Grayson Rodriguez is not on the Orioles Opening Day list
By JakeRill | 3:57 p.m. EDT
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SARASOTA, Fla. — Grayson Rodriguez may have to wait a little longer for his MLB debut.
The Orioles will not include Rodriguez in their 26-man opening day squad as the club informed the 23-year-old right-hander on Monday morning that he would be selected for Triple-A Norfolk. Rodriguez is Baltimore’s #2 viewpoint and MLB Pipeline’s #7 viewpoint overall. This was confirmed by manager Brandon Hyde on Monday.
“Anytime you have these kinds of conversations, it’s not easy,” Hyde said. “I think like all our guys he handled it like a pro. And we will continue from there.”
Early in camp, Rodriguez appeared to be among the frontrunners to secure one of the five spots in the O’s rotation. General manager Mike Elias repeatedly stated before spring practice that Rodriguez would have a good opportunity to do so.
However, Rodriguez endured several tough matches in late spring. After allowing just one run in 4 2/3 innings on his first two starts, he gave up 14 runs (11 earned) in 10 2/3 frames on his last three outings. In each of those last three starts, Rodriguez was strong the first time, through the opposing team’s order, before running into trouble.
Rodriguez probably would have made the major leagues last year if he hadn’t missed three months with a right lat strain. He returned from injury in September as he made six starts, including his last three for Norfolk.
With Rodriguez moving to the Minors, it seems likely Tyler Wells could get the last spot in Baltimore’s rotation. Kyle Gibson (the opening day starter) and Dean Kremer have already been announced as the team’s first two starters. Cole Irvin should also be a lock while Kyle Bradish is a favorite to also be included.