Baltimore Orioles Pitcher Now Certain to Begin Year in Minor Leagues After Injury Revelation

Baltimore Orioles pitcher Chayce McDermott is ticketed for Triple-A at the beginning of the year, according to Baltimore Sun reporter Jacob Calvin Meyer.

Chayce McDermott suffered mild lat/teres strain and is being briefly shut down, Brandon Hyde said.

McDermott will begin a throwing program in 10-14 days. He was a long-shot to make the opening day roster, but now it’s certain he’ll begin the season in Triple-A.

Chayce McDermott suffered mild lat/teres strain and is being briefly shut down, Brandon Hyde said.

McDermott will begin a throwing program in 10-14 days. He was a long-shot to make the opening day roster, but now it’s certain he’ll begin the season in Triple-A.
— Jacob Calvin Meyer (@jcalvinmeyer) February 15, 2025

McDermott's injury is another blow to the O's pitching staff here in the early going. Kyle Bradish is out until mid-season at least as he recovers from elbow surgery and Trevor Rogers is sidelined as well. That's on top of losing Corbin Burnes to the Arizona Diamondbacks in free agency.

The 26-year-old McDermott is a right-hander who was drafted by the Houston Astros in the fourth round of the 2021 draft. He played his college ball at Ball State University and made his major league debut last July 24, tossing four innings. Those are the only four innings of his big-league career.

He went 4-5 last season in the minor league ranks, making 21 starts and pitching to a 3.78 ERA. Lifetime, he's 19-16 in the minors.

The Orioles figure to enter the season with Zach Eflin, Grayson Rodriguez, Tomoyuki Sugano and Charlie Morton in the rotation. A slew of others, including Dean Kremer, will battle for the fifth spot.

The Orioles are coming off a year that saw them finish second in the American League East and get eliminated in the wild card round of the playoffs.

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