Chayce McDermott DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

Baltimore Orioles pitching prospect Chayce McDermott (lat) is expected to face live hitters next week and could return before the end of May. McDermott has been sidelined since the start of the campaign due to a right lat strain. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor his progression, but it appears the Ball State product is nearing a return to action. Last summer, McDermott made his MLB debut and logged four innings in the major leagues. He spent most of the season with Triple-A Norfolk, where he logged 100 innings of work to the tune of a 3.78 ERA with a 1.41 WHIP. He struck out an impressive 144 batters but served up a high 60 free passes. When McDermott returns to action, he should contend for a return to the big leagues later in the summer.

Baltimore Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said that pitching prospect Chayce McDermott (lat) threw a light side session at camp on Tuesday. McDermott, the team's No. 4 prospect per MLB Pipeline, is coming along slowly in his throwing program after being originally diagnosed with a mild lat strain at spring training. The 26-year-old right-hander is fully expected to join Triple-A Norfolk to begin the 2025 season whenever he's cleared for game action. He stands at 6-foot-3, 197 pounds and was the fourth-round pick by the Houston Astros in 2021 out of Ball State University. McDermott's fastball-slider combination generates plenty of strikeouts (over 30%) in his time at Triple-A, which makes him an interesting pitching prospect to speculate on in fantasy. He should return to Baltimore at some point in 2025 after starting one game in 2024, but his lack of control of his secondary stuff will limit his upside.

Baltimore Orioles right-hander Chayce McDermott (lat) still hasn't been cleared to begin baseball activities in camp but said on Tuesday that he feels "really good" after reporting to spring training with a mild left-teres train. He doesn't know when he'll begin a throwing progression, though, which means he may not be ready for the start of the 2025 regular season. Baseball America ranks McDermott as the team's No. 5 prospect after he made just one start in his big-league debut in 2024. He was already likely facing an uphill climb this year to make the Opening Day roster, and his lat injury probably means he'll begin the year back in Triple-A Norfolk's starting rotation. In 100 innings for Norfolk a year ago, McDermott had a 3.78 ERA with 144 strikeouts and 60 walks. He has plenty of swing-and-miss stuff but also can be pretty wild.

According to Jacob Calvin Meyer of the Baltimore Sun, Orioles starting pitching prospect Chayce McDermott (lat) sustained a mild lat/teres strain and is being briefly shut down. Meyer noted that McDermott will begin a throwing program in 10-14 days. Given this setback, McDermott will face an uphill battle to have a chance to make the Opening Day roster. Last season, McDermott was given one start in the major leagues. Across his first four MLB frames, the No. 5 ranked prospect in the system allowed three earned runs. He spent the majority of the campaign with Triple-A Norfolk, where he logged 100 innings to the tune of a 3.78 ERA and a 1.41 WHIP. He tallied 144 punchouts and served up 60 free passes. Fantasy managers should expect the Ball State product to open the season the season with Triple-A but will likely be given a call to the majors later in the summer.