The Baltimore Orioles will get an early-exit out of the Bronx following Sunday’s series finale against the New York Yankees.
The O’s and Yanks are part of MLB’s Sunday Leadoff on the Roku Channel with the first pitch scheduled to be thrown at 11:35 a.m. ET.
But the Orioles gave former All-Star reliever Yennier Cano and even earlier flight on Sunday after optioning the right-hander back to Triple-A Norfolk. Cano has struggled this season with an ERA approaching 5.00, and Baltimore called up fellow righty Yaramil Hiraldo to take his spot on the O’s active roster.
Orioles make shocking decision to demote 2023 All-Star Yennier Cano after early struggles
Cano had been one of the Orioles’ most reliable arms over the past two seasons. From 2023-2024, Cano posted a 2.58 ERA with 8.82 strikeouts per nine innings and a 3.16 FIP.
This season, however, those numbers have taken a dip. Cano owns a 4.73 ERA in 32 appearances out of the Orioles’ bullpen with a 3.70 FIP.
Baltimore will now turn to their 28-year-old rookie who’s made just one major league appearance. Hiraldo had been down at Triple-A Norfolk and currently owns a 2.77 ERA in 17 appearances out of the Tide bullpen.
The right-hander is striking out an impressive 12.12 batters per nine innings pitched and his 6.5% walk rate is quite encouraging.
The O’s are no doubt hopeful that Hiraldo will bring that same level of production to the major league level. His long appearance out of Baltimore’s bullpen came at the end of May when he logged 1 ⅓ innings against the St. Louis Cardinals. He allowed just one hit and struck out one batter without allowing a run.
As for Cano, the O’s brass is hoping that a trip down to the minors will help to fix what’s been ailing the 2023 All-Star. Cano’s strikeout numbers are strong (12.91 K/9), but he’s allowed 10 hits since the start of June with his worst outing coming a few days ago against the Tampa Bay Rays.
In that game, Cano allowed four runs on four hits without striking out a single Rays’ batter.
This latest transaction is yet another signal that Baltimore’s timeline for success may be pushed into next season — a harsh reality that Orioles fans are slowly coming to grips with.
