It was 3 1/2 weeks ago that Trevor Rogers made a superb start in the nightcap of a doubleheader at Fenway Park, which kicked off the Orioles’ stretch of 14 wins in 20 games.
Baltimore now appears likely to turn to him again after placing left-hander Cade Povich on the 15-day injured list with left hip inflammation on Monday afternoon. While manager Tony Mansolino wouldn’t yet confirm to reporters that Rogers would start Wednesday’s game against Tampa Bay, all signs point to the 27-year-old lefty making his second major league appearance of the season. Povich, who last pitched in a bulk capacity on Sunday, isn’t expected to be sidelined for an extended period of time, according to Mansolino.
Since allowing two hits and striking out five over 6 1/3 shutout innings in the eventual 2-1 win over Boston on May 24, Rogers has pitched to a 3.31 ERA in three starts covering 16 1/3 innings for Triple-A Norfolk. An offseason knee injury delayed the start of his 2025 campaign, and Rogers pitched to an ugly 8.10 ERA over his first four starts for the Tides before the impressive outing against the Red Sox. He allowed two earned runs over four innings in his most recent start against Nashville on June 12, putting him in line to start on five days’ rest for the Orioles.
Of course, Rogers has been under much scrutiny since being acquired from Miami in exchange for outfielder Kyle Stowers and infielder Connor Norby at last year’s trade deadline. He flopped in his initial run with the Orioles, pitching to a 7.11 ERA over four starts before being optioned to Norfolk for the remainder of the season. Despite his career trending in the wrong direction for a few years now, Rogers is trying to regain the form he enjoyed as a rookie in 2021 when he posted an impressive 2.64 ERA over 133 innings and was an All-Star selection for the Marlins.
Despite Zach Eflin surrendering seven runs and a career-worst 12 hits in Monday’s 7-1 loss to the Rays, the improvement of the starting rotation has been a meaningful factor in Baltimore’s recent surge. Since May 24, the Orioles are a respectable 14th in the majors in starter ERA (4.09) after ranking 29th (5.84) out of 30 clubs over the first 49 games of the season.
In 64 2/3 innings this season, Povich, 25, has pitched to a 5.15 ERA and averaged 9.5 strikeouts and 3.2 walks per nine frames. He is one of six Baltimore pitchers with starting experience currently on the IL, joining Grayson Rodriguez, Albert Suarez, Kyle Bradish, Tyler Wells, and Cody Poteet.
