Rodriguez has been diagnosed with a Grade 2 lat strain, and it's possible he will not return this season, Andy Kostka of The Baltimore Sun reports.

EDGE Analysis

The team estimated a September return while acknowledging that it could be a longer or shorter absence. General manager Mike Elias said Rodriguez could still get a spot in the 2023 rotation even if he doesn't return this year. Rodriguez is a candidate to pitch in the Arizona Fall League to make up for lost time.

Rodriguez has been shut down from throwing after being diagnosed with a strained right lat muscle, Zachary Silver of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

The 22-year-old exited Wednesday's start for Triple-A Norfolk with right lat discomfort, and he's now expected to miss "a decent amount of time at a minimum," according to GM Mike Elias. The right-hander has a 2.09 ERA, 0.84 WHIP and 80:14 K:BB over 56 innings this season and appeared to be on the cusp of his major-league debut, but Rodriguez, who is arguably the top pitching prospect in baseball, is now facing what could be a lengthy absence.

Rodriguez was diagnosed with right lat discomfort after leaving Wednesday's start for Triple-A Norfolk, Steve Melewski of MASNSports.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

The 22-year-old was initially reported to be managing back cramps, but the official injury announcement from the Orioles is a potentially more concerning diagnosis. It's unclear if Rodriguez will be available for his next turn through Norfolk's rotation, and he should be considered day-to-day as he continues to be evaluated.

Rodriguez was lifted from Wednesday's start for Triple-A Norfolk due to cramps in his back, Andy Kostka of The Baltimore Sun reports.

EDGE Analysis

Rodriguez exited Wednesday's outing after 5.2 scoreless innings when he showed some decreased velocity, but the initial diagnosis of back cramps should alleviate concerns of a serious injury. The 22-year-old is still scheduled to undergo additional testing, but it appears he's dealing with only a minor injury and shouldn't miss much time, if any.

Rodriguez was removed from Wednesday's start with Triple-A Norfolk due to an apparent injury, Steve Melewski of MASNSports.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

The 22-year-old delivered 5.2 scoreless innings before being looked at by the training staff and leaving Wednesday's contest. According to Andy Kostka of The Baltimore Sun, the mound visit during the sixth inning occurred after Rodriguez saw his fastball velocity drop to 89 mph from the mid 90s. The right-hander, who is one of the top pitching prospects in all of baseball, should be considered day-to-day until more information is available on the apparent injury.

Rodriguez struck out a season-high 11 while allowing three walks and three hits across 5.1 scoreless innings in a win for Triple-A Norfolk over Charlotte on Tuesday.

EDGE Analysis

He's now sitting on a 2.65 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 57:13 K:BB across 37.1 innings this year -- right in line with his history of dominance throughout the minor leagues. There aren't a lot of flaws to be found in GrayRod's game, but it's worth noting that 10 of those 13 walks have come in his last four starts. He also hasn't been permitted to go deeper than 5.1 innings in any outing this year. In short, he isn't superhuman, but he's still one of the most exciting pitching prospects to come along in quite some time. With five plus pitches and velocity that can touch 100, he has the look of an instant-impact arm. The only question left is when the O's will see fit to promote him.

Rodriguez has posted a 2.00 ERA, 0.56 WHIP and 15:1 K:BB across nine innings in his first two starts for Triple-A Norfolk.

EDGE Analysis

Any concerns that baseball's best pitching prospect would be slowed in his ascent by Triple-A bats have been alleviated early on. Rodriguez hasn't pitched deep into either of his first two starts, but that can likely be chalked up to the abbreviated spring slate -- though it is worth noting that he threw just 103 innings last season, so the O's will likely monitor his workload this year. Despite John Means (elbow) hitting the IL, there's been no serious talk of promoting Rodriguez quite yet, but it looks like just a matter of time.

Rodriguez struck out a career-high 12 over five innings for Double-A Bowie in a 6-2 win over Erie on Sunday. He permitted one unearned run on two hits and one walk in the 83-pitch outing.

EDGE Analysis

Heading into Sunday's start, Rodriguez had already dazzled over his first seven outings at Double-A, posting a 2.34 ERA and 0.81 WHIP while recording 45 punchouts in 34.2 innings. He somehow managed to raise the bar against a loaded Erie lineup, which featured a trio of highly regarded Tigers prospects in Spencer Torkelson, Riley Greene and Dillon Dingler. The 21-year-old righty looks like one of the top pitching prospects in all of baseball, and if he continues to dominate in the upper levels of the minors, he should be on track to join Baltimore's big-league rotation by the middle of 2022.

Rodriguez has posted a 1.82 ERA, 0.83 WHIP and 36:7 K:BB through five starts with Double-A Bowie.

EDGE Analysis

The 21-year-old righty dominated across five starts in High-A before being promoted, and he hasn't missed a beat with the move to a higher level of competition. All in all, he's surrendered just nine runs in 10 minor-league starts this year with a 76:12 K:BB in 48.0 innings. Rodriguez's future looks extremely bright, though he probably won't make his MLB debut until next year.

Rodriguez is expected to make his next start with Double-A Bowie.

EDGE Analysis

Rodriguez has dominated at High-A Aberdeen with a 1.54 ERA, 0.69 WHIP and 40:5 K:BB across five starts this season. The right-hander will move up and look to keep up the success at Bowie in the next step of his development.