The Baltimore Orioles have gotten off to a rough start to begin the 2025 MLB season. The Orioles had playoff expectations entering the year, so being below .500 with May about to begin is not promising.
One concerning point has been veteran pitcher Charlie Morton, who signed a one-year, $15 million deal this offseason to bring experience to the rotation.
Well, Orioles manager Brandon Hyde made a big move by moving Morton to the bullpen for the time being, per Jacob Calvin Meyer of The Baltimore Sun.
Charlie Morton will be in the Orioles’ bullpen moving forward, Brandon Hyde said. The Orioles “haven’t closed the door on him being a starter again yet.” Morton handled the news like a “total pro.” Hyde “thanked him multiple times” for volunteering to pitch last night.
Morton has started the year with an 0-6 record and a 9.45 ERA. On Tuesday night, Morton went 2.1 innings and gave up one run (unearned) in a relief role, something unorthodox for the 41-year-old longtime starter.
So, his early run in the bullpen was encouraging for Hyde, per Roch Kubatko of MASN.
"That was the best he’s thrown all year for me. Just the command was way better, I loved the aggressiveness in the strike zone and how he threw the ball. So we’re gonna continue to probably use him in the bullpen here for short term and then we’ll kind of see where we are as things kind of shake out," Hyde said.
It will be interesting to see if Hyde brings Morton back to the starting rotation at some point this season, but for now, he will be in the bullpen in a surprising twist.
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