The Orioles finally put the Trevor Rogers experiment on hold

Trevor Rogers made just four starts with the Orioles after Mike Elias acquired him at the trade deadline but it feels like he's been around for much longer than that.

In total, Rogers allowed 15 runs in 19 innings with Baltimore, good for a 7.11 ERA to go along with miserable strikeout and walk rates. While Elias came out and told Orioles fans how excited he was to have acquired the young lefty, things have gone about as poorly as possible during his brief stint with the O's.

Thankfully the Orioles have decided to put this experiment on pause, announcing on Thursday that Rogers will be heading down to Triple-A Norfolk to try to correct some of the mechanical issues we've seen.

Rogers was once a good pitcher in Miami. Back in 2021 he had a breakout season, posting a 2.64 ERA in 133 innings, striking out 28.5% of batters along the way. Since then, he's dealt with a variety of injuries, including a back strain, a lat injury, and most recently a biceps strain that cost him most of 2023.

Trevor Rogers has finally pitched his way off of the Orioles' roster

While it would be nice to say that he hasn't looked like himself since the trade, the unfortunate reality is that he's been a middling pitcher more often than not to this point in his career. In parts of 5 major league seasons, he's pitched to a sub-4.00 ERA just once, which was in 2021.

His career ERA of 4.36 is heavily weighted by that one good year. In the four other seasons combined, Rogers has a 5.20 ERA with pedestrian strikeout and walk rates that make you wonder about his viability as a future starter in this organization.

The two guys Rogers was traded for, Connor Norby and Kyle Stowers, haven't looked good in their brief time in Miami so that's a slight positive given Rogers' recent performance. But the point stands that Rogers' addition at the deadline was a questionable move even at the time, and his demotion only confirms the fears that many Orioles fans have had about him.

While Rogers will get every opportunity to get his development back on track in the minors, O's fans won't be holding their breath waiting for him to return to Baltimore. It's possible that he'll rebound and become a useful starter down the road, but any expectation that he's bound to return to his 2021 form just feels like wishcasting.