Orioles' Grayson Rodriguez Called Up; MLB's 7th-Ranked Prospect to Debut vs. Rangers

The Baltimore Orioles apparently weren't very concerned about Grayson Rodriguez's spring training struggles, as the right-handed pitcher is set to make his first MLB start Wednesday.

The team announced Rodriguez will start the series finale against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field.

MLB.com ranked Rodriguez as the No. 7 overall prospect coming into this season. The 23-year-old was limited to 17 starts last season due to a lat strain, but he still finished with a 2.62 ERA and 109 strikeouts in 75.2 innings across three levels of the minors.

Rodriguez had a chance to compete for a spot on the Opening Day roster, but he struggled with a 7.04 ERA, 17 hits allowed and seven walks in 15.1 innings over five starts.

The Orioles optioned their top pitching prospect to Triple-A Norfolk on March 24. He made one start in the minors, allowing two earned runs with four walks and two strikeouts in a rain-soaked game against Durham last Friday.

Baltimore found itself in need of a starter for Wednesday because of an injury suffered by Kyle Bradish in Monday's series opener against the Rangers. He suffered a right-foot contusion when Jonah Heim's liner hit him in the bottom of the second inning.

Tyler Wells, who was set to start Tuesday's game, volunteered to pitch in relief after Bradish left so manager Brandon Hyde didn't have to drain the bullpen early in the season. The right-hander tossed five hitless innings in a 2-0 win.

Since Wells was unavailable to make his scheduled start, Kyle Gibson moved up a day to handle starting duties Tuesday.

Rodriguez was scheduled to start on Wednesday at Triple-A anyway, so the Orioles opted to bring him up for their game in Texas.

He was selected with the No. 11 pick in the 2018 draft and has been dominant in the minors. MLB.com's scouting report cites Rodriguez's fastball and changeup as his best pitches, but he also throws a plus slider that can miss bats.

It's unclear if this will be a permanent call-up for Rodriguez or a spot start to fill an immediate opening the Orioles had. If he looks impressive in this game, it wouldn't be a surprise to see him stick around in the big leagues.