Orioles’ Grayson Rodriguez thinks he’ll be ready to pitch when eligible

WASHINGTON—Oriole starting pitcher Grayson Rodriguez went on the 15-day injured list with right shoulder inflammation on April 30^th. He’s eligible to return on May 15^th, and Rodriguez thinks he’ll be ready to pitch by then.

“Feeling good. Just wanted to take some time off. I had some shoulder inflammation, just missing a start or two, and then right back at it,” he said.

Rodriguez is 4-1 with a 3.71 earned-run average in six starts and pitched 5 2/3 scoreless innings against the New York Yankees in his last start.

“Just a little bit of soreness,” he said. “We wanted to be a little bit on the cautionary side, just make sure it didn’t turn into anything more than what it is.”

Rodriguez pitched on April 29^th. He said the next morning, things weren’t quite right.

“Just a little bit of extra soreness, nothing too crazy,” Rodriguez said. “Obviously, being early in the season, we just wanted to make sure we had it under control now and not have it turn into something worse.”

Rodriguez is taking it slowly.

“Playing catch, just playing light catch, going to build back into it and hopefully be ready when the 15 days is up,” he said.

“He’s going to have a side here in the next few days,” manager Brandon Hyde said. “He’s feeling good. He’s been playing catch. I’m not sure exactly the date he’s going to be coming off the IL. A lot of it is going to be from the progression standpoint of the side, recovering from [the] side. It all looks good right now. Hopefully, he’ll be back soon.”

Rodriguez doesn’t think he’ll need a rehab start.

“I really don’t know what the plan is,” he said. “Personally, I don’t think so, but it’s not for me to decide.”