The Baltimore Orioles are fully focused on preparing for the future, but one of their best young players was just dealt a pretty worrying injury update. According to ESPN, the Orioles' top pitching prospect Grayson Rodriguez is dealing with a Grade 2 lat strain and could be sidelined until September with the injury. General Manager Mike Elias revealed the severity of the lat injury, which doesn't bode well for a quick return.
Typically, a Grade 2 lat muscle strain will require as many as 12 weeks to heal, so Rodriguez could very well end up being sidelined for the season, though the team has yet to shut him down.
“I mean, the timing of this really stinks, is all I can say,” Elias said via ESPN. “He was basically at the point of checking every box you could think of in terms of his minor league work. I think that's he's shown that if he's healthy and himself, we want him to be in a position to help this team next year out of spring training.”
As Elias alluded to, Rodriguez was on the precipice of earning a big-league promotion and was a shoo-in to be on the MLB roster next spring. The 22-year-old was enjoying a sensational season in the minor leagues. At Triple-A Norfolk, Rodriguez started 11 games, logging a 2.09 ERA with a jaw-dropping 80 strikeouts in 56.0 innings. He's surrendered just one home run and has walked 14 batters, maintaining a pristine 0.839 WHIP.
Unfortunately, his injury is more severe than expected, and it looks that his season is now in jeopardy. At best, the Orioles are looking at a September return to the mound for Rodriguez, but by that point, the minor league season will be all but over, and the O's don't figure to be in contention for a playoff spot.
Follow Us
Subscribe