The Baltimore Orioles are making a change to the starting rotation, demoting veteran starter Charlie Morton to a bullpen role amid his struggles early in the season, manager Brandon Hyde announced Wednesday.
Morton signed with the Orioles this offseason on a one-year, $15 million deal. Early on, the results have been disappointing. Through his first seven starts, the 41-year-old owns a record of 0-6 and has a 9.45 ERA. He's struck out 26 batters across 26 2/3 innings while surrendering 28 runs, including six home runs, and an MLB-high 21 walks.
Now, Morton finds himself designated to a bullpen role as he looks to iron out the kinks in his performances and get back on track. In his lengthy career, which has consisted of 390 pitching appearances, Morton has only come out of the bullpen on three occasions, and just once prior to the 2025 season.
Each of his last two appearances for the Orioles have been in relief. Baltimore used Keegan Akin as an opener ahead of Morton against the Detroit Tigers on April 26, though the right-hander was still credited with a loss after surrendering three runs and five walks in 3 2/3 innings. More recently, he pitched 2 1/3 innings of relief work during a blowout against the New York Yankees on April 29.
After those outings, the Orioles decided to make it official in relegating Morton to a bullpen role, though Hyde indicated the door was not closed on a possible return to the rotation for the 18-year veteran.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Orioles Announce Major Decision to Charlie Morton's Role Amid Early Struggles.
