The Baltimore Orioles' trade-deadline maneuverings went further awry on Thursday when the club optioned left-handed starter Trevor Rogers was optioned to Triple-A as part of a series of roster moves.
The Orioles acquired the 26-year-old Rogers from the Miami Marlins leading up to this year's July 30 trade deadline in exchange for infielder Connor Norby and outfielder Kyle Stowers. Rogers in just four starts for Baltimore has pitched to a 7.11 ERA and a 5.01 FIP with 12 strikeouts and 10 unintentional walks in 19 innings. Prior to the trade, Rogers had an ERA+ of 99 in 15 starts for the Marlins.
The Rogers performance-based demotion comes two days after the Orioles were forced to place their marquee deadline addition, veteran right-handed starter Zach Eflin, on the 15-day injured list with inflammation in his throwing shoulder. Eflin, 30, has started four times for Baltimore since being acquired at the deadline from the Tampa Bay Rays. Over that span, he put up a sparkling 2.13 ERA (180 ERA+) and a 12.50 strikeout-to-walk ratio in those games. While at present Eflin's injury does not appear to be a serious one, shoulder issues can be tricky things for pitchers. As well, losing even a handful of Eflin starts could prove critical in a hotly fought American League East race.
Elsewhere, lefty reliever Gregory Soto, acquired from the Philadelphia Phillies in July, has permitted eight runs in just 4 2/3 innings for the O's. Baltimore also installed Seranthony Domínguez as primary closer after general manager Mike Elias acquired him from those same Phillies last month. He's allowed four home runs in 11 innings since the swap, and he's already been saddled with a pair of losses. Even the best relievers can of course struggle across such small samples, but at the same time that's the risk of acquiring high-leverage bullpen help so late in the season.
Relevant to the discussion of the Orioles' thus-far unfortunate deadline work are those aforementioned AL East standings. Going into Thursday's slate of games, the Orioles at 74-54 trail the New York Yankees by just a half-game at the top of the division. While the O's are all but locks to make the postseason for a second straight year, the stakes are still high. The winner of the AL East will almost certainly be among the top two division winners in the AL, as measured by overall record, and that would mean a first-round bye past the opening wild-card round. The O's were of course banking on these deadline additions to improve their stretch-drive fortunes, but other than the now-injured Eflin that hasn't been the case so far.
