Norfolk Tides pitcher Grayson Rodriguez is ready to help the Baltimore Orioles: ‘To me, the season isn’t over yet.’
The Norfolk Tides played their final game of 2022 on Wednesday night.
Grayson Rodriguez hopes he’s not done yet.
The 22-year-old right-hander, who missed a large chunk of his first Triple-A season with a lat muscle strain, is continuing with his between-starts routine with an eye on his potential major league debut in the final days of the regular season for the parent Baltimore Orioles.
“As of right now, still throwing, playing catch as if I’m going to make a start in four more days,” said Rodriguez, the top pitching prospect in all of baseball according to MLB.com. “So right now, my mentality’s the same. To me, the season isn’t over yet.”
It almost was. Rodriguez left the Tides in early June to begin a long rehabilitation stint at the Orioles’ player development complex in Sarasota, Florida.
After not throwing a ball for about seven weeks, Rodriguez eased back into action. In what he called “a quick little ramp-up,” he made a start for high Class-A Aberdeen on Sept. 1, followed by a pair of starts for Double-A Bowie.
In three starts since rejoining the Tides on Sept. 16, Rodriguez has gone 1-0 with a 2.63 ERA, 17 strikeouts and seven walks in 13⅔ innings.
A 6-foot-5, 220-pound Texan, Rodriguez is 6-1 with a 2.20 ERA and 97 strikeouts in 69⅔ Triple-A innings this season.
Norfolk manager Buck Britton is aware that Rodriguez continues to prepare in case he’s summoned to Baltimore.
“I guess it’s smart of him to do that,” Britton said. “I’m just not 100% sure.
“I would think there’s a chance. I haven’t been told either way. But yeah, it would make sense if there’s a chance.”
Rodriguez, the 11th overall pick in the 2018 draft, signed for a reported $4.3 million out of Central Heights High in Nacogdoches, Texas.
His fastball, which sits in the mid-90s and touches triple digits, has returned to its pre-injury velocity.
“Everything is back where it was before,” Rodriguez said. “As good as it can be, I guess. Body feels good. Lat feels good. Arm strength’s there. So yeah, we’re feeling good right now.”
The injury occurred during a June 1 game at Harbor Park when Rodriguez felt discomfort in his right armpit area after a pitch. Days later, he was diagnosed with a Grade 2 lat strain, which has an assigned recovery timeline of up to 12 weeks.
Fourteen weeks and three rehab starts later, after doubt lingered that he would even pitch again this season, he was back where he left off.
In Monday’s start against Jacksonville, Rodriguez allowed three hits and an earned run, striking out six and walking three in five innings.
Britton said his command has improved.
“The stuff’s there,” Britton said. “It’s just a matter of getting everything over the plate. He’s looked all right. He’s in a good place. I would say he’s pretty much fully back.”
The Orioles entered Wednesday with eight regular-season games remaining. They were 3½ games back in the AL wild-card race.
Whether Rodriguez is there to help down the stretch remains to be seen, but he at least came out of his ordeal with a lesson.
“I’d say it was frustrating at first,” he said of his rehab stint. “Life will throw you some roadblocks. It’s all about how you get around them. It’s something to build off of in my career going forward.”
David Hall, david.hall@pilotonline.com
