Orioles' Rodriguez, Kittredge to start season on IL

The Baltimore Orioles' pitching depth will be tested to start the season.

Right-hander Grayson Rodriguez and reliever Andrew Kittredge will both open their seasons on the injured list, manager Brandon Hyde announced, according to Matt Weyrich of the Baltimore Sun.

Rodriguez is sidelined due to elbow discomfort, while Kittredge needed arthroscopic knee surgery, which he underwent Friday, per Jake Rill of MLB.com.

Rodriguez has been feeling discomfort in the back of his elbow, Hyde explained, according to Andy Kostka of the Baltimore Banner. He was also dealing with triceps soreness on Thursday.

Rodriguez is now seeking second opinions on his injury, and the Orioles don't know how long he'll be sidelined.

"It's not a ligament issue, so we're not concerned about that. But it's going to result in some missed time," Hyde said, per MASN's Roch Kubatko. "We're getting results, we're talking to multiple people about what the treatment, et cetera is as of right now. The timeline, we're not sure on it, but it's not the ligament."

The 25-year-old Rodriguez went 13-4 with a 3.86 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, and 130 strikeouts over 20 starts for the Orioles last season. He missed time in 2024 because of shoulder and lat injuries.

Cade Povich and Albert Suárez are the two likeliest candidates to break camp in the rotation following Rodriguez's injury, Hyde noted.

"It's unfortunate with Grayson, we're hoping for the best, but we're gonna need more than five starters all year. We used 13 last year, I think," Hyde said. "So we're gonna need guys to step up. We definitely have experience in the rotation right now and that's important."

Kittredge, meanwhile, was slated to be a key late-inning weapon for Baltimore ahead of closer Félix Bautista after joining the club on a one-year, $10-million contract. The 34-year-old first felt some knee soreness while warming up in the bullpen before a Grapefruit League game and underwent an MRI earlier this week.

It's expected that Kittredge will miss "a few months," Hyde said.

The news about Rodriguez and Kittredge comes just a few days after star shortstop Gunnar Henderson left a game with what was later deemed an intercostal strain. It's still unclear if Henderson will be ready for Opening Day.