The Orioles begin the second half of June with some pitching questions.

June has been much more favorable for the Baltimore Orioles than the previous months of the season.

Although still 11 games under .500 with a 30-41 record, the O’s have rejuvenated their playoff hopes with a strong couple of weeks. This week is crucial with matchups against the Tampa Bay Rays and New York Yankees.

Baltimore has to navigate the next few weeks without left-hander Cade Povich. The O’s placed Povich on the 15-day injured list Monday with right hip inflammation. Interim manager Tony Mansolino said the team expects Povich to return soon.

The southpaw’s IL stint begins a day after his last outing.

Povich tossed 3 2/3 scoreless innings Sunday in a sweep-clinching win over the Los Angeles Angels. His season ERA dropped from 5.46 to 5.15 following his first scoreless appearance of 2025.

Grayson Rodriguez guarantees 2025 return, All-Star voting update

It has been incredibly disappointing to see Grayson Rodriguez sidelined this season. Baltimore’s promising right-hander is yet to pitch in a professional game this year, but he’s confident he’ll rejoin the Orioles’ rotation during the latter part of the season.

Rodriguez will begin throwing off a mound this week and could be in line to pitch in the big leagues by August. The Orioles were expecting big things from Rodriguez this year following his great 2024 campaign.

He won 13 games and posted a 3.86 ERA with a 3.61 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 20 starts. The O’s went 14-6 in Rodriguez’s starts last year and are 28-15 overall in the 25-year-old’s career.

The Orioles have had an influx of pitching injuries this year, but multiple pitchers are expected to return during the second half. Besides Rodriguez, Tyler Wells and Kyle Bradish are in line to return during the season’s final six weeks. Right-hander Albert Suarez could return sooner, potentially before the All-Star break.

Speaking of All-Stars, Major League Baseball released the first voting update for this year’s ballot, and a few Orioles are in the mix.

Following the Rafael Devers trade to the San Francisco Giants, Baltimore’s designated hitter Ryan O’Hearn leads all American League DHs in voting.

O’Hearn carries over 100,000 more votes than the second-place DH, Ben Rice of the Yankees. Devers led by a significant amount, but will now push for a spot on the National League All-Star team.

Orioles second baseman Jackson Holliday ranks second among his American League positional counterparts, trailing the leader by fewer than 90,000 votes.

That leader is Detroit Tigers second baseman Gleyber Torres, who boasts a better slash line than Holliday. However, Baltimore’s leadoff hitter has more extra-base hits and steals than Torres.

Holliday is hitting .256 with a .725 on-base plus slugging percentage in 64 games. He has 21 extra-base hits, including eight homers and 11 doubles.

His numbers are better across the board than his 60-game rookie season in 2024. Reaching All-Star status at 21 years old would be a remarkable feat for Holliday.