Orioles recent call-up may represent young arm’s last chance to stick in the majors

Cade Povich has ended up being surprisingly important to the Baltimore Orioles' rotation over the past two seasons. Only Dean Kremer has made more starts for the Orioles than Povich since he debuted in 2024. Unfortunately for both Povich and the Orioles, those starts have not had a positive impact, and when the Orioles added a trio of starting pitchers this offseason, it appeared that Povich would be pushed far away from the major league rotation.  Once again, however, early-season injuries have paved a path for him to prove himself.

It will be interesting to see what shape this opportunity takes. The Orioles called up Povich and fellow former prospect Brandon Young up in the same weekend. Despite Povich being considered ahead of Young on the depth chart, it was Povich who came out of the bullpen and Young who got the spot start to fill in for Eflin.

They both did their jobs, giving the Orioles a combined 10.2 innings of two-run ball, sparing the Orioles from having to exhaust their bullpen. Young was immediately optioned following his start to make room for a pure reliever type pitcher, but Povich remains on the roster.

It appears the Orioles' plan is to have Povich make one start, and then Kremer should join the rotation in Eflin's stead full-time, which would push the Orioles number of starters up to six. Povich is not the kind of pitcher that the Orioles will feel pressured to jam into a six-man rotation, so if he's to remain on the roster, it will be in a bullpen role.

Cade Povich could be a key part of the 2026 Orioles season, even if he's not a part of the rotation

Pitchers who have always been starters do not love being moved to the bullpen, but this could be a good career move for Povich. Throughout his career, he has consistently struggled when he's forced to see the order even a second time, let alone a third. Here are some of his notable times through the order stats from last season:

A lot of pitchers experience something like this, but as you can see with Povich, the splits are drastic. The first time through, the order numbers are not bad; the second time through, the numbers are untenable, and the third time through, the numbers are tragic. This was evident in his first appearance out of the bullpen on Sunday. He mowed through the Pirates' order the first time he saw them and then gave up a single and a home run almost as soon as he flipped the lineup card over.

If, instead of trying to make Povich a five-and-dive fifth starter, the Orioles used him as a long reliever or opener who could pitch 2 to 3 innings and then bounce before anyone gets a second look at him, he could be effective in that role. Povich finding success in the bullpen would be great for the Orioles and career-saving for himself.