As 2025 ends, let’s take a few days to look back on one of the most disappointing season in Orioles history. There were some high points, but many more low points.
Here are some of the lowest:
Hyde gets fired
After two consecutive postseason appearances, which both ended without a win, the Orioles were expected to qualify for a third. They didn’t come close.
Manager Brandon Hyde was surprisingly fired just 43 games into his seventh season as Orioles manager. After winning three of their first five games, the Orioles went 12-26 and Hyde was fired on May 17th.
In his last game as manager, the team struck out 15 times and left a season-high 15 runners on base in a lackluster 4-3 loss to the Washington Nationals.
Three years before, the Orioles promoted Adley Rutschman on Preakness Day. Hyde was dismissed on Preakness Day.
His interim replacement, Tony Mansolino, lost his first four games but ended with a 60-59 record, which wasn’t good enough to earn him the fulltime job.
Hyde was not hired for any of the eight other managerial openings and is working in Tampa Bay’s front office. Mansolino moved to the Atlanta Braves where he’ll be the Braves’ bench coach.
Rodriguez doesn’t pitch at all in 2025
Grayson Rodriguez, who didn’t pitch after July 31st, 2024, was expected to have a breakout season in 2025. Instead, he didn’t pitch at all. After complaining of sluggishness after a March 7th start in Fort Myers against Minnesota, Rodriguez started the season on the injured list. At various times during the season, his injuries were described as lat and elbow.
Rodriguez and Zach Eflin were supposed to lead the rotation. Eflin had three stints on the injured list and started just 14 times.
After predicting he’d pitch during the second half of the season, Rodriguez was shut down and finally had surgery to remove bone chips in his right elbow.
Shockingly, the Orioles traded him to the Los Angeles Angels on November 19th for slugging outfielder Taylor Ward. Exactly a month later, in another surprise, they dealt four top prospects to the Rays for starting pitcher Shane Baz.
Rutschman goes to injured list twice
After finishing second in the American League Rookie of the Year voting and two All-Star Game selections at catcher in his first three seasons, Adley Rutschman went on the injured list twice—for strained obliques—one on each side.
Rutschman had a disappointing second half of 2024. After the All-Star break, he hit .207 with a .585 OPS, three home runs and 20 RBIs.
The Orioles were hoping for much better in 2025, but through the end of May, Rutschman was hitting barely over .200 (.203). In June, he rebounded sharply, hitting .309 with an .890 OPS in 14 games but played in only 22 games the rest of the season.
After returning from his second oblique strain in September, Rutschman finished the season 1-for-14.
While his offensive statistics were again subpar (.220 with a .673 OPS, nine homers, 29 RBIs in 90 games), he was solid defensively, with a 1.3 defensive WAR (Wins Above Replacement). He also threw out 24 percent of baserunners attempting to steal, 2.5 percent ahead of league average.
Bautista undergoes additional surgery
After missing the 2024 season following Tommy John surgery, the Orioles treated closer Félix Bautista delicately, and it seemed to pay off.
Bautista didn’t pitch in consecutive games until May 20th-21st and never pitched more than an inning.
While his ERA was 3.86 through May, he had a nearly spotless June, allowing one run on three hits, striking out 19 in 11 innings.
It seemed Bautista was back, but after throwing a season-high 34 pitches in recording his 19th save on July 20th, he was unable to pitch again.
Bautista had surgery on his labrum and rotator cuff in August.
The Orioles hope he can pitch at the tail end of 2026.
O’Neill fails to produce
When the Orioles didn’t bid aggressively on free-agent outfielder Anthony Santander, they quickly pivoted and signed Tyler O’Neill to a three-year, $49.5 million contract.
It was the first time that Orioles president of baseball operations Mike Elias handed out a multi-year contract to a free agent.
O’Neill hit 31 home runs with an .847 OPS in 113 games for Boston in 2024, and Elias hoped he’d found a replacement for Tony Taters.
Instead, O’Neill had three stints on the injured list, for neck, shoulder and wrist ailments.
He played in just 54 games—the same number Santander played for the Toronto Blue Jays — and hit .199 with nine home runs and 26 RBIs with a .684 OPS.
Not surprisingly, O’Neill did not invoke his opt-out clause last month, and the Orioles hope they’ll get better production in 2026.
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