Rutschman went 2-for-4 with two solo home runs Monday against the Blue Jays.
Rutschman hit both blasts off Blue Jays starter Jose Berrios, giving him eight on the season and three over the last two games. The third-year star is now slashing .309/.343/.491 with 25 RBI and 23 runs to go along with the eight home runs.
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Orioles' Corbin Burnes: Continues to receive little support
Rotowire
Burnes did not factor into the decision Monday against the Blue Jays, allowing one run on six hits and two walks over six innings. He struck out two.
Burnes did not allow an extra-base hit as a walk and two singles in the sixth led to the lone run he allowed. The two strikeouts are the fewest Burnes has recorded in a start during his career and represent the eighth consecutive start in which he's recorded six or fewer K's after opening the season with an 11-strikeout effort. While he's not been as dominant in Baltimore as he was in Milwaukee, Burnes has still been plenty effective, allowing three or fewer runs in every start this season. His next outing is tentatively slated to take place this weekend when the Blue Jays come to Camden Yards for a three-game set.
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Orioles' Grayson Rodriguez: Return this weekend not ruled out
Rotowire
Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said Monday that it's "possible" that Rodriguez (shoulder) will return from the 15-day injured list to make a start this weekend against the Mariners, Matt Weyrich of The Baltimore Sun reports.
Rodriguez got through a 30-pitch bullpen session Sunday with no issues and felt fine the day after. The right-hander will throw another bullpen session in the coming days, but his next step beyond that hasn't yet been determined. Rodriguez has been out since the beginning of May with right shoulder inflammation.
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Orioles' Ryan McKenna: Cut from 40-man roster
Rotowire
The Orioles designated McKenna for assignment Monday.
McKenna will give up his spot on the 26-man active roster to Austin Hays (calf), who was reinstated from the 10-day injured list. It's the second time since late March that McKenna has been removed from the Orioles' 40-man roster, and he'll most likely clear waivers again and remain part of the organization as outfield depth at Triple-A Norfolk.
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Orioles' Austin Hays: Returns from injured list
Rotowire
The Orioles reinstated Hays (calf) from the 10-day injured list Monday.
He'll be available off the bench for Monday's series opener versus the Blue Jays as the Orioles go with Colton Cowser, Cedric Mullins and Anthony Santander as their starters in the outfield from left to right. Prior to landing on the shelf April 22 due to a tight calf, Hays had gotten off to a miserable start to the season, slashing .111/.200/.111 across 50 plate appearances. He showed more signs of life during his five-game rehab stint with Double-A Bowie (5-for-14 with two home runs, one double and three walks), but Hays may still have to settle for a fourth-outfielder role initially upon rejoining the big club. Hays should, however, play regularly against left-handed pitching, and he could re-emerge as an option to steal work against right-handed pitching from Cowser and Mullins, both of whom have struggled of late. Cowser is in the midst of a 7-for-50 stretch at the plate over his last 16 games, while Mullins has gone 5-for-50 over the same span and was actually benched against a pair of right-handed starters during this past weekend's series with the Diamondbacks.
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Orioles' Kyle Stowers: Promotion official
Rotowire
The Orioles recalled Stowers from Triple-A Norfolk on Monday.
Baltimore cleared room on the 26-man active roster for Stowers by optioning outfielder/first baseman Heston Kjerstad to Triple-A in a corresponding move. Stowers, 26, is joining the big club for the first time this season, but he saw action with the Orioles during the 2022 and 2023 campaigns and owns a collective .207/.267/.331 in 131 career big-league plate appearances. He'll likely serve as a depth outfielder while he's up with the Orioles and could be sent back to Triple-A once Austin Hays (calf) is ready to return from the injured list.
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Orioles' Heston Kjerstad: Returns to minor leagues
Rotowire
The Orioles optioned Kjerstad to Triple-A Norfolk on Monday.
Kjerstad's stint with the big club came and went with a relative whimper, as Baltimore didn't give him many opportunities after he was called up from Triple-A on April 23. He made just four starts during his 17-game stay in the majors, recording a pair of base hits and two walks over 17 plate appearances. The Orioles remain at close to full health in the infield and outfield and don't have an opening in the lineup for Kjerstad at the moment, so the 25-year-old will move back to Norfolk so that he can play on an everyday basis. Baltimore called up outfielder Kyle Stowers from Triple-A to take Kjerstad's spot on the 26-man active roster.
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Orioles' Corbin Martin: Scooped up by Baltimore
Rotowire
The Orioles claimed Martin off waivers from the Brewers on Monday and optioned him to Triple-A Norfolk, Dan Connolly of The Athletic reports.
