Mike Baumann pitching during an April 27 game against the Oakland Athletics.
The Baltimore Orioles‘ pitching staff is on the mend, and with that, a number of tough roster decisions loom for Brandon Hyde. Designating longtime reliever Mike Baumann is the first of such.
His departure comes as 24-year-old ace Grayson Rodriguez returns for the Orioles. The team announced the move on Twitter .
We have made the following roster moves:
Rodriguez was placed on the 15-Day Injured List on May 1, and Baumann, who’s been with Baltimore since he was drafted in the third round in 2017, had no options left.
He made 17 appearances with the Orioles this season and threw 16 strikeouts in 18.1 innings, good for a 3.44 ERA.
But the fourth-year arm was on a tear recently, highlighting how tough a decision this is for Hyde and Baltimore management.
Hyde: ‘Tough Morning’
Hyde met with reporters following the transaction and spoke about Baumann and the hard decision to part ways.
“Itʼs been a really tough morning,” the Orioles’ skipper said on May 18. “Mike has been with us for a while. Think about the first half he had for us last year, how many games he helped us win, how good he was. He threw the ball really well last night. On top of all those things, just the incredible person he was, unbelievable teammate, first-class pro in every single way and so well-liked by guys in our clubhouse. Itʼs been a gloomy morning.”
It doesn’t help that an up-and-down season for Baumann had just started to balance out, with the 28-year-old posting a 1.17 ERA in the month of May.
Fellow reliever Danny Coulombe made sure to acknowledge how talented his now former teammate is, and vocalize confidence that he’ll be with anothe team sooner rather than later.
“Me and Mikey are really close,” Coulombe told the Baltimore Sun. “I think we all know how talented he is. Thereʼs no doubt in my mind that there might be better opportunities out there for him. I wouldnʼt be shocked in two or three weeks if heʼs closing for somebody, you just never know. Itʼs tough to see, a huge loss to us in the clubhouse and on the field, too. Heʼs a great pitcher, but this is the business weʼre in.”
But a somber morning for the Orioles should make for more sunny days at Camden Yards.
Rodriguez’s return should only help to calibrate a Baltimore pitching staff that’s found its stride in 2024.
Rodriguez on ‘Shorter Leash’ in Return
Rodriguez will start against the Seattle Mariners on May 18, his first appearance since April 29. Hyde told reporters that for the time being, he’ll be on a shorter leash from the starting spot.
“A lot goes into pulling a starter,” Hyde said. “From pitches through one inning, stressful innings, all those types of things. A guy like Grayson, hasn’t pitched in two weeks. It’s going to be a shorter leash. I’m not going to push him in any fashion, especially if there’s a lot of guys on base early, that kind of thing.”
Within the great bullpen shuffle of 2024, Hyde has had to move two arms who previously served as starters into relief roles. He’s relying on Albert Suárez and Cole Irvin to help in Rodriguez’s transition back.
“Nice to have Suárez and Irvin down there both fully rested,” Hyde told reporters. “We haven’t had this very much where we’ve had a lot of guys available out of the bullpen. That’s the huge thing about him (Suárez) right now is that he can go four innings for us or he can get some big outs in the later part of the game. Having Cole down there, you have another guy that’s fully stretched out.”
Rodriguez has a 4-1 record in 2024. He’ll look to build on that against Seattle, returning to an Orioles team that has gone 9-4 in his absence.