Updated Injury Timeline for Baltimore Orioles Reliever Creates Murky Outlook

An injured Baltimore Orioles reliever didn't quite get a positive injury update.

Feb 13, 2025; Sarasota, FL, USA; Baltimore Orioles pitcher Andrew Kittredge (39) throws a pitch during spring training workouts at Ed Smith Stadium | Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

The Baltimore Orioles got dealt some tough news regarding two of their pitchers.

Both Grayson Rodriguez and Andrew Kittredge are going to miss Opening Day, needing stints on the injured list for a triceps and elbow issue for the former, and arthroscopic knee surgery for the latter.

The positive from the Rodriguez situation is that the Orioles don't believe there is ligament damage in his elbow, which would allow him to avoid a potentially season-ending surgery like three of their starters underwent last year.

That will be confirmed by further testing and evaluations, but that's the glass half full angle when it comes to their young ace.

Kittredge, on the other hand, didn't quite get such a rosy update.

The recovery period varies for arthroscopic surgery depending on the severity of the damage that needed to be cleaned up, and since the original issue the reliever had was deemed to be inflammation, it wasn't certain what exactly he was dealing with.

Well, a rough timeline has now been given.

Per Roch Kubatko of MASN, manager Brandon Hyde said Kittredge is "probably going to miss a few months."

That's not ideal.

The veteran right-hander was brought in this winter to bolster a bullpen unit that faltered compared to how they performed in 2023. And while the return of their superstar closer Felix Bautista should improve the output of this unit, he's also recovering from Tommy John surgery and is still working his way back to being dominant.

Kittredge was supposed to have a major role in Baltimore's bullpen, and now he's expected to be out for multiple months.

With a rotation that had concerns before the Rodriguez injury, the relief staff was expected to pick up any slack that could have arisen.

Now, that unit will be down a reliable arm for the foreseeable future.