With Grayson Rodriguez headlining a growing list of injury concerns in the midst of the Grapefruit League, I’ve offered a dozen Orioles thoughts, each in 50 words or less:
1. Grayson Rodriguez went from feeling “sluggish” with diminished velocity to experiencing triceps soreness to receiving a cortisone shot for elbow inflammation. Brandon Hyde said it’s “not a ligament issue” Friday, but that’s a concerning five-day stretch for someone critical to the upside potential of this rotation.
2. If Rodriguez indeed begins a throwing progression in seven to 10 days and is fine after this shutdown, a return at some point in April isn’t out of the question. Otherwise, the Orioles are looking at the 25-year-old missing significant time in three of the last four seasons. Not good.
3. Meanwhile, the Yankees have already lost Luis Gil until the summer while Gerrit Cole could be staring at the possibility of Tommy John surgery. Seattle’s George Kirby is on the shelf with a bad shoulder. Pitching injuries are everywhere, which is why you need as much depth as possible.
4. Adding top-half upside to the rotation isn’t easy in mid-March, but Mike Elias shouldn’t wait to add to the bullpen in the wake of Andrew Kittredge undergoing knee surgery that will sideline him well into the season. Defaulting to an out-of-options Bryan Baker isn’t good enough for a serious contender.
5. Unless we’re missing something, David Robertson seems like an obvious target as a high-leverage reliever. Yes, he’ll be 40 in April, but his 2024 season with Texas was a good one with no apparent red flags beyond age. You simply can’t lean too heavily on Felix Bautista returning from injury.
6. I’m higher on Seranthony Dominguez than many, but his reputation for surrendering the long ball hasn’t been helped by giving up four in his first three Grapefruit League appearances. Even if you shouldn’t put much stock into spring numbers, you don’t want to see someone getting clobbered either.
8
7. Concerns about a pitcher’s shoulder on a long-term deal are a different animal than a knee injury, but there’s certainly some irony that Kittredge was the perceived backup plan after Baltimore’s pursuit of All-Star reliever Jeff Hoffman fell apart. We’ll see how Hoffman fares with Toronto the next couple years.
8. On the bright side of the unsettling pitching updates, Tomoyuki Sugano turned in a very impressive performance that included five strikeouts over three perfect innings on Sunday. Elias hitting on both the Sugano and Charlie Morton signings becomes even more critical now.
9. Albert Suarez was perceived to be the next man up for the rotation, but I’m taking a long look at Cade Povich for the No. 5 spot with the soon-to-be 25-year-old lefty following a strong September with a good beginning to his spring. Povich stepping up would be very helpful.
10. Not that the corner outfield alignment is a major story, but Tyler O’Neill has been receiving more starts in left field while Colton Cowser has seen more time in right. We’ll see whether that continues as starters begin playing more regularly these next couple weeks.
11. Off to a 3-for-22 spring start, Cedric Mullins certainly doesn’t want to open a contract year like he did last season when we were wondering whether a minor-league stint was a possibility in early June. This lineup looks much more complete with Mullins swinging the bat well.
12. The bar isn’t high for the Orioles Hall of Fame, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t celebrate someone as perfect for the honor as Adam Jones. It’s great to see him back with the organization, and no player has represented the Orioles better than Jones in the post-Cal Ripken era.
