Cade

Povich

No aces for the Orioles, but this is another strong addition. The 36-year-old Bassitt has made 30 starts each of the last four seasons, going 52-40 with a 3.77 ERA during that span. His stuff did show signs of decline last season and he was left out of the Jays’ postseason rotation, but he wound up looking great as a setup man during the team’s World Series run. He’ll join Kyle Bradish, Trevor Rogers, Shane Baz in the Orioles rotation, leaving one spot for Dean Kremer or Zach Elfin. However, they’ll surely need all six starters in the end. The move does push Cade Povich further down the depth chart, and it would seem to guarantee that Tyler Wells will open up in the pen.

Eflin, who was 26-17 with a 3.54 ERA between 2023 and ’24, is coming off a rough 2025 (6-5, 5.93 ERA in 14 stars) that included season-ending back surgery in August. Maybe he’ll rebound, but he seems more like a depth starter than a potential No. 2 or No. 3 at this point. As things stand now, he’s set to join a rotation that includes Trevor Rogers, Kyle Bradish, Shane Baz and Dean Kremer. That wouldn’t leave any room for Tyler Wells or Cade Povich, assuming that everyone is healthy.

It’s a procedural move to free up an additional roster spot after Povich was lit up for five runs over 5 2/3 innings on Thursday against the Rays in his final regular-season outing. The 25-year-old finishes an underwhelming campaign with an inflated 5.21 ERA and 118/43 K/BB ratio across 112 1/3 innings over 22 appearances (20 starts).

Generating soft contact and six whiffs, Povich’s curve was effective the 39 times he threw it today. The other 60 pitches, however, left much to be desired. Three different Rays hit balls at least 110 mph off him. Povich finishes up 3-8 with a 5.21 ERA in 112 1/3 innings. As a rookie last year, he was 3-9 with a 5.20 ERA in 79 2/3 innings. Assuming that the Orioles add at least a little rotation help this winter, Povich should open 2026 back in Triple-A.

Povich also issued four free passes on the evening while striking out five. The Yankees pushed two runs across against him in the opening inning on a two-run double by Amed Rosario. Povich then kept them off the board until the fifth inning where Austin Wells chipped in an RBI single. Povich got nine whiffs on 89 pitches on the night, posting a CSW of 28 percent. He’ll look to bounce back and finish the 2025 campaign on a high note as he totes a 5.06 ERA, 1.46 WHIP and a 114/41 K/BB ratio (106 2/3 innings) into Thursday’s showdown against the Rays.

Povich got 17 whiffs today. His 25% strikeout rate this season has been a really nice surprise, but since he’s given up 17 homers in 101 2/3 innings, his ERA stands at 5.05. It also hasn’t helped that he’s been far worse with runners on than with the bases empty. He’ll likely next face the White Sox on Wednesday.

Povich was hardly dominant, but he got through five scoreless today before things unraveled in the sixth. He gave up a single and a homer to start the frame yet was still left in to allow one more hit and two walks before finally being pulled with a 7-2 lead. Keegan Akin came in with the bases loaded and no outs and stranded one of three runners. Povich moved to 3-7 with a 5.16 ERA. He’ll probably face the Pirates next week, though with days off Thursday and Monday, the Orioles could choose to skip him.

It looked initially like the Red Sox had something on Povich; his first inning consisted of five pitches, four of which were hit at least 100 mph. Fortunately for Povich, the second of those was a double-play ball, erasing Roman Anthony and making Trevor Story’s subsequent homer less painful. The rest of the outing was pretty quiet, aside from a Rob Refsnyder solo shot in the fourth. He left with the score tied, so he remained 0-2 with a 4.78 ERA in five starts since being recalled. With the Orioles going to a six-man rotation, Povich should make his next start Wednesday against the Padres.

This was a bad start by Povich, but one where the box score doesn’t tell the full story. For starters, those two unearned runs on his ledger were from his own throwing error on a bunt from Chas McCormick that brought a run home. Then, Jeremy Peña took him deep for a three-run blast on an awful hanging curveball in the following at-bat. Things calmed down a bit until the fifth inning. He retired the first two batters, then let Carlos Correa and Jose Altuve on base before he was pulled for Yennier Cano. He promptly allowed a three-run homer to Christian Walker which added the final two runs to Povich’s ledger. Again, it was some good and some bad, but some very bad breaking ball command that ultimately did him in. His next start will come at home against the Red Sox.

Povich worked behind opener Rico Garcia, and while it wasn’t always perfect for the 25-year-old, the decision appeared to pay off. The left-hander was able to miss bats, and outside of a labrous fourth inning, he looked the part. Povich will likely work in a similar capacity against the Astros again Friday.