Baltimore Orioles: Latest Mark Trumbo Update Doesn’t Sound Good

When is Mark Trumbo returning to the Baltimore Orioles? Don’t count on it being anytime soon.

Everything seemed to be going well for Mark Trumbo on his journey back to the major leagues. I even had a moment where I was a little excited for his return to the Baltimore Orioles while watching a Norfolk Tides game the other night.

Before Thursday’s game against the Toronto Blue Jays, Baltimore Orioles manager Brandon Hyde provided an update on Trumbo’s rehab. The news isn’t great and doesn’t evoke a lot of optimism.

According to this afternoon’s report, Trumbo experienced soreness in his knee and received a PRP injection. He will be out of the lineup for the next seven to ten days.

It was assumed that both Mark Trumbo and DJ Stewart would be returning to the Orioles’ lineup in the next few days, making for some possibly interesting roster decisions. Stewart is slated to come off the Injured List after missing some time with a sprained ankle and Tumbo’s rehab clock ends on Sunday. Go ahead and reset that clock. Everyone’s spot on the 40-man roster remains safe, for now.

In five games with the Tides, Trumbo was 3-15 (.200 average) with one home run, one double, and five walks (.400 on-base percentage).

I’m not a doctor, I only watch a lot of medical dramas, but I would be thoroughly surprised to see Mark Trumbo in a Baltimore Orioles uniform again. Assuming he’s sidelined for the rest of the month, that leaves one month to complete another rehab assignment and get back to the majors to try out for the rest of the league ahead of the 2019 trade deadline, if he’s healthy.

In the final year of his three-year deal with the Orioles, the hope was that Trumbo could return to the big leagues and perform well enough to garner even the slightest bit of trade interest. With that possibility now all but over, it may be difficult to justify inserting Trumbo back in the lineup, taking away playing time from the current young corps of outfielders. That is, if he’s able to return.

Maybe it’s just me, but I read this quote, from Roch Kubatko’s story on MASNsports.com, in a foreboding tone: ““I give Mark so much credit,” Hyde said. “Mark’s had a really good career, and to try to come back from something like this and try to push the envelope to try to get back on the field and play says a lot about him. He’s a high-character guy and it’s great seeing him here. I wish he was in uniform, but it’s just not the case right now.”

Regardless of Mark Trumbo’s future with the Baltimore Orioles, we wish him well and a full recovery.