Grayson Rodriguez lands on IL, John Means activated
The Baltimore Orioles pitching staff is already battered and bruised. For starters, closer Felix Bautista will not pitch this season after Tommy John surgery. Cionel Perez and Tyler Wells have had or are currently on the injured list after suffering minor injuries as well. The team has played well after losing closer Craig Kimbrel to back soreness, but today was the icing on the cake. The O’s announced Grayson Rodriguez will go on the 15-day injured list with shoulder inflammation.
Rodriguez has pitched to a 4-1 record with a 3.71 ERA in six starts so far. He’s helped out the starting rotation tremendously without Kyle Bradish and John Means. The injury news comes as a shock to many, as he had his best start of the year on Monday evening. Rodriguez pitched 5.2 scoreless innings against the strong Yankees offense, helping guide the O’s to a 2-0 victory.
The team did break some good news, however. John Means has been activated from the IL after missing the first month of the season. Means struggled early in the minors in 2024, pitching to a 8.68 ERA in 18.2 innings pitched. He is coming off of his best start of the season against the Gwinnett Stripers, going seven innings allowing one hit and no runs. Means will be making his first start in the majors since September 29th of last season.
Brandon Hyde has a very tough job ahead of him. He’ll have to piece together a pitching staff that was already weak in the bullpen. He’s done a phenomenal job so far, as the bullpen has been strong in the series against New York.
