Timeline of injured Orioles starter revealed amid surgery

Rodriguez last pitched for the Orioles during the 2024 season and in just his second as a big leaguer, burst onto the scene. After making 23 starts for the Orioles during his rookie campaign in 2023, going 7-3 with a 4.35 ERA and 129 strikeouts in 122 innings, he followed up that impressive showcase with ace-caliber stuff.

In 20 starts last year for the O's, the 25-year-old posted a 13-4 record with a 3.86 ERA and 130 strikeouts in 116.2 innings of work. However, Rodriguez's breakout season was cut short by injuries. After being scratched from his scheduled start against the Toronto Blue Jays on August 6 with right lat/teres discomfort, he was placed on the injured list the following day and would end up being shut down for the rest of the season.

The righty hurler began the 2025 season on the IL with elbow inflammation and received a cortisone shot to deal with the pain. Rodriguez would later be diagnosed with a mild strain in his right lat and would be transferred to the 60-day IL on April 28. It would later be announced on August 4 that Rodriguez would undergo the aforementioned season-ending elbow debridement surgery.

Rodriguez has been one of several starting pitchers for the Orioles this year that has spent the majority of the season on the IL, resulting in the ballclub being in the midst of a disappointing 2025 campaign.

Tyler Wells, who underwent surgery last May to repair his ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow, has yet to pitch in a big league game this season. Kyle Bradish underwent Tommy John surgery last June and could potentially be in line to return to the Orioles' rotation towards the end of August.

Zach Eflin has also had multiple stints on the IL this year after missing over a month earlier in the season with a right lat strain and more recently being placed back on the shelf on July 31 with lower back discomfort. The injuries to the rotation have resulted in the Orioles being ranked 27th in MLB with a team starting pitching ERA of 4.85.

The Orioles will now hope that Rodriguez and the rest of their injured starters can bounce back in 2026 and return to their dominant selves.