Baltimore Orioles Claim Elvin Rodriguez

The Baltimore Orioles have selected right-hander Elvin Rodriguez off waivers from the Milwaukee Brewers and optioned Rodriguez to Triple-A Norfolk.

Rodriguez was originally signed by Milwaukee during the offseason after spending the previous season playing in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball League. For Milwaukee, the 27-year-old has appeared in six games but has struggled on the mound, allowing 18 runs on 23 hits in 18 2/3 innings.

So far in his 2025 season, he has a 0-6 record, compiling a 9.23 ERA across 14 appearances, 1.684 WHIP, 19 home runs allowed, and 47 strikeouts.

The right-hander made his debut in 2022 for the Detroit Tigers, where he only pitched 29 innings. He had another short stint in the majors, pitching 31 innings for the Tampa Bay Rays.

His true pitching colors shone in his time playing in Japan for the Tokyo Yakult Swallows, as he compiled an impressive 1.80 ERA in 45 innings pitched. Rodriguez had a go-to fastball, paired with a devastating curveball and slider were keys to his success overseas.

Rodriguez will provide the Orioles with some much-needed swingman depth from Triple-A, as the Orioles are desperately opening any doors they can to find some pitching reinforcements.

With the Baltimore Orioles having a tough season fighting injuries, especially to their crucial arm pieces in the rotation and bullpen, there is no telling what the O's front office will do in terms of trade deadline moves, but Baltimore needs to acquire some arms for the last stretch of the season.