Baltimore Orioles Top Prospect Is Injured, Will Start Throwing Program Late

The top pitching prospect for the Baltimore Orioles is facing an uphill battle during the early part of the season after he showed up to camp with an injury.

Jul 24, 2024; Miami, Florida, USA; Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Chayce McDermott (60) pitches against the Miami Marlins in the first inning at loanDepot Park / Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

It looks like the Baltimore Orioles know who will be in their Opening Day starting rotation.

After losing Corbin Burnes in free agency and not expecting to get back Kyle Bradish or Tyler Wells until the midpoint of the year at best, the Orioles signed Charlie Morton and Tomoyuki Sugano to fill out the open spots alongside Zach Eflin, Grayson Rodriguez and Dean Kremer.

That's a right-handed dominant group, and one that doesn't have the upside of being one of the best in Major League Baseball.

Because of that, there's a chance the Orioles could give some of their top pitching prospects a real look during camp to see if any of them can be a featured part of the equation if there are poor performances or injuries that occur.

Cade Povich would likely be the first call since Trevor Rogers is injured.

Not only did Povich make 16 starts in the bigs last year, but he's also left-handed and can break up the pack of righties currently in place.

Another young player who is expected to be in the mix for a role at some point this season is Chayce McDermott, Baltimore's top-ranked pitching prospect now that Povich has graduated from that status.

Unfortunately, McDermott is already facing an uphill battle.

Per Roch Kubatko of MASN, the 26-year-old arrived to camp with a lat/teres strain, and because of that, he's going to start the throwing program in 10-14 days.

That's not great for a young pitcher.

McDermott needs as much time as possible on the mound. He made his Major League debut last season and gave up three earned runs in four innings pitched, getting sent back down to Triple-A right after his lone start.

Now behind schedule when it comes to the throwing program, he'll be playing catch up during the early part of the season.

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