WASHINGTON -- After undergoing an MRI on his sore right shoulder last Thursday, Orioles right-hander Grayson Rodriguez met with multiple doctors to get opinions. Manager Brandon Hyde then shared the final diagnosis on Wednesday.
Rodriguez has a mild right lat strain, an injury he sustained while recovering from the right elbow inflammation that caused him to open the 2025 season on the 15-day injured list. The 25-year-old is shut down at the moment, though Hyde has been encouraged by Rodriguez¡¯s recent progression.
¡°He has improved quite a bit this last week. Symptom-free right now,¡± Hyde said. ¡°He should start throwing here in a couple weeks.¡±
It¡¯s still a disappointing setback for Rodriguez, whose pro career has been marred by injuries.
Rodriguez reported soreness in his right triceps area/near the back of his right elbow following a Spring Training start on March 5. Two days later, it was confirmed he would head to the IL.
Earlier this month, Rodriguez threw two bullpen sessions before reporting the soreness in his right shoulder, which has been a recurring issue in recent years.
First, Rodriguez missed three months of the 2022 season with a right lat strain while he was at Triple-A Norfolk. Last year, he had two stints on the IL -- one for right shoulder inflammation (April 30-May 18) and another for a right lat/teres strain (Aug. 7-the end of the season).
The past injury issues can make it challenging to call Wednesday¡¯s news a positive.
¡°As of right now, I¡¯m hoping so. I¡¯m trying to stay optimistic about it,¡± Hyde said. ¡°He¡¯s had a tough time staying healthy the last few years, and a lat strain¡¯s a lat strain. You¡¯re hoping that he starts throwing in a couple weeks and in his progression that he stays healthy.¡±
The expectation heading into Spring Training was for Rodriguez (a 2018 first-round Draft pick and former top prospect) to take a big step forward this year and potentially become an ace for a Baltimore rotation that lost Corbin Burnes (who signed with Arizona in December). In ¡®24, Rodriguez pitched well when healthy, recording a 3.86 ERA in 20 starts.
Instead, Rodriguez has been a huge loss for a pitching staff also missing six other starters -- Zach Eflin (right lat strain), Kyle Bradish (Tommy John surgery), Tyler Wells (UCL repair surgery), Albert Su¨¢rez (right subscapularis strain), Trevor Rogers (right knee subluxation) and Chayce McDermott (right lat strain).
The Orioles¡¯ rotation currently consists of Charlie Morton, Dean Kremer, Tomoyuki Sugano, Cade Povich and Brandon Young, the club¡¯s No. 19 prospect per MLB Pipeline, who is expected to make his second big league start on Friday in Detroit after debuting this past Saturday.
It¡¯s not clear when Rodriguez could potentially become an option for the rotation, as he¡¯ll need to restart his throwing program once he begins to play catch in May. For now, Hyde is focused on making sure Rodriguez gets through each step healthy before looking too far down the line.
¡°Let¡¯s get him back on the mound, let¡¯s get him playing catch again,¡± Hyde said, ¡°and we¡¯ll go from there.¡±