Back-to-back short starts force the Orioles to potentially promote top prospect ahead of schedule

The Baltimore Orioles have been dealt a tough hand in the past week. They've sent two of their starters to the 15-day IL, and then a rainout forced them to have a doubleheader the day before a crucial four-game set against their division rivals, the New York Yankees.

Chris Bassitt held up his end and pitched deep into his start in the first game, but a Brandon Young blow-up start in the second game forced the Orioles to burn more of their bullpen arms than they would have liked. That being the case, they needed Cade Povich to eat some innings for them in game one against the Yankees, but after giving up five runs in the first two innings, it was clear he was not long for the game.

Albert Suarez saved the pen from total annihilation, throwing 65 pitches in relief behind Povich as the Orioles fell to the Yankees 2-7.

Staring down the barrel of three more games with the Yankees this weekend, knowing that if they lose the series or get swept, it will put them in a precarious position in the standings, the Orioles pulled the trigger on several roster moves to get some fresh arms in the pen.

Injuries and underperfomance could force the Orioles to promote Trey Gibson before he's ready

As a "thank you" for his service, Suarez was DFA'd, and Tyler Wells was optioned to make room for Nick Raquet and Dietrich Enns. Then, the most eye-catching move, they put their number one pitching prospect, Trey Gibson, on the taxi squad. He'll hang around New York City for the next couple of days in anticipation of making his major league debut.

As for the less newsworthy bullpen moves, getting fresh arms in the pen makes sense, but having those arms be Raquet and Enns should make fans nervous. They have both looked not good to start the season, and Craig Albernaz already showed the first time that Raquet was in the bullpen that if the front office gives him a bullpen arm, he's going to try to use it in a big spot, even if he has more trustworthy arms available.

Enns has had really poor command all season, so forcing him into a series against the Yankees, who walk more than almost any other team, feels like a recipe for disaster. Raquet has faced 10 batters in the majors this year, and half of them have reached base, and a third of them have scored. The Orioles would have been better off just having Suarez and Wells down for a day or two and keeping them in the pen, rather than promoting these two crooked numbers waiting to happen.

Gibson being promoted this early should make fans nervous too. The hope coming into the season was that Gibson would be in the majors sometime this year, but with prospects, you want that big promotion to come because they've earned it and they're ready, and not because the team is scraping the bottom of the barrel on their pitching depth.

Gibson has not looked great this year in Triple-A. He's clearly still trying to figure out his fastball, which has been down in terms of velo and IVB since he arrived in triple-A (or maybe it was never that good). He's given up a lot of hits and a lot of hard hits. In both of his triple-A seasons, he's had a WHIP over 1.60, which basically means on average he's in a jam every other inning.

This isn't a reason for long-term concern with Gibson, as these kinds of struggles are very normal for a young pitcher figuring out how to pitch at the highest level of baseball he's ever experienced, but nothing he has done at Triple-A so far has screamed get him to the big leagues now.

Hopefully for Gibson's sake, the Orioles pitch well the rest of the series, and there is no need for an additional starter/bulk reliever. It would be far better for everyone if Gibson's debut were a triumphant accomplishment and not a panic move.

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