Orioles Injury Report: Top Pitching Prospect Grayson Rodriguez Likely To Miss Rest Of Season

The Baltimore Orioles top pitching prospect and the Majors number three overall prospect is reportedly in jeopardy of missing the rest of the season due to a lat strain. The pitcher underwent an MRI last Thursday according to Orioles general manager Mike Elias.

This is terrible timing for the stud as he was on the way to promotion to the majors and this will be a roadblock in his quest to make the big leagues. The starter initially left his start due to what the right hander called a back cramp and sources say he was also dehydrated.

After his last start, the team announced the pitcher was dealing with right lat discomfort which led to the previously mentioned MRI.

Good news for the pitcher is this issue does not appear to be serious or need surgery. Bad news is the issue will take time to heal and with the media reporting a Grade 2 lat strain, a 60-day IL stint is coming.

This type of injury takes roughly a month or more depending of the circumstances surrounding and considering Baltimore is in rebuild mode, we can expect them to not rush back the prospect. In fact, there is a strong chance they do sit Rodriguez the rest of the season to prevent more issues down the road.

A comparison in another sport is Dallas Cowboys QB Dak Prescott who experienced this type injury albeit more mild and missed the entire preseason. The difference besides sport is the recovery as a QB will recover much quicker than a pitcher due to the different types of motion each position endures.  

In 11 starts, Rodriguez is 5-1 with a sterling 2.09 ERA at Triple-A affiliate Norfolk Tides.