Baltimore Orioles right-hander Grayson Rodriguez has been shut down for the season and will not pitch in the playoffs, manager Brandon Hyde told reporters on Wednesday.
Rodriguez hasn’t pitched since July 31 due to right shoulder and back ailments. The Orioles had hoped Rodriguez would recover in time to pitch in the postseason.
Rodriguez went 13-4 with a 3.86 ERA in 20 starts this season, his second in the majors. He struck out 130 in 116 2/3 innings before being placed on the injured list in early August.
Rodriguez, 24, hasn’t faced live hitters during his rehab.
“He was progressing fine,” Hyde said prior to Wednesday’s game against the New York Yankees. “It’s normally an injury which takes some time, and to get him back for the playoffs was going to be a little bit of a rush.
“We just felt like for his health, for his future, it’s the right thing to do.”
Rodriguez also missed time early in the season due to a shoulder injury. He was Baltimore’s No. 2 starter behind right-hander Corbin Burnes.
Rodriguez is 20-8 with a 4.11 ERA in 43 major league starts.
The loss of Rodriguez is the latest blow to the Orioles’ starting rotation. The team has been without right-hander Kyle Bradish and left-hander John Means due to Tommy John surgeries and right-hander Tyler Wells because of elbow surgery.
Burnes and right-handers Zach Eflin and Dean Kremer are expected to be Baltimore’s top three starters in the postseason.
The Orioles stand five games behind the Yankees with five left to play entering Wednesday’s game in terms of the American League East race. Baltimore previously clinched a wild-card spot.
