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Baltimore Orioles' Concerning Roster Depth Will be Tested Immediately
Jun 15, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles pitcher Grayson Rodriguez (30) throws a second inning pitch against the Philadelphia Phillies at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

Baltimore Orioles' Concerning Roster Depth Will be Tested Immediately

Originally posted on Baltimore Orioles on SI
By Tyler Maher  |  Last updated Mar 9, 2025 4:00 PM ET

There are still several weeks to go until Opening Day, but injuries are already piling up for the Baltimore Orioles at an alarming rate.

Last week, the Orioles learned that one of their best starting pitchers (Grayson Rodriguez) and relief pitchers (Andrew Kittredge) will both open the year on the injured list, leaving the pitching staff shorthanded to start the season.

The lineup may be depleted as well. Two of Baltimore's best hitters -- Gunnar Henderson and Tyler O'Neill -- are dealing with injuries and may be unavailable for Opening Day.

This is bad news for an Orioles team that needs a fast start to avoid falling behind in the AL East. They can't afford to sit around and wait for their top players to get healthy.

It doesn't help that Baltimore has a tough schedule to start the year, making those early-season games even more important.

April includes series against the Boston Red Sox, Kansas City Royals, Arizona Diamondbacks, Toronto Blue Jays, Cleveland Guardians, Cincinnati Reds, Washington Nationals, Detroit Tigers and New York Yankees. Of those nine teams, six had a winning record last year.

The Orioles' rotation looks vulnerable without Rodriguez, but there's some potential there if Tomoyuki Sugano hits the ground running as a rookie and Cade Povich takes a step forward in his second season.

Losing Henderson and/or O'Neill for any amount of time would hurt, as they're Baltimore's two best sluggers. However, the Orioles should still be able to score plenty of runs if Adley Rutschman bounces back and younger players like Jackson Holliday, Jordan Westburg and Colton Cowser continue to improve.

Fortunately for Baltimore, it's still loaded with rising stars that have the potential to break out in 2025. However, some of them may need to start contributing a bit sooner than expected if the Orioles want to survive their brutal opening stretch.

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This article first appeared on Baltimore Orioles on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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