Coming off their first winning season in six years, the Orioles entered this season facing expectations to build on that success from 2022. The new campaign is not even a week old, yet Baltimore is already adding some high-profile talent to its big-league roster.
The Orioles are reportedly calling up top pitching prospect Grayson Rodriguez, according to Geoff Pontes of Baseball America. Rodriguez is expected to make his major league debut on Wednesday against the Rangers, squaring off against two-time Cy Young Award winner Jacob deGrom.
Rodriguez, 23, was the No. 11 pick in the 2018 MLB draft. He quickly established himself as one of the best pitchers in the minor leagues, posting a 2.49 ERA with 421 strikeouts across 296 career professional innings.
Rodriguez will join other young stars on Baltimore’s roster in catcher Adley Rutschman—who was last year’s American League Rookie of the Year—and infielder Gunnar Henderson.
Rodriguez began the 2023 season at Triple A, making one start and allowing two earned runs with four walks and two strikeouts over four innings.