Orioles designate reliever Mike Baumann for assignment, activate Grayson Rodriguez from IL to start Saturday vs. Mariners

Mike Baumann is too good to be designated for assignment, but that’s the Orioles’ new reality.

Baltimore made the move Saturday morning to make room on its 26-man roster for Grayson Rodriguez, who was reinstated off the injured list to start the club’s late afternoon game against the Seattle Mariners. Rodriguez was placed on the 15-day IL on April 30 with right shoulder inflammation, but the injury was minor enough that he did not need to pitch in rehabilitation games before rejoining the Orioles’ rotation.

Baumann was one of several pitchers in Baltimore’s bullpen with no more minor league options, decreasing the club’s roster flexibility and making the decision on how to create space for Rodriguez a challenging one.

“It’s been a really tough morning,” manager Brandon Hyde said before Saturday’s game. “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.

“It’s been a gloomy morning.”

It’s not a surprise that Baumann was the odd man out given the success of the Orioles’ other relievers and the decision to likely move to a six-man rotation soon. But with a veteran relief corps on one of baseball’s best teams — the Orioles (28-14) are on pace to win 108 games — comes challenging choices such as letting Baumann go.

Baltimore will hope to pass him through waivers — or trade him before that process begins — but it’s almost certain his next outing is in a different uniform.

“It’s the hardest part of this game,” reliever Danny Coulombe said. “Me and Mikey are really close. I think we all know how talented he is. There’s no doubt in my mind that there might be better opportunities out there for him. I wouldn’t be shocked in two or three weeks if he’s closing for somebody, you just never know. It’s tough to see, a huge loss to us in the clubhouse and on the field, too.

“He’s a great pitcher, but this is the business we’re in.”

The right-hander has been in the organization since they drafted him in the third round in 2017, pitching 127 1/3 innings with the Orioles since his MLB debut in 2021. He was one of Hyde’s most-trusted relievers last season after the club transitioned him from a starting pitcher into a bullpen arm. He appeared in 60 games last year — fourth most on the team behind Yennier Cano, Coulombe and Cionel Pérez — despite spending a month in the minors to recharge after his heavy workload. Baumann’s 10 relief wins were most by an Oriole since Brad Brach in 2016.

After posting a 3.76 ERA in 2023, the 28-year-old has experienced an up-and-down season so far, although his 3.44 ERA is more than respectable. What made the decision additionally difficult was the fact that Baumann has found his groove recently, recording a 1.04 ERA over his past 8 2/3 innings. With a plus curveball and a mid-90s mph fastball, Baumann matched up well against right-handed batters. Now, the Orioles’ bullpen has four left-handers, potentially posing a challenge against right-handed heavy lineups.

But there were seemingly no other options than to DFA him. Craig Kimbrel, Jacob Webb, Albert Suárez, Cole Irvin, Pérez and Coulombe aren’t able to be sent to the minors, while Cano (2.14 ERA) and Keegan Akin (2.84 ERA) are pitching too well to option.

“It’s going to be tough,” Hyde said on managing the bullpen without flexibility like the organization has had in the past. “It made a decision like this morning very, very hard. Just the way the rules are in place with only being able to carry 13 pitches, having guys that are out of options — you have to make tough decisions.”

Rodriguez carried his strong second half of 2023 into 2024 before his minor shoulder injury, winning four of his six starts with a 3.71 ERA. His start Saturday will be his first since April 29, and Hyde said the fireballer will have a “shorter leash” Saturday with Suárez and Irvin available in long relief. Irvin will likely rejoin the rotation later this month when the club moves to a six-man rotation.

Hyde has largely managed his bullpen this season in a similar way to last year despite the lack of flexibility. The large number of days off have allowed that, but now that the club is in the infancy of a 43-game in 45-day stretch, Hyde expects to alter the way he handles his relievers.

“You definitely have to keep in mind recovery, times that they get up, all those types of things I’m very conscious of. I am already, but especially when you roll into a long stretch,” he said. “You want to keep as many people as fresh as possible [and] a 6-man [rotation] makes it even harder. Not having optionable guys and wanting to keep this group together through this stretch, I’m going to be very aware of usage.”

Hyde hopes to be able to lean on his starters more once the Orioles move to a six-man rotation with each starter receiving an extra day of rest between starts, but he won’t risk their health to do so.

“I’m never going to sacrifice anything to try to get them through an extra inning if we feel like it’s not going to be responsible for them or putting them in harm’s way in any single way,” he said. “A lot goes into pulling a starter — from pitches to stressful innings all those type of things.”