The Baltimore Orioles pitching shuffle continues. Cade Povich was optioned to Triple-A after a losing start against the New York Yankees.
Baltimore announced the move on X, formerly known as Twitter.
They selected the contract of right-hander Vinny Nittoli to replace Povich.
He was most recently designated for assignment by the Chicago Cubs before appearing in a game for the club.
Povich, the team’s eighth-ranked prospect, went 1-4 in seven starts for the Orioles in his debut MLB stint.
He pitched 5.1 innings against the Yankees on July 12. Povich threw 6 strikeouts, but allowed 3 runs and 5 walks in the loss.
Team skipper Brandon Hyde commended the 24-year-old after the game.
“I thought Cade threw the ball great,” Hyde told reporters postgame on July 12. “For only having a handful of starts under his belt, to be able to navigate through the lineups the way he did, you know he made that bad pitch to Aaron Judge there 0-2 unfortunately. But besides that, I thought he threw the ball really well.”
Povich was coming off of his worst major-league start, one where he was pulled in the second-inning against the Oakland Athletics.
He leaves MLB with a 6.27 ERA.
Povich Likely to Return
Fans disappointed in Povich’s option shouldn’t be too concerned. As Andy Kostka of The Baltimore Banner notes, it will likely be short-lived.
“The Orioles have optioned left-hander Cade Povich to Triple-A Norfolk and called up right-handed reliever Vinny Nittoli,” Kostka tweeted on July 13. “The Orioles can go without a fifth starter for a bit here, given the All-Star break and schedule post-break.”
Baltimore is headed into the All-Star break, so there’s no need for a five-man rotation until they’ve returned and settled in to their second-half schedule.
The break allows the Orioles’ arms much-needed rest, and Povich an opportunity to get a start or two in Triple-A to keep refining his command.
Povich is likely to return to the team at some point this season. As well as a Jackson Holliday, according to Mike Elias.
Elias: Holliday Has ‘Very Good Chance’ at Return to Baltimore
Baltimore’s General Manager spoke with reporters prior to the second game of their New York series on July 13.
He recapped the first half of the season, and talked about the July 29 trade deadline. Elias was also asked about Coby Mayo, the Orioles’ third-ranked prospect, and Holliday as potential contributors in the second half of the season.
He called their chances, “very good.”
“I think both of those players have a very good chance of contributing heavily to the 2024 Orioles, and I could see them doing it at the same time too,” Elias said, according to MLB.com’s Jake Rill.
Holliday spent 10 games with Baltimore in April for his debut MLB stint. He batted .059/.111/.059 with 18 strikeouts.
Elias was especially emphatic about Mayo, saying the 22-year-old third baseman is “very close.”
“He’s in an exceptionally good spot,” Elias said, according to Rill. “We talk about him all the time. He’s very close. He’s going to help us this year. It’s just about the right moment and the right opportunity and the right runway for something like that to happen, and there’s moving parts…“The fact I’m talking about him at a press conference right now — he’s right there. We’re thinking about it, we’re working on it. I’m sure it’s coming very soon.”
Mayo has yet to make his MLB debut. He’s slugging .297/.380/.606 with 19 home runs and 56 RBIs with the Norfolk Tides.
With one game remaining in the first half of 2024, the Orioles are 57-38 and atop the American League East.
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