Cade Povich’s 2026 season was a constant shuffle between Baltimore and Norfolk, and that up-and-down ride defined his year just as much as his results did.
The left-hander began the season out of the Orioles’ rotation after failing to win a spot out of Spring Training. That wasn’t a shock.
After making 16 starts in 2024 and 20 in 2025, Povich still carried plenty of warning signs: his ERA was above 5 in both seasons, and the issues that dogged him then - too many walks, too many home runs - never really disappeared. With Shane Baz and Chris Bassitt joining the mix, there wasn’t room for him.
There wasn’t room for Dean Kremer either, which sent Povich to Triple-A Norfolk.
His first outing of the year came on March 31st for the Tides, and it was a rough one. He struck out eight and didn’t issue a walk, but he still gave up five runs over five innings and allowed two homers. Even so, he was the first call when Zach Eflin went on the IL after just one start.
That pattern kept repeating. Povich only got into eight games with the Orioles, and he never made it through more than two appearances in a row before heading back down. He was the classic emergency arm, the guy who could patch a hole for a weekend and then disappear again.
His first big-league stint was actually a pretty good one. On April 5th, he came out of the bullpen in the third inning behind Bassitt and gave Baltimore 5.2 strong innings with two runs allowed.
His next time out was even better, as he held the Giants to one run over 6.2 innings. But the day after that second start, he was sent back to the minors.
The Orioles needed a starter for the next day, so they swapped him with Kremer.
He was back quickly. After just two starts at Norfolk, Povich returned to the Orioles’ roster.
That stay might have lasted longer, but in his second start back, he was pulled after three innings because of forearm soreness. Fortunately for him, it did not lead to Tommy John surgery, but it did keep him sidelined long enough that by the time he recovered, rehabbed, and got back with the Tides, nearly two months had gone by.
By early July, the Orioles’ rotation had settled in with Trevor Rogers, Kyle Bradish, Kremer, Brandon Young, and Shane Baz. Povich remained in Norfolk, but the results there weren’t encouraging.
Over five starts, he posted an ERA above 7. He had only two true disasters, but he wasn’t getting deep into games and the ball was leaving the yard too often.
If he was trying to work his way back up, he wasn’t making the strongest argument.
Still, Baltimore called him up again at the start of August after Kremer was traded to the Twins. Povich got the ball on August 4th against the Angels and delivered his best start of the year: six shutout innings with seven strikeouts.
That earned him another chance, but it was short-lived. Bassitt was on the way back into the rotation, and Povich was out after two starts once more.
He did get two more turns with the Orioles after that, returning for one day on August 31st to start against the Rockies and again on September 18th against the Brewers.
In all, Povich bounced through five stints with Baltimore, five with Norfolk, and one rehab stop with the Chesapeake Baysox. For the Tides, he made 13 starts and finished with a 6.28 ERA. The strikeouts were there - more than 10 per nine innings - but so were the home runs, 17 of them in just 61.2 innings.
With the Orioles, the numbers were a little better. He threw 37 innings across eight games and posted a 4.38 ERA.
He struck out 28, which worked out to 6.8 per nine innings, and he allowed only six home runs. Small victories.
Povich will turn 27 just after Opening Day 2027. He’s no longer a prospect, and he was never a top one. The Triple-A homer problem was real, and his big-league season was hard to evaluate because of the constant movement between levels.
Even so, it’s difficult to picture him having a real path to a permanent spot in the Orioles’ rotation. Since he was left out of the Opening Day mix in 2026, Baltimore has lost, or will lose after the World Series, Trevor Rogers, Dean Kremer, Chris Bassitt, and Zach Eflin.
Shane Baz, Kyle Bradish, and Brandon Young remain, but the rest still has to be built. If the Orioles fill those spots with Povich and/or Trey Gibson, it’s hard to take them seriously as a team trying to contend.
Povich could be moved in a trade, but the more likely outcome, in my view, is that he ends up doing in 2027 what he did in 2026. That’s probably where he fits best. I’d love for him to prove me wrong.
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