Baltimore Orioles Skipper Says There Will Be Rotation Change Soon

With the Baltimore Orioles getting one of their young stars back from the injured list, they almost have the team they expected on paper heading into the year.

Mar 16, 2024; Sarasota, Florida, USA; Baltimore Orioles manager Brandon Hyde (18) looks on against | Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports

The Baltimore Orioles dropped a frustrating game on Saturday after holding a lead late into the contest before their bullpen coughed it up.

It's a disappointing one to lose at this stage of the season since they are now two back of first place in the AL East, but there was a way more important thing that occurred that should help this team going forward.

Grayson Rodriguez returned from his stint on the injured list and looked sharp, allowing just one hit across six innings pitched while striking out seven batters. That's huge for the Orioles as they now have the starting rotation they expected to have after they traded for Corbin Burnes.

Up until this point, Kyle Bradish, John Means, Rodriguez, and Burnes weren't healthy at the same time.

So, with their top four starters all available, manager Brandon Hyde expects there to be changes coming to their rotation.

"We expect to go to a six-man probably here pretty soon. We're not in that stretch yet, but it's coming soon. So we're trying to keep them all healthy as possible, and then, when we have that stretch, we could probably go into a six-man rotation," he said according to Jake Rill of MLB.com.

What the skipper is referencing is their stretch of 30 games in 31 days, and 43 in 45, that began on Friday in their opener against the Seattle Mariners.

It's a gauntlet portion of their schedule that is really going to test the depth of this roster. So far, there has been no reason to think Baltimore will have issues as they have plenty of prospects in the minors chomping at the bit for their opportunity.

Still, it's going to be telling in how this team handles everything.

The Orioles have dropped to second place in their division after sitting at the top for a good chunk of late-April and early-May.

They're hoping this six-man rotation will allow them to string together another stretch of wins and get back to the top spot in the AL East.