BALTIMORE — The Orioles’ peculiar attempt to carry three Rule 5 picks on their 25-man roster didn’t make it through the second week of the season.
After giving up his second grand slam in only his fourth appearance in Monday’s 7-1 loss to Toronto, left-handed pitcher Nestor Cortes has been designated for assignment. The Orioles recalled right-hander Yefry Ramirez from Triple-A Norfolk to take his roster spot, giving them another fresh arm for a bullpen still trying to recover from a taxing four-game series against the New York Yankees.
Cortes will now be exposed to waivers and would be returned to the Yankees, his original organization, if unclaimed by the other 28 teams. Should he clear waivers, the Orioles could attempt to work out a trade with New York to keep the 23-year-old in the organization.
His ability to change speeds and arm angles received favorable reviews early in spring training, but that didn’t translate to the regular season as Cortes allowed four earned runs, 10 hits, and four walks in 4 2/3 innings. With a fastball averaging only 88 miles per hour, Cortes did not appear to have much upside as the Orioles had hoped to carry him in the bullpen as their long man similar to how they used former Rule 5 pick T.J. McFarland in 2013.
“We knew it was going to be a challenge,” manager Buck Showalter said. “If we could have gotten a little deeper in our games with our starting pitching, I think I could have protected him more. We were forced into some things. I still think he’s got a chance to be a good pitcher, and we’ll see where it takes us.
“Regardless of what division you’re playing in, it’s the big leagues. Like I said, they’re going to have to pitch.”
Unlike Cortes, Rule 5 right-hander Pedro Araujo has shown impressive flashes over his five appearances, striking out 11 batters in 7 2/3 innings. His underwhelming 5.87 ERA is a product of a poor April 3 outing against Houston in which he was charged with four earned runs while retiring only two batters. On Sunday, the 24-year-old pitched 2 1/3 scoreless innings while striking out five in the 8-7 comeback win over the Yankees in 12 innings.
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Araujo entered the season having pitched only two innings above the Single-A level, but he’s shown a low-to-mid-90s fastball to go along with an impressive slider and a good changeup.
Outfielder Colby Rasmus underwent a magnetic resonance imaging exam on his left hip on Tuesday. Placed on the 10-day disabled list over the weekend, Rasmus was projected to be sidelined five to eight days, but the Orioles want to make sure there isn’t anything more serious going on with the same hip on which he had surgery in 2016.
Mark Trumbo began his rehab assignment with Double-A Bowie on Tuesday, serving as the Baysox designated hitter and batting third. Out with a quadriceps strain since mid-March, Trumbo could be activated as soon as this weekend’s Boston series if deemed ready to go.
Starting pitcher Alex Cobb remains on track to debut at Fenway Park on Saturday and will complete his workday with Bowie on Wednesday.