Martin missed the 2023 season following lat surgery, and all nine of his 2024 appearances have come at the Triple-A level, where he's posted a 7.20 ERA and 10:13 K:BB over 10 frames. The 28-year-old has previously worked mostly as a starter but has been used exclusively in relief this season.
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Orioles' Kyle Stowers: Set to be recalled
Rotowire
The Orioles will recall Stowers from Triple-A Norfolk prior to Monday's game against the Blue Jays, Britt Ghiroli of The Athletic reports.
Baltimore has yet to make the move official, but the club could option Heston Kjerstad to Triple-A in a corresponding move. Like Kjerstad before him, Stowers isn't likely to get steady playing time, either, given the Orioles' crowded outfield situation, but getting him regular reps is probably less of a priority than it would be with Kjerstad. Stowers had posted a .315 on-base percentage and 11 home runs across 165 plate appearances with Norfolk this season.
Rutschman went 1-for-4 with a solo homer during Sunday's 9-2 loss to the Diamondbacks.
Rutschman notched his sixth long ball of the campaign, tagging Zac Gallen for a solo home run in the sixth inning. After seeing his batting average jump from .254 to .277 last season, Rutschman has taken another step forward at the plate in 2024, slashing .304/.339/.453 with 23 RBI and 21 runs scored across 38 games.
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Orioles' Dean Kremer: Punches out 10
Rotowire
Kremer (3-3) took the loss Sunday against Arizona, allowing six runs (three earned) on four hits and four walks over 5.2 innings. He struck out 10.
Kremer notched double-digit strikeouts for the second time this season, tying his career high in the category. He fell off after retiring the first nine batters he faced, allowing at least two baserunners in each of the following innings before getting the yank in the sixth. He was pulled after allowing a two-run homer to Jake McCarthy and walking Kevin Newman consecutively. Despite having allowed nine homers in 46.0 innings this season, Kremer owns a solid 3.72 ERA and a 47:15 K:BB. Kremer's next start is scheduled to come Saturday against Seattle.
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Orioles' Grayson Rodriguez: Turns in 30-pitch bullpen session
Rotowire
Rodriguez (shoulder) tossed a 30-pitch bullpen session Sunday, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.
Rodriguez said that he felt good following the workout, but he acknowledged that he didn't know whether he would be cleared to face hitters the next time he throws, or if he would continue the ramp-up process with another bullpen session. After being placed on the 15-day injured list May 1 with shoulder inflammation, Rodriguez is eligible for activation Wednesday, but he looks like he'll need at least a little time beyond that before he's ready to rejoin the Baltimore rotation.
Triple-A Norfolk reinstated Vavra (shoulder) from its 7-day injured list Sunday.
Vavra, who had been on the shelf all season with a right shoulder strain, has been cleared to make his 2024 debut for Norfolk after he completed a four-game rehab assignment with two of the Orioles' lower-level affiliates. Between stops in the rookie-level Florida Complex League and at High-A Aberdeen, Vavra went 4-for-16 with a double, three RBI and two runs.
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Orioles' Bruce Zimmermann: Goes on Triple-A IL
Rotowire
Triple-A Norfolk placed Zimmermann on its 7-day injured list Sunday with a hamstring injury, Rich Dubroff of BaltimoreBaseball.com reports.
Zimmermann presumably suffered the injury during his most recent outing for Norfolk on Saturday. The 29-year-old lefty remains on the Orioles' 40-man roster but has pitched exclusively at the Triple-A level so far this season, logging a 4.35 ERA, 1.48 WHIP and 34:13 K:BB across 39.1 innings.
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Orioles' Cedric Mullins: Sitting in second straight game
Rotowire
Mullins is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Diamondbacks.
The lefty-hitting Mullins is on the bench for the second straight game against a right-handed starting pitcher, with Colton Cowser once again sliding over from left field to cover center field in Mullins' stead. The Orioles haven't indicated that Mullins is dealing with an injury or illness, so the back-to-back days out of the lineup likely indicate that he's at risk of moving into a part-time role, if he hasn't already. Mullins is off to a rough start to the season, having posted a career-low .611 OPS and career-worst 25.2 percent strikeout rate across 131 plate appearances.
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Orioles' Jorge Mateo: Not starting Sunday
Rotowire
Mateo is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Diamondbacks.
Mateo will hit the bench after he had started at second base in each of the last three games while going 3-for-11 with an RBI and three runs scored. Jordan Westburg will shift over from third base to cover the keystone in place of Mateo.
