Former budding Guardians star pitcher could fit with Orioles after recent DFA

Triston McKenzie was DFA'd by the Guardians on Monday following injury-riddled seasons that have left the once-promising arm on a downswing in his career. After throwing in only four games in 2023 and 16 in 2024 due to the injuries, McKenzie was relegated to the bullpen in 2025 and has appeared in 4 games for the Guardians before being DFA'd on Monday.

McKenzie was electric in 2022, throwing in 31 games, starting 30 of them, and finishing the season with an ERA under 3 at 2.96, along with a sub-1.00 WHIP. McKenzie was on a promising trajectory to be in the Guardians rotation for a long time before his injuries in 2023. After the injuries, McKenzie has not been the same pitcher that he was in 2022.

McKenzie's control has been the biggest loss through this stretch of his career. In 2022, his walk rate was 5.9%, which was towards the top of the league. This season, he has walked a remarkable 23.3% of hitters he has faced in a limited sample size. If McKenzie is to rebound from this, he would need to dial back in on the mound and work with what made him successful before, making hitters beat him with the bat and not beat himself.

Triston McKenzie's future role will determine fit on the Baltimore Orioles

As for his fit in Baltimore, it likely depends on the Orioles' view of him as a starter or a reliever. The Baltimore Orioles have recently absorbed many injuries to the pitching staff, predominantly starters, and that could play a role. Grayson Rodriguez's newest injury has left him on the sideline for an unknown amount of time. Kyle Bradish, Zach Eflin, Chayce McDermott, and Trevor Rogers are some other important arms that are sidelined at the moment, with the earliest return date for any of them being May.

McKenzie as a starter could fill into the rotation that has been struggling and, with a change of scenery, could rebound closer to his performance in 2022. McKenzie would be able to fill in until the remainder of the rotation returns to action, giving the Orioles some depth as the injuries continue to pile up at Camden Yards.

If the Orioles view McKenzie as a reliever, where does he slot into the bullpen? Is he another long relief man who can supplement the floundering rotation? Likely not with four games pitched this season and only 5.1 innings on the year. He has also finished three games, making him something closer to a gap-man to get from the starters to Seranthony Dominguez and Felix Bautista. When Andrew Kittredge returns, potentially in late May, that role will likely be filled by the veteran righty.

Despite being a potential option if McKenzie had been DFA'd out of camp, with the injury history and the unfortunate stockpile the Orioles have currently, Baltimore may be looking for a more reliably healthy piece to add to their staff instead.