innings against the Rockies on July 26, fans gave Rogers a standing ovation.
“It was so loud,” Rogers said. “I was like, ‘Wow, they’re applauding my performance that I gave to the fans.’ I almost tried to slow down walking to the dugout just so I could take it in a little bit longer. … Even before then, all the negativity I got, I used it as fuel. They just want to see their team win. I wasn’t doing that. And then coming full circle and getting a standing ‘O,’ it gives me goosebumps just thinking about it. It was unbelievable, I’ll never forget that moment.”
For more from Rogers, listen to the full interview here:
Photo Credit: Kenya Allen/PressBox