Orioles Option Starter to Minors as Rotation Begins to Take Shape

The Baltimore Orioles made a key decision at camp as they assemble their starting rotation for 2026.

With the rotation in great shape thanks to offseason additions and multiple starters entering the season healthy, the Orioles concluded that left-handed pitcher Cade Povich is the odd man out. On Sunday, multiple sources reported that Povich has been optioned to the Triple-A Norfolk Tides and will begin the season there.

Orioles option Cade Povich to Triple-A, the club announced.

Povich made the 2025 opening day roster, but he will begin 2026 in the minors.

Povich will be a depth option for the rotation this season.
— Jacob Calvin Meyer (@jcalvinmeyer) March 15, 2026

Povich, 25, made his big league debut in 2024 and has since been part of Baltimore's rotation until now. Despite missing a month and a half of the 2025 season due to left hip inflammation, the southpaw made the third-most starts on the team with 20; only Tomoyuki Sugano (30) and Dean Kremer (29) toed the rubber most often than the young lefty. Overall, Povich has 36 MLB starts to his name, in addition to a pair of relief appearances.

However, while Povich has shown flashes of becoming something more, his numbers over both 2024 and 2025 are generally mediocre and firmly put him in the "fifth starter" tier of starting pitchers. He recorded ERAs of 5.20 and 5.21 in each of his first two seasons; his strikeout numbers are respectable, with 118 punchouts over 112.1 innings last year, but he is extremely susceptible to hard contact.

In 2025, Povich coughed up 17 home runs while posting a 1.50 WHIP. Thanks to a combination of low velocity (but high movement) on his fastballs along with extremely poor horizontal movement on his sweeper, hitters averaged a 91.2 exit velocity, an 11.3% barrel rate and a 46.9% hard-hit rate against him, all of which rank in the 10th percentile or worse among all major league pitchers on Baseball Savant.

Even with this underwhelming presence in Baltimore's rotation, the decision to option Povich to the minors is still surprising because there was the possibility of using him as a relief pitcher, particularly as a long reliever. However, this decision may also be beneficial for the 25-year-old, as he can tinker with his generally hittable breaking and offspeed pitches and find a pitch mix that works best.

Of course, Povich is still young, so he has plenty of time to figure everything out and return to the big leagues as a dependable arm. But for now, he will serve as a depth piece for Baltimore's starting staff.

The Orioles' Rotation Moving Forward

2025 ace Trevor Rogers will lead the Orioles' new look starting staff. — Sep 19, 2025; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles pitcher Trevor Rogers (28) throws during the third inning against the New York Yankees at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images | Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images

With Povich starting the year in Norfolk, it appears that the Orioles will roll with a five-man rotation to begin the year. The unit should consist of Trevor Rogers, Kyle Bradish, Dean Kremer, Shane Baz, and Chris Bassitt; Tyler Wells also has starting experience, but Baltimore plans to use him as a reliever to ease him back from past elbow trouble.

In particular, the Orioles have settled on Rogers as the staff ace, and he will take the mound for Opening Day on March 26 against the Minnesota Twins. The 28-year-old lefty put up sparkling numbers that included a 1.81 ERA, 2.82 FIP, 0.90 WHIP and 5.5 bWAR. Bradish, despite missing most of the past two seasons after undergoing Tommy John surgery, figures to be the No. 2 in the rotation thanks to his immense upside, although his innings will be monitored carefully.

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