12:51 AM UTC
ABERDEEN, Md. — In Grayson Rodriguez’s mind, he was on the cusp of promotion when he was injured in early June, as he was on the cusp of a triple-A in Norfolk. Dominating the first half, the right wing remembers “putting down the best baseball I’ve ever thrown in my life.” Instead, he was rewarded for his adversity’s success. Then struggled.
Now that summer is gone from his last game, baseball’s top Pitcher every MLB Pipeline prospect is enjoying his return to the mound. And his eyes are still directed at the warehouse.
“For me, it’s any minute,” Rodriguez He will make a highly anticipated return from injury for Thursday’s game against High-A Hickory, said Tuesday at Ripken Stadium. “Where we are now, the goal hasn’t changed. Camden is very close.”
When Rodriguez rubberized the IronBirds, it had been three months since he was ousted from the start in Norfolk on June 1, with what he initially thought was a right shoulder cramp, which made him feel Shock. Subsequent imaging revealed an even more sinister situation: a grade 2 lat strain that didn’t require surgery but could have ended Rodriguez’s season. At the very least, the diagnosis stalled Rodriguez’s ascent, when he had 80 strikeouts with a 2.09 ERA in 56 innings. That propelled his upcoming debut into an unknown future.
Now Rodriguez is healthy again, the problem becomes the debut Whether it will appear in the playoffs of the upstart O.
“At the beginning, there was a question of whether I would do it again this year Pitch,” Rodriguez said. “It’s kind of hard, hanging over your head. Come back and know I might get the last month, it’s huge.”
The Orioles are cautious about Rodriguez’s rehab, which he said has “no hurdles” or setbacks. But it’s tiring. Six weeks off. Then came a month of bullpen training, with Rodriguez stationed at the club’s training facility in Sarasota, Florida. , “Watching a lot of Orioles games in my hotel room,” he said. He also described it as a period of reflection where Rodriguez was able to “really think about what I’m doing, how I’m pitching to batters, how I’m using certain pitches in different counts. Really can sit there, sit on it, and plan a game plan for about two to three months.”
He started facing live batsmen at the beginning of August and made a smooth 40 over the weekend before arriving in Aberdeen.
“It was quite challenging to fall, but we fought hard, We got through it and now we are here,” Rodriguez said. “I think it’s quite a challenge. I’m going to attack it as best I can. I’m not going to cheat in the process. It’s always in my head – I know I’ll be back. I just don’t know how long.
Rodriguez said he planned to “throw it ’til someone throws it Take it from me” Thursday, but he’ll almost certainly be at an undisclosed number of pitches (his season high of 88). He said he did not know his future plans. In this case, the O’s have not said how many rehab starts Rodriguez will need before returning to Norfolk, likely because his fitness and performance will largely determine it.
Rodriguez did say that he wants every five days before the end of the season Make a pitch. Assuming a conservative progression, this will allow him to fully recover after two or three games. It would also allow him to play as many as five more games before the minor league schedule ends. Baltimore’s schedule will allow for an extra one or six.
“The last sim I threw in Florida was close to 100%,” Rodriguez said. “It’s nothing compared to being in the lights or seeing different jerseys, but I’ve prepared as much as I can.”
The question is how much the Orioles will push him. Going into Tuesday’s game in Cleveland, their rotation has a 2.19 ERA over its past 12 games while averaging more than six innings per game. But for a club fighting for a playoff spot, the potential benefits of adding a pitcher like Rodriguez are clear.
22-year-old workload shouldn’t be an issue on the surface. Rodriguez was 47 innings off his career high of 103 innings set last year. But he’s emerging from a severe injury scare and a lengthy suspension, and the O’s are still reluctant to rush prospects despite increased playoff odds. What they do with Rodriguez next month could be the organization’s biggest decision of 2022.
“I just want to get there as fast as possible,” Rodriguez Say. “The fire is getting hotter now.”
