Orioles activate and option Cade Povich to Triple-A

Povich earns a trip back to the minors after an abbreviated outing against the Brewers where he allowed three runs over 3 2/3 innings on Friday. It would take an injury to bring the 26-year-old lefty back to the majors before the regular season wraps up.

Povich needed 23 pitches to get through the first inning against a potent Brewers lineup, but escaped the inning unscathed despite allowing two runners to reach base. In the second inning, Povich would run into some trouble. After retiring the first two batters of the inning, he would allow a single to Luis Lara and a walk to Cooper Pratt, who both came around to score on a three-run homer by Jackson Chourio, who blasted a 440-foot shot off a 3-0 pitch from Povich. Povich would go on to retire six of the next seven batters he faced after the Chourio homer but was pulled with two outs in the fourth inning after walking Cooper Pratt. He only threw 71 pitches in this one, but Povich made it through the Brewers’ lineup twice and had already given up two hits to Chourio, who was set for his third at-bat against Povich had the Orioles left him in. Povich was solid outside of his one blunder in the second inning. We’ll see if he can pull together a longer outing in his next start on Wednesday against the Blue Jays as the O’s continue to battle for the final wild card spot in the American League.

He’ll start tonight’s game against the Brewers. The Brewers have clinched, so it’s not a blaring light “don’t stream” if you’re in need of wins, but he’ll be hard to trust.

Povich was originally scheduled to start on Thursday for Triple-A Norfolk but is no longer listed as the starter. The team is down a starter with Kyle Bradish on the injured list, so it makes sense that Povich will come up to take his spot. The exact day remains unclear, but we’d recommend avoiding him as a spot start against the Brewers.

Povich allowed one run in five innings in a spot start on Monday against the Rockies. The Orioles will not use a six-man rotation, so Povich will return to his starting role in Triple-A.

Povich did solid work in limiting the Rockies to one double and four singles in his 87-pitch outing. The Orioles aren’t committed to sticking with a six-man rotation, so Povich might return to Triple-A after this. He’ll still likely play some sort of role in September, though.

Povich draws the starting assignment for Monday’s game against the Rockies in Coors Field’s extremely hitter-friendly environment. He’s an obvious stay-away for fantasy purposes in this spot. The 26-year-old lefty has posted a pedestrian 4.45 ERA across 28 1/3 innings of work for the Orioles this season. It’s likely to be a one-and-done spot start unless Baltimore decides to move to a six-man rotation.

Cade Povich will start Monday’s series opener against the Rockies at Coors Field with Bradish taking the ball on Tuesday instead. There doesn’t appear to be a physical issue at play here, but the Orioles want to give him some extra rest. The 29-year-old is coming off a disastrous outing against the Cardinals last week where he was torched for seven runs over 4 1/3 innings. It’s challenging to trust Bradish in Coors Field, especially in shallow mixed leagues. There’s a chance his next outing against the Red Sox this weekend could also get pushed back, eliminating a two-start week in the process. There are superior alternatives on the waivers wire in most shallow mixed leagues.

Povich was great in his start last week, but the Orioles have Chris Bassitt returning from the injured list this week, so he will take Povich’s spot. If the Orioles officially fall out of playoff contention, it might make sense for them to give Povich a few more starts to see if he can be an option for them in 2027.

Povich gave up seven hits, but they amounted to only eight total bases, and he walked just one. He won for the seventh time in 40 starts since debuting with Baltimore in 2024. The Orioles are about to get Chris Bassitt back, so it’s currently unclear if Povich will get another start. He definitely helped his case, though. If he stays in the rotation, he’ll face the Rangers on Sunday.