The Baltimore Orioles took a flier on former New York Mets ace Matt Harvey by signing him to a minor-league deal this offseason.

Harvey has surprised by being named to the big-league roster with under a week to go until Opening Day 2021. But he will be at the back end of the rotation thanks in part to another surprise in O's camp.

Jim Henneman of PressBoxOnline reported Bruce Zimmerman is likely in line to hold down the No. 4 spot in the Orioles rotation, with Harvey bringing up the rear at the No. 5 spot.

Bruce Zimmerman was the Atlanta Braves' fifth-round pick in the 2017 MLB draft. He was included in the deal that sent Kevin Gausman and Darren O'Day from Baltimore to Atlanta in the summer of 2018.

The left-hander showcased his talent with a 2.58 ERA in 17 starts at Double-A in 2019 and earned a promotion to Triple-A prior to the start of the season. Zimmerman pitched briefly in the majors in 2020, giving up six runs in 7.0 innings of work.

However, Bruce Zimmerman has held opponents scoreless and conceded just one base hit in 9.0 innings this spring. Granted, a couple of those starts came in “B” games, but the O's will throw him into the fire nonetheless.

Matt Harvey is hoping to stick in Baltimore after a tumultuous stretch. The “Dark Knight” is pitching for his fifth team in the last four and is coming off a year in which he gave up 15 runs and six homers in 11.2 innings with the Kansas City Royals in 2020.

Maybe Matt Harvey can rebuild his career in Baltimore. But the O's probably have greater expectations for Bruce Zimmerman.