With the Baltimore Orioles preparing for 2026 Opening Day, the team has made a surprising move regarding one of its pitchers who played in 31 games last season. As the Orioles are putting the final touches on spring training to get ready for the 2026 season, it looks as if Dean Kremer will start in the minor leagues.
According to Jacob Calvin Meyer of The Baltimore Sun, he would say that the team made the “shocking” decision to option Kremer to minor league camp.
“A shocking roster move by the Orioles: Dean Kremer has been optioned to minor league camp,” Meyer wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
Kremer has been with Baltimore since 2020, seeing his usage go up each year. Looking at the 2025 season, he started in 29 games and pitched 171.1 innings, recording a 4.19 ERA to go along with 142 strikeouts and an 11-10 record.
A look at what the Orioles' rotation will likely look like
As Meyer would go through the tentative five-man rotation that the Orioles will sport to start the 2026 season, it doesn't include Kremer, who even led the team with 11 wins.
“The Orioles will seemingly go with a five-man rotation to begin the season: Trevor Rogers, Kyle Bradish, Shane Baz, Chris Bassitt, Zach Eflin,” Meyer wrote. “Kremer, who led the team with 11 wins and 171.1 innings last year, will presumably begin the season in Triple-A.”
At any rate, it remains to be seen how Kremer's role will change throughout the year and when he will come back to the main roster after a minor league stint, as he just competed with Team Israel during the World Baseball Classic.
Baltimore looks to make some noise in 2026 after finishing with a 75-87 record, putting them last in the AL East, as the team starts the 2026 season on Opening Day next Thursday afternoon, March 26, against the Minnesota Twins.
