The Orioles announced today that right-hander Andrew Kittredge has been reinstated from the 15-day injured list. Right-hander Chayce McDermott was optioned to Triple-A Norfolk as the corresponding move.
Kittredge, 35, will be making his Oriole debut as soon as he gets into a game. He signed a free agent deal with them in the offseason but dealt with some left knee soreness during spring training. He required a debridement procedure on that knee and landed on the IL to start the season. He started a rehab assignment earlier this month and is now healthy enough to finally pitch in Baltimore orange for the first time.
A lot has changed during the relatively short timespan of his knee injury. The O’s came into 2025 as clear contenders, having made the postseason in each of the two previous seasons. They gave Kittredge a one-year, $10MM deal with the plan of adding him to a competitive bullpen that already featured strong arms like Félix Bautista, Yennier Cano and others.
But the O’s have been the most disappointing team in baseball this year. They are currently on an eight-game losing streak, dropping their record to 15-32. They are next to the basement of the American League standings, only one game up on the White Sox. They are at least six games back of every other A.L. team. FanGraphs only gives them a 1.8% chance of cracking the postseason at this point. They recently fired manager Brandon Hyde, replacing him with third base coach Tony Mansolino.
That means Kittredge is more likely to finish the season pitching for a different club than pitching meaningful games for the Orioles in September. As a veteran on a one-year deal, he’ll be a natural trade candidate this summer. He’s not a pure rental, as his deal contains a $9MM club option for 2026 with a $1MM buyout, but it would still be logical for the O’s to flip him for young talent if they can.
Kittredge had a strong season with the Cardinals in 2024. He logged 70 2/3 innings with a 2.80 earned run average. His 23.3% strikeout rate, 7% walk rate and 45.2% ground ball rate were all a bit better than league average. That’s why the O’s shelled out a decent amount of money to bring him aboard for this year. If he is able to put his knee injury behind him and put up numbers like that again, he’ll certainly be in demand this summer. For now, he’ll jump into Mansolino’s bullpen as the O’s try to bank a few more wins in the coming months.
Photo courtesy of Kim Klement Neitzel, Imagn Images
I get signing one of them as an innings eater, but signing both Morton and Gibson in the same off-season is just brutal.
Gibson was signed late as a response to other injuries.
Gibson was only signed after Grayson got injured in ST.
Sugano too.
They didn’t. Brought Gibson on only late March after everyone else was hurt.
Which is precisely why they didn’t sign them both in the off season. They signed Gibson after the season started when they lost Suarez Rodriquez and Eflin to injury.
I’m a Brewer fan and this is so disappointing being a distant Orioles fan. Gm needs to make some trades and use some of those young prospects in trades like do a trade of Civale and Carlos Rodriguez for like Mayo. It would give them 2 legitimate SP or they could even trade for a couple of relievers. Milwaukee has atleast 12 or 13 pitchers that are MLB ready whether it’s starting pitchers or relief pitchers. These teams are worried about saving prospects or manipulating service time so much that they will miss out on the playoffs. Gotta get some balls and make some trades.
Trading for Civale makes absolutely no sense for the Orioles, he’s a free agent at the end of the year and Mayo isn’t a guy you would be trading for present assets in a lost season like this.
Mullins, Eflin, Sugano, and O’Hearn are the most obvious trade chips for the Orioles since they are all free agents at the end of 2025, and Urias and Bautista are other guys who are controllable past 2025 that could conceivably be shopped.
Oh, and Kittredge if he performs well between now and late July.
Seranthony Dominguez and Gregory Soto are also in their last year and very valuable.
Both are paid a lot (for a no closer) and have 0 value now.
Well thats why I also said adding Carlos Rodriguez in the deal he would be a SP ready now. He would be 6 years of control and if anything you could add a reliever like Payamps or Pegura in the deal. It would be a win win for both teams heck Orioles would get 3 MLB players that could help turn this season around. Time for Baltimore to look to the future because it’s now.
stubby66 — So the Orioles should trade a universal Top 20 player in the top 100 prospect rankings…for the Brewers 22nd ranked (and not top 100) SP??!!?!
Madness.
stubby- Using any of Mayo’s trade value on an impending free agent doesn’t make any sense. Trading him at all at this point doesn’t really make much sense since this is most likely Mountcastle’s last season in Baltimore and he is the heir apparent at 1B. I’d even be okay with making the switch now and dumping Mountcastle for whatever meager return is out there for him.
O’s- I don’t know if I would say Soto and Dominguez are “very valuable,” but they certainly could perform well enough between now and the deadline to bring something back.
King — Gregory Soto cost Seth Johnson last year at the deadline. I’d undo/redo that trade w/ Philli. (They lost their back-end power-lefty for PED’s…)
Power back-end arms tend to get good returns at the trade deadline. Who knows, maybe the Orioles get their Cole Ragans from Soto or Seranthony. Well, I can hope.
He cost Seth Johnson and Moises Chace.
Moises Chace is the more interesting prospect. We paid a heavy price for the crap we’ve gotten from Soto. As for trading Mayo—-I’d do it in a heartbeat if it’s with a team like Pittsburgh for a pitching prospect of note. Mayo is overrated and doesn’t fit on our team well.
bigz — Chase sure became more interesting after the trade, no doubt.
I’d trade Mayo too, for the right return. But calling a consensus top 20 prospect across the industry ‘overrated’…well, I’ll take the opinions of the industry professionals on that.
And trading Mayo for that missing TOR guy, you definitely have to believe he’s a top 20 prospect. If your saying he’s overrated, I can’t imagine you think he’s going to get us a TOR guy than?
As far as Mayo ‘fitting’ the team, I’d say he might be one of the most important; We are FULL of Lefty bats, and Mayo and Westberg are the only Righties that can/may fit between the lefties. (Basallo adds another lefty bat to the mix…in what, another week or two the way he’s going!)
I’d like to hope us Orioles fans are sick of seeing what Lefty pitching does to our lineup.
I like Pittsburgh as a trade partner, but I’d really love to see a trade for Andrew Painter. Painter just getting back from TJ too…and it’d be nice to trade for a TOR guy knowing that TJ is more unlikely than guys who haven’t had it yet.
My hot take…trade Grayson. He’s been injured every year, and I’m just one of those guys that believes in the “some guys are always injured” thing. (Starting to remind me of E-Rod…worlds of talent, but never on the field long enough to refine his ability/craft).
…and now to watch the second game in Boston. As if Game 1 wasn’t enough of an indicator, yikes.
When are people going to realize that Mayo isn’t that good?
Brian — Yes, after 59 plate appearances (21 games over 2 years) in MLB, it’s obvious the .277/376/534 in 1839 plate appearances in the Minors, isn’t that good.
It is amazing more people aren’t as bright(??) as you are.
Are you the guy above who said “Dominguez and G Soto are very valuable”? No they’re not.
Are you saying Power bullpen arms with contending team success, and closing experience, that are soon-to-be Free agents Aren’t valuable at the Trade deadline?
Cole Ragans and E-Rod were each acquired for rental lefty bull-pen arms.
Let’s bookmark this and laugh at you down the road.
Friday begins the resurgence of the Orioles. They play the Red Sox. Tomorrow night’s game will be rained out, but look for a 3-1 series victory for Baltimore. Maybe even 4-0.
We’ll all keep our eyes peeled for that one.
I hope you’re right, but don’t blame me for not holding my breath.
I think the O’s would have been better off snagging Dunning off waivers from Texas than Gibson. Cheaper and probably more serviceable.