In the midst of a stretch of nine games in eight days, the Baltimore Orioles are getting another look at their top pitching prospect.
On Wednesday afternoon, the Orioles announced that right-hander Trey Gibson was recalled from Triple-A Norfolk to start their series finale against the Tampa Bay Rays. He is ranked No. 4 in Baltimore’s farm system by MLB Pipeline. In a corresponding move, the club optioned left-hander Nick Raquet, who did not make an appearance after being recalled Tuesday.
Gibson, 24, is less than a month removed from his first big league call-up. He made two appearances (one start) in his previous stint, allowing three runs over 4.2 innings in his May 3 debut at Yankee Stadium and one run in two relief innings against the Athletics on May 8.
In eight starts with Triple-A Norfolk this year, Gibson has posted a 3.69 ERA and 1.67 WHIP with 32 strikeouts over 31.2 innings. The 6-foot-5 hurler is seven days removed from his last outing, in which he threw 75 pitches while allowing one run over three innings. He has yet to cover more than five innings in any appearance this season.
Since Saturday’s rainout forced the Orioles to play a doubleheader on Sunday, they did not have a starter on regular rest available for Thursday’s series opener against Toronto. By calling up Gibson, who was already lined up to pitch Wednesday for Norfolk, Baltimore is able to push back Chris Bassitt’s start by an extra day and resolve that issue.
The decision to option Raquet leaves the Orioles with a seven-man bullpen — one shorter than usual — for Wednesday night’s game. Though Baltimore’s relievers are well rested following Shane Baz’s seven-inning performance Tuesday, the club may need to bring up another fresh arm before the weekend.
