Manager Brandon Hyde said Zimmermann will be included in the Orioles' season-opening rotation and will make his first start in Monday's home opener versus the Brewers, Zachary Silver of MLB.com reports.
Despite serving up three home runs across his three Grapefruit League outings, Zimmermann's tidy 9:2 K:BB over his eight innings looks like it was enough for him to break camp as the team's No. 4 starter. In what seems to be an annual tradition, the Orioles are short on impact arms, so the bar will be low for Zimmermann to maintain a regular starting role if the Orioles aren't willing to rush top pitching prospects Grayson Rodriguez and DL Hall to the majors. The 27-year-old lefty turned in a rather underwhelming rookie season in 2021, finishing with a 5.04 ERA, 1.51 WHIP and 11.9 K-BB% in 64.1 innings.