Trevor Rogers’ bizarre name mix-up will give Orioles fans something to laugh about

Baltimore Orioles fans sure need something to smile about these days. After back-to-back playoff berths in 2024 and 2023 (breaking a six-year drought), the Orioles have surprisingly regressed in a huge way in 2025. They entered their post-Labor Day stretch with a 62-76 record, cemented in last place in the American League East and not anywhere close to the wild card (11 games out).

Led by a young superstar in Gunnar Henderson, the Orioles were supposed to take the next step this season, building upon their past two playoff appearances by not only qualifying for the postseason but winning a series once they got there.

Instead, 2025 quickly morphed into a hideous aberration of a hopeful vision shared by Orioles fans; they watched their club suffer through a 15-28 start before firing manager Brandon Hyde.

Amid the ongoing despair for those same fans, there have been some rare moments of ecstasy sprinkled into the season, one of them being a glorious shutout of the Boston Red Sox on May 24 by southpaw Trevor Rogers, who then, in subsequent starts, returned to his 2021 All-Star form (he entered Tuesday 8-2 with a show-stopping 1.39 ERA and 0.82 WHIP).

Acquired from the Miami Marlins before last season’s deadline, Rogers has been elite this year ever since the Orioles inserted him back into the rotation for the Red Sox start after a prolonged minor league stint that dated back to his struggles at the end of last season.

Now that Rogers has completely changed his narrative in an Orioles uniform, fans are diving into his life story, which recently led to the unearthing of a hilarious fact about the 27-year-old.

Orioles starter Trevor Rogers and the legend of 'J'Daniel'

Rogers’ full name is officially listed by MLB as ‘Trevor J’Daniel Rogers’, which caused The Baltimore Banner’s Andy Kostka to do a double-take and investigate the matter. Well, according to Kostka, ‘J’Daniel’ actually isn’t Rogers’ middle name … at least, not quite.

“Answered the critical Trevor Rogers question: Why is his middle name J’Daniel?” Kostka wrote on X.

“It’s not. It’s actually J-Daniel, with a hyphen, and it was entered wrong by MLB, and he never fixed it. Rogers’ paternal grandpa is JD. His maternal grandpa is Daniel. So, J-Daniel, a nod to both.”

Orioles fans quickly flocked to the comments of Kostka’s post to express their preference for 'J’Daniel' over the proper spelling, leaning into the humor that Rogers himself seems to enjoy, having avoided contacting MLB about the mishap.

A former No. 13 overall pick (2017 MLB draft), Rogers probably knows a thing or two about keeping things light to counter the intense pressure of expectation. Maybe that’s why he’s been able to breathe fresh air into an Orioles clubhouse that has failed to deliver what fans expected this season.

However, Orioles fans best not fret. 2026 will be a new dawn, and J’Daniel will be very much along for the ride once again.

More Orioles News from Birds Watcher