Call up appears to be near for Nacogdoches native Grayson Rodriguez

NORFOLK, Virginia (KTRE) - The question is not whether Grayson Rodriguez be called up. The question is when he will be called up.

The Nacogdoches native continues to impress down on the farm. In his latest outing on May 27, Rodriguez threw seven innings and recorded 10 strikeouts and just two hits. He threw 88 pitches and recorded 68 strikes. The number one pitching prospect in professional baseball has 76 strikeouts on the year and has an ERA of 2.32 and an 0.89 WHIP. His performance brought him the International League pitcher of the Week honors.

There is no doubt, barring an injury, that Rodriguez will be with the Baltimore Orioles at some point. He started the year in camp with the team and was able to get advice and pick the brains of his future teammates.

“It was great being in that clubhouse and talking to the guys,” Rodriguez said. “I’d say it is a collection of guys [including] Rougned Odor and Robinson Chirinos, former Texas Rangers. I was able to pitch to them. Growing up and watching [Chirinos] I was able to pick his brain for a bit. It is a lot of fun. He has a lot of time in the big leagues and that is one guy I have learned from.”

The fan base at Camden yards is ready for Rodriguez. The front office is ready for Rodriguez. The main concern now is making sure Rodriguez is ready for the workload of a major league start. General manager Mike Elias has said the team is being cautious with their future ace pitcher. His last outing was his longest outing in the past three years. COVID in 2020 took away a season of progression and the lockout this year limited Rodriguez’s time with the major league coaching staff.

Rodriguez is set to start on Wednesday night against Jacksonville and how he does could be an indicator on what step is next.

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