Orioles reliever Andrew Kittredge getting closer to rehab assignment; Morton staying in bullpen for now

BALTIMORE—It’s been nearly two months since Andrew Kittredge had surgery on his left knee to remove cartilage, and he’s getting closer to finally pitching for the Orioles.

Kittredge was signed to a one-year, $10 million contract in January with a  $9 million option for 2026, and after a truncated spring training, he had surgery on March 7^th.

The 35-year-old right-hander has made a strong recovery, and he threw his first live batting practice session on Wednesday.

“It went well. He threw really well,” manager Brandon Hyde said before Wednesday night’s game against the New York Yankees. “He should be going on a rehab assignment following this. It’s kind of the start of a spring training for him.”

Pitchers’ rehab assignments can last up to 30 days, and there’s no estimate on how many appearances Kittredge would need, but executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias recently said Kittredge could return sometime next month.

“He’s still a few weeks away,” Hyde said. “We’ll see where we are at that point. I think he’s going to be a huge part of our bullpen, whether it’s going to be in the middle innings or late in the game.”

Kittredge had a 3.65 ERA and 15 saves for Tampa Bay from 2017-2023 and a 2.80 ERA with a save in 74 games for the Cardinals in 2024.

“It’s somebody who’s really good years in Tampa and was a big part of the St. Louis bullpen last year, and had a ton of success. I’m real excited to get him here at some point.”

Right-hander Tyler Wells, who had season-ending elbow surgery in June 2024, threw his first side session.

Morton to the bullpen

Charlie Morton helped Hyde absorb some needed innings in Tuesday night’s painful 15-3 defeat. Morton allowed an unearned run on three hits in 2 1/3 innings, and he enabled Hyde to stay away from Keegan Akin, Félix Bautista, Yennier Cano, Seranthony Domínguez and Gregory Soto, so they’re fresh for Wednesday night’s game.

“He completely saved us,” Hyde said. “I thanked him many times. That was the best he’s thrown all year. The command was way better. I loved the aggressiveness in the strike zone, the way he threw the ball.”

Hyde was surprised and delighted that Morton was able to pitch. Morton was needed after Kyle Gibson, making his first start this season, gave up nine runs in 3 2/3 innings in a 15-3 rout.

“We talked to him [Morton] about doing some short spurts in the bullpen and leaving things open-ended with him,” Hyde said. “It was a great conversation, and he was unbelievably professional … He’s a total pro. But I didn’t know he was going to be available yesterday. He went down to the bullpen, and we called down, and he said he wanted to pitch.”

The Orioles are off on Thursday and next Monday, and don’t need a fifth starter until May 10^th.

“We haven’t closed the door on him starting still. We’re trying to get him going,” Hyde said about Morton, who’s 0-6 as a starter. “I wasn’t expecting going into the game that he was going to be able to pitch.”

After five unsuccessful starts, Hyde used him as a bulk reliever on Saturday night in Detroit, using Akin as an opener. He pitched gave up three runs on three hits in 3 2/3 innings, walking three and striking out three. It was only the second relief appearance of his 18-year career.

“We’re going to continue to probably use him in the bullpen for the short term, and see where we are as things shake out. We’ve got a couple of off days to play with,” Hyde said.

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