SARASOTA, Fla. — Orioles left-hander Trevor Rogers isn’t expected to be ready for opening day after a partial dislocation of his right kneecap during the offseason, Baltimore general manager Mike Elias said Thursday.
Elias told reporters at Orioles camp that Rogers sustained the knee subluxation in January. It wasn’t clear exactly when or how Rogers sustained the injury. The pitcher is playing catch with the team in Florida but is significantly behind schedule.
Baltimore acquired the former All-Star lefty and first-round draft pick from Miami in a deadline trade for two top prospects last July.
Rogers was optioned to Triple-A Norfolk just three weeks later after going 0-2 with a 7.11 ERA in four starts.
He allowed 25 hits and 15 earned runs over 19 innings.
Rogers provided a left-handed option for the Orioles rotation, though the team seems set for now with five right-handers.
Offseason additions Charlie Morton and Tomoyuki Sugano have joined returners Zach Eflin, Dean Kremer and Grayson Rodriguez.
The 27-year-old Rogers has a 15-34 record with a 4.36 ERA in 84 big league starts, the first 80 with the Marlins from 2020 until the trade last summer. Miami drafted him with the 13th overall pick in the 2017 amateur draft out of Carlsbad High School in New Mexico.
Rogers was an All-Star in 2021, the same season that he finished as the runner-up behind Cincinnati’s Jonathan India for National League Rookie of the Year He was 7-8 with a 2.64 ERA in 25 starts that year, and struck out 157 batters in 133 innings.
Elias said second baseman Jorge Mateo, recovering from left elbow surgery on his non-throwing arm in late August, also likely wouldn’t be ready for the March 27 opener at Toronto even though he is playing catch and taking part in hitting progression.
The Orioles and the 29-year-old Mateo avoided a salary arbitration hearing when he agreed to a $3.55 million, one-year contract last month.
The deal includes a $5.5 million team option for 2026. The option could increase by $500,000 based on plate appearances in 2025: $125,000 each for 460, 480, 500 and 520.
