The Orioles announced Wednesday that they have claimed right-hander Elvin Rodriguez off waivers from the Brewers and optioned him to Triple-A Norfolk. Milwaukee designated Rodriguez for assignment last week. Baltimore now has 39 players on its 40-man roster.
Milwaukee signed Rodriguez, 27, to a split major league contract in the offseason. He’d spent the 2023-24 seasons pitching well enough in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball to command a 40-man spot in his return to North American ball, but his time with the Brewers organization has been a struggle. He’s pitched in six big league games (two of them starts) and been tattooed for 18 runs on 23 hits and seven walks in 18 2/3 innings. A whopping seven of those hits were long balls.
Rodriguez has fared far better in Triple-A, where he’s pitched 29 2/3 innings and notched a respectable 4.25 ERA. His 20.3% strikeout rate in Nashville effectively matches his 20.2% mark in the majors, but he’s also logged a tidy 4.9% walk rate in Triple-A. Homers have been an issue there as well, however; he’s yielded another seven round-trippers in those 29 2/3 frames (2.12 HR/9). Rodriguez sits around 94 mph with his four-seamer and pairs that pitch with a cutter, slider, curveball and changeup.
Prior to his time with the Brewers, Rodriguez made his MLB debut with the 2022 Tigers (29 2/3 innings) and pitched even more briefly with the 2023 Rays (3 1/3 innings). He’s allowed more than a run per inning in his 51 2/3 big league frames but has a nice track record in Triple-A and turned in a sparkling 1.80 ERA in 45 innings pitching in Japan. He’s worked both as a starter and reliever but has been used primarily in stints of one to two innings recently. The righty’s last appearance of more than two innings, in either Triple-A or the big leagues, was back on May 7 when he tossed 3 1/3 innings.
Rodriguez is in the second of three minor league option years and will give the Orioles some flexible bullpen depth for the time being. If the O’s wind up trading rental arms like Charlie Morton, Zach Eflin and Tomoyuki Sugano, he could stretch back out as a depth option for the rotation in the season’s second half. He’ll also be a candidate to fill some innings in the ’pen if the O’s trade Gregory Soto, Andrew Kittredge or Seranthony Dominguez — all of whom are potential free agents at season’s end (though Kittredge has a 2026 club option).
Trevor Cahill has officially announced his retirement. The Hall Of Pretty Good was the first to receive this news.
E-Rod, the answer to every prayer…of batters everywhere.
Not the Rodriguez they wanted…
ANOTHER dumpster dive, Elias is putting DDDD to shame!
Oh God, whatever will the Norfolk bullpen do?!
It’s to the point now, if you don’t pitch well or at least serviceable with the Brewers, do you really have a shot elsewhere? They fix broken pitchers.
Elvin has left their building.
Houser and top rule 5 selection Shane Smith are pitching well in Chicago.
Houser was a trade piece for Coleman Crow, who definitely has an MLB future. Too expensive for his results. Smith was let go because of the lefty depth at big league levels. League is really starting to catch up to him. Brewers brass said the option was keeping him or Patrick. Think they likely made the right choice.
Motives on Houser understood, but it was just replying to notion that if Milw let’s you go, chances of success elsewhere are slim. He is doing his best work-he’ll likely come down to Earth as IP accumulate, but good for him pitching for a short FA contract.
Shane Smith running out of steam looking at his past IP counts in minors. Guessing he’ll have a reduced workload rest of season like Crochet treatment a year ago. Next year will be an indicator if he’s built up/conditioned to be at least a mid to back rotation SP.
Smith was a spectacular grab either way. I get brewers logic but us diehards were pissed. I think we didnt realize how deep the MLB ready pitching was and that Smith was the ‘expendable’ piece from that. Still think hes going to be a nice rotational piece. And on the cheap.
And I understand smith isnt a lefty but the vast amount of lefties going into year made the choice of what righty to keep more pertinent
Elvin
Simon
Theodore!
Chipmunks reference..ding
ding +10 pts.
Elvin
Semon
There’s-a-door??
I’m new, I’ll see myself out
Are you kidding me. He needs to finally trade some of the farm to actually get some good pitchers. I get he should go after some with control behind it but get a set of balls finally
That seems to be the crux of the problem; ownership won’t spend in free agency, or trade prospects for a top of the rotation starter. I wish they would have pursued Alcantara, or Cease back when reports had them being available for the right package. Maybe they’ll change up their strategy this winter?
So Elvin gave up on the outdoor store he and his wife Sondra tried to start and gave up on med school to become a pitcher? This guy is all over the place!
Sad the Os don’t have 40 players worth protecting
silly take. they’ll expose him to the wire again and try to sneak him through and to Norfolk. the rule 5 will be tricky this year so they’ll need those 40 man spots
But when will they add Dwarven Rodriguez?
Milwaukee =ELVIN has left the building !!