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The Orioles Reinstate Young Starter, Designate Yohan Ramírez

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The Baltimore Orioles are receiving plenty of good news all at once. The reigning American League East division champions will reinstate Kyle Bradish from the 15-day injured list. Bradish will start Thursday’s game against the New York Yankees at Camden Yards. In a corresponding move, right-hander Yohan Ramírez has been designated for assignment. Baltimore did lose Grayson Rodriguez to the 15-day IL on Wednesday. However, the return of Bradish and John Means, who is expected back Friday, will take the mound over the weekend against the Cincinnati Reds.

Kyle Bradish Activated from 15-Day Injured List

Bradish began his rehab assignment two weeks ago on April 16. He threw three scoreless innings for Double-A Bowie vs. Altoona. Then, Bradish moved up to Triple-A Norfolk, allowing four runs over 3 1/3 innings on April 21 against Jacksonville. On April 26, the right-hander’s workload increased as he threw 77 pitches during an outing where he coughed up five hits, walked one batter and struck out six.

“It’s just part of his progression, honestly, where he got to an innings spot, and the amount of pitches he threw, where we feel like he’s ready,” Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said. “Kyle was one of the best pitchers in the league last year, and we’re excited to have him back.”

Bradish’s Strong 2023 Campaign

Bradish was the ace of the Orioles starting rotation a season ago. He finished four in the AL Cy Young Award voting, posting a 2.83 ERA with 168 strikeouts in 168 2/3 innings in over 30 starts. He’s likely to form a one-two knockout punch with Corbin Burnes atop of the rotation. Unfortunately, Bradish ended up with a right UCL sprain in January. Now, the Orioles pitching staff is getting closer to full strength. The returns of Bradish and Means could move Cole Irvin out of the rotation or Albert Suárez, who pitched 11 1/3 scoreless innings in his first two starts.

Is a Six-Man Rotation Possible?

“No, I think everything’s up on the table right now. The way pitching is right now, it’s so day-to-day,” Hyde said. “We’ll just wait to see what happens.”

Getting that kind of production back in the fold is significant for the Orioles. With Rodriguez and Tyler Wells out with injuries, it leaves the club with a rotation of Bradish, Means, Burnes, Irvin and Dean Kremer. Suarez could move to a long relief role. Their starting staff has a 3.58 ERA, which is the 10th-best in the majors. For Ramirez, he has bounced around the league for some time. He was on the Seattle Mariners to the Cleveland Guardians, the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Chicago White Sox and the New York Mets over the past few years. His time with the Mets was through the winter but was designated for assignment a week into the season, going to the Orioles in a cash deal.

Main Photo: © Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

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