TORONTO -- For the past several months, Trevor Rogers has been among the best pitchers in MLB. The 27-year-old left-hander’s bounce-back season has easily represented the brightest spot in a tough year for the Orioles.
At the same time, Rogers has been managing an issue with his left big toe -- a blood blister under the nail that has required protective bandaging. That’s done the trick all summer, as the southpaw pitched through it without any problems.
Until Friday.
Rogers’ latest terrific outing was cut short after five innings, as he departed Baltimore’s series-opening 6-1 loss to the Blue Jays at Rogers Centre when the toe began to cause discomfort. He wasn’t sure which pitch caused the irritation, but it was making it difficult to push off his foot.
It became noticeable as Rogers’ velocity dipped during his fifth and final frame, when his fastball was sitting around 89-91 mph (down from 93-95).
“It kind of flared up on me,” Rogers said. “Just was really hard to put pressure on the foot. In the past, it’s gone away. For whatever reason, it just lingered, and my command suffered because of it, just compensating on that.”
The good news? It isn’t expected to be a major issue. Interim manager Tony Mansolino said if it was an important game, then Rogers likely would have stayed in. Rogers also doesn’t anticipate it preventing him from making his next scheduled start.
“I think if you’re in the playoff race right there, I don’t think he’s letting us take him out right there in that spot,” Mansolino said. “But I just think with the situation that we’re in and for Trev and his health and just being smart, we kind of mitigated any risk and pulled the plug.”
Before Rogers’ departure, he allowed only one unearned run on three hits and a season-high four walks while striking out six. The lone Blue Jays damage against him scored in the fifth, when Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit a two-out single and an error by center fielder Colton Cowser allowed Davis Schneider to score on the play.
Rogers threw 79 pitches (50 strikes) and navigated a tough Toronto lineup, which included stranding the bases loaded in the third.
“I thought he threw the ball good, and I think the nail was probably bugging him for a couple innings, so he kind of fought through it for a little bit,” Mansolino said. “If there was anything that wasn’t sharp, it was probably related to that more than anything.”
Rogers, who was named the American League Pitcher of the Month in August, continues to be the brightest spot of a disappointing season for Baltimore (69-78). Through 16 starts, he has a 1.43 ERA and a 0.89 WHIP.
It’s the lowest ERA by an Orioles starter through his first 16 starts of a season in team history (since 1954). The previous best mark was 1.53, set by Hall of Famer Jim Palmer in ‘75.
The O’s have dealt with a plethora of injuries in 2025, as they’ve had 28 players spend time on the injured list this year. Of late, it has been their rotation that has been most banged up.
Right-hander Tomoyuki Sugano exited his most recent start on Sunday vs. the Dodgers after taking a comebacker off his right foot, though he’s fine and scheduled to start Saturday against the Blue Jays. Righty Dean Kremer is being skipped this time through the rotation after departing his Sept. 5 start vs. Los Angeles because of right forearm discomfort.
Much like Sugano and Kremer, Rogers appears to be avoiding any prolonged absence, with only two starts likely remaining for him this season.
“It's just been very tough just to try to force [the blood blister] out of the toenail. It's just trying to play a waiting game, but also pitch every five or six days and not irritate it, so it's just kind of that back-and-forth game,” Rogers said. “So, get after it in the training room tomorrow, and there's only so much we can do. But I shouldn't see this affecting my next start at all.”