TORONTO — Left-handed pitcher Cade Povich, the Orioles’ No. 9 prospect, will make his MLB debut on Thursday when he starts the Orioles’ series finale against the Blue Jays.
The Orioles have an open spot on their 40-man roster but will need to clear space on the active roster for Povich. He will be the second top 10 prospect to debut this series, joining Connor Norby, who was called up Monday.
Thursday would have been Kyle Bradish’s scheduled start day, but the Orioles are giving him another day of rest. Bradish, who finished fourth in AL Cy Young Award voting last year, started his season on the injured list with a sprained UCL. He returned May 2 and pitched to a 1.75 ERA in his first five starts. In his sixth start Saturday, he made it just 2 2/3 innings while allowing five runs. He said he didn’t have his command and it was just a bad outing but that everything physically felt fine.
Hyde said they do not know when Bradish will start next. The Orioles have just one day off in June and are considering all options.
“In this stretch, we’re going to be TBA probably a lot right now,” Hyde said. “Just this 40-plus days of one off day. We’re going to try to give days when we can.”
Povich was scheduled to start for Triple-A Norfolk on Thursday, so he will stay right on schedule. He has a 3.18 ERA in 11 starts for Norfolk, with a 1.11 WHIP and 75 strikeouts.
“He threw the ball great for us this spring,” Hyde said. “I saw huge strides from the year before, great stuff. It’s all about command and strikes with him. That’s what we talked about when we sent him out at the end of camp was really want him to minimize walks, get hitters out early in the count because his stuff really plays. He’s done that in Triple-A.”
The Orioles were considering going to a six-man rotation before a slew of injuries hit. Adding Povich to the mix could give them the opportunity to do that.
John Means, who had Tommy John surgery Monday, and Tyler Wells are out for the season. Dean Kremer is progressing from a triceps strain and threw a light side session Monday. He is expected back in June but is a few steps from returning and will likely need at least one rehab start.
The Orioles have moved Cole Irvin and Albert Suárez back to the rotation, leaving their bullpen without a long reliever.
Orioles beat writer Andy Kostka contributed reporting
