When Will Grayson Rodriguez Return and Be Back? Fantasy Baseball Injury Update

Just when it looked as if the Orioles were hitting their stride and closing in on a second straight AL East title and potentially the top overall seed in the playoffs, they suffered an injury to one of their top pitchers.

Grayson Rodriguez has been the team's co-ace this season along with Corbin Burnes. However, he could miss a large chunk of the remaining season, leaving the Orioles rotation thinner than they'd like.

But what does his injury mean for fantasy baseball managers? Let's discuss it!

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Grayson Rodriguez Injury Update for Fantasy Baseball

Rodriguez was scheduled to start last week but had his start skipped when he complained of pain during his throwing motion. An MRI revealed what is being called a "mild lat strain" and the team has announced that he will be shut down during his 15-day IL stint before getting more imaging done.

Mike Elias says Grayson Rodriguez shoulder strain is pretty mild. #orioles optimistic will pitch late September.

— Roch Kubatko (@masnRoch) August 10, 2024

The Orioles will likely be very cautious with their prized young pitcher as they know it will be much more important to have him in the playoffs than it will be to have him pitch in the regular season.

The best-case scenario right now is that the injury heals quickly and Rodriguez can rejoin the rotation in the final few weeks of the regular season.

Grayson Rodriguez Fantasy Baseball Outlook

Rodriguez was enjoying a breakout campaign in his second full season as a starter. Fantasy managers have to be disappointed that they may only get 1-2 starts from him yet, but should also be pretty happy with the results this season as Rodriguez has piled up 13 wins, 130 strikeouts, a 3.86 ERA, and a 1.24 WHIP.

Grayson Rodriguez, K'ing the Side...and K Scream. pic.twitter.com/B0tfDpMqiE

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) July 21, 2024

The only real move here is to put Grayson on the IL and hope that he returns in time for a few good starts before the season ends. But don't be surprised if Baltimore eases him back into things, too. If your IL is already full and you're in a shallow league, you could probably just cut Rodriguez at this point and look to replace his production - especially if you are not on pace to use all the games allotted for SPs in your league.

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