Jayson Aquino has struggled in the two times he has appeared out of the bullpen this season, but Baltimore Orioles manager Buck Showalter envisions a different future for the rookie left-hander.
According to the Baltimore Sun's Jon Meoli, Showalter views the 24-year-old as a starting candidate.
"He’s not scared,” Showalter said. “This is a guy who comes up and attacks people. His repertoire and his approach really don’t play out of the 'pen. It’s kind of like, guys have got to see him."
Aquino built a case to earn more starting opportunities with a seven-strikeout outing in Wednesday's 4-0 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers, allowing five hits and three earned runs over 5 1/3 innings.
Wednesday marked just the second major-league start for Aquino. His first was a 4-2 win against the Boston Red Sox on April 22, in which he struck out two and allowed six hits in six innings.
Aquino had a 4.46 ERA for Triple-A Norfolk and has a 7.43 ERA in the big leagues (3.97 as a starter). Per Meoli, the southpaw might make a quick return to Triple-A for now because the Orioles can add another player in his spot before Chris Tillman returns from paternity leave this weekend.
-- Alex Tekip
