Orioles finalize Opening Day rotation, show full faith in their youth movement

One of the Orioles' final roster battles of the spring has officially been settled. There were a ton of questions and ideas floating around about how the O's would handle the fifth rotation spot to start the year, with all of Cade Povich, Albert Suarez, and Dean Kremer initially in the conversation.

After Grayson Rodriguez went down with a triceps injury earlier this spring, that meant that two of those three players were likely headed to the rotation for Opening Day. And things will change once Rodriguez returns, as well as when the newly acquired Kyle Gibson is ready to go. But for now, we have an answer.

On Sunday morning, the Orioles announced that Cade Povich will start the year as the fifth starter, while Suarez will head to the bullpen. Kremer will pitch in the number four spot. As it stands, that means that Povich is slated to start the home opener against the Red Sox on Monday, March 31.

Lefty Cade Povich announced as the Orioles' fifth and final rotation piece

Povich came up and made his major league debut last year but struggled at times and finished with a 5.20 ERA across 16 starts. He's looked much better this spring, striking out 15 batters in 14.2 innings while posting a 3.07 ERA. He's kept the walks under control, done a good job of keeping the ball in the yard, and his velocity is right where it needs to be.

Overall, fans have high expectations for Povich. He struggled a bit in 2023 but was impressive during his stretch at Triple-A in 2024. He struck out over 28% of batters faced and his 3.48 ERA was coupled with an equally impressive 3.53 FIP. While that didn't perfectly carry over to the majors last year, he did have a strong run of starts in September and finished the year on a high note.

That late success last year has clearly carried over into spring, and manager Brandon Hyde believes in the lefty enough to warrant a full time rotation spot. There's also the added benefit that Povich throws left handed. As of now, he's the only lefty in the rotation and there aren't a ton of left-handed options behind him. Trevor Rogers is on the list, but he's dealing with a knee injury and will start the year on the IL. Outside of Povich and Rogers, the O's don't have a single player listed as a left-handed starter above High-A.