The Orioles wasted little time placing starting pitcher Yovani Gallardo on the 15-day disabled list after he left Friday’s start with right shoulder discomfort.
Allowing four runs in two innings of work in Kansas City, the 30-year-old right-hander exited with what the Orioles are now describing as right shoulder bicep tendinitis. Manager Buck Showalter said Friday night that Gallardo would return to Baltimore where he’d be examined by team doctors.
As expected, relief pitcher Brian Matusz was activated from the DL to take Gallardo’s place on the 25-man roster. The lefty specialist suffered a left intercostal strain early in spring training that made him unavailable for the start of the season.
According to FanGraphs, Gallardo’s average fastball velocity entering Friday’s game was just 87.4 miles per hour over his first three starts of 2016, down from an average of 90.4 in 2015. It was no secret that his velocity and strikeout rate had declined over the last few seasons, but a dramatic drop in pitch speed this spring had prompted many to wonder about the health of his arm.
Of course, the Orioles restructured their original three-year, $35 million agreement with the 30-year-old in February after concerns arose about his shoulder during his physical and the sides eventually settled on a two-year, $22 million deal. Baltimore gave up the 14th pick of this year’s draft to sign Gallardo, making the injury even more concerning beyond the short-term ramifications of needing to fill his rotation spot.
This is Gallardo’s first trip to the DL for an arm-related injury in his major league career.
In four starts this season, he is 1-1 with a 7.00 ERA over 18 innings and has struck out just nine while walking seven.
