Orioles righty Grayson Rodriguez's rehab shut down due to sore elbow
'We had to pull back a little bit on Grayson,' interim manager Tony Mansolino told reporters before Friday night's game against the Tampa Bay Rays. 'There's a little bit of elbow discomfort from the issue he had in spring training — same spot. So we're going to kind of pull back, we're going to re-evaluate, and we'll probably have more information on that in the next week or so.'
Rodriguez started the season on the injured list due to right elbow inflammation that flared up in spring training. A rehab outing scheduled for April 17 was canceled because of a strained lat muscle.
The 2018 first-round draft pick, who missed three months of the minor league season in 2022 with a lat injury, hasn't pitched in the majors since July 31, 2024. He finished last season on the IL with a strained lat.
'Grayson's a great competitor,' Mansolino said. 'He's fierce, and he's tough, and this is really hard for him. It's hard for his teammates, hard for the Orioles. Hopefully, we get better news in the next week or so and kind of see where he's at.'
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