Grayson Rodriguez's Stats, Metrics, Game Logs, Projections & Rankings

Baltimore Orioles general manager Mike Elias said that right-hander Grayson Rodriguez (lat) is "moving in the right direction" but "time is not our friend." Elias left open the possibility of Rodriguez temporarily pitching out of the bullpen when he returns. Rodriguez is recovering from a strained right lat and has been throwing off a mound, but he's running out of time to get stretched out as a starting pitcher with the end of the 2024 regular season quickly approaching. When the 24-year-old is activated from the injured list, he could build his arm back up by coming on in relief out of the bullpen at the end of September. From there, it would be the team's call as to whether they trust him enough in a starting role in the playoffs. He has been out since late August but was a solid rotation piece for the O's and fantasy managers before his injury, going 13-4 with a 3.86 ERA and 130 strikeouts in his 20 starts.

Baltimore Orioles right-hander Grayson Rodriguez (lat, shoulder) could face live hitters at some point during the team's road trip through Boston and Detroit that starts on Monday and runs through this coming Sunday, according to manager Brandon Hyde. Rodriguez has been on the 15-day injured list since early August with a strained right lat but was able to throw off a mound next week and could go on a minor-league rehab assignment if he has a successful session throwing to live hitters this week. Barring a setback in that process, Rodriguez should be able to rejoin Baltimore's starting rotation in late September or just in time for the start of the playoffs. The former 11th overall pick in 2018 is a top-of the rotation starter next to Corbin Burnes when healthy, so the O's really will need him to be at the top of his game come October if they want to make a deep postseason run.

Baltimore Orioles right-hander Grayson Rodriguez (lat) threw his first bullpen session that consisted of around 20 pitches on Wednesday at Camden Yards, and he said he felt good while mixing in some offspeed pitches as well. "Arm's feeling good," Rodriguez said. "That's the most important thing." It's good news for the O's, but Rodriguez is still likely several weeks away from a return to the big-league starting rotation. The 24-year-old suffered a lat strain almost a month ago and will most likely need at least one minor-league rehab start before returning to the majors. It means that he might have a couple more starts to help fantasy managers down the stretch, if that. The former 11th overall pick in 2018 has improved in his second year in Baltimore, going 13-4 with a 3.86 ERA, a 1.24 WHIP and nice 26.5% strikeout rate over his 20 starts.