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Jorge Castillo, ESPN Staff Writer
NEW YORK — In another gut punch to the Baltimore Orioles‘ starting rotation, right-hander Grayson Rodriguez will not pitch again in 2024, manager Brandon Hyde announced Wednesday.
The Orioles had thought Rodriguez, on the injured list since Aug. 7 because of a strain in his right shoulder and back, could return to pitch in the playoffs, if not late in the regular season. But those hopes were dashed once he did not progress as expected from an injury initially described by the team as “mild.”
“It’s normally an injury that takes some time,” Hyde said before Wednesday’s game against the New York Yankees. “And to get him back for the playoffs was going to be a little bit of a rush. And we just felt for his health — for his future — it was the right thing to do.”
Rodriguez, 24, began the season as the Orioles’ No. 2 starter behind Corbin Burnes, the 2021 NL Cy Young Award winner who was acquired in February. He made six starts before spending more than two weeks on the injured list between April and May because of right shoulder inflammation.
Rodriguez finishes his second major league season with a 13-4 record and 3.86 ERA in 116⅔ innings over 20 outings.
“It’s a loss,” Hyde said. “And we’ve missed him.”
Rodriguez joined John Means, Tyler Wells and Kyle Bradish — all of whom sustained elbow injuries — as Orioles starting pitchers to be lost for the season. As it stands with five regular-season games left, the Orioles will head into the postseason with Burnes, Zach Eflin, Dean Kremer and Albert Suarez as their top four starters.
“It’s part of the game,” Hyde said. “Unfortunately, it’s part of the game that stinks. We’ve been missing guys all year and hung in there. And we’re excited about these next five and going into the postseason.”
The Orioles will need to win their remaining five games and have the Yankees lose their final five to win the American League East. While that’s unlikely, Baltimore is still playing for home-field advantage in a three-game wild-card series next week.