After Saturday’s win in which the bullpen covered the final five innings for a second straight day, manager Brandon Hyde pleaded with his Sunday starter to eat some innings.

“Our bullpen’s had a pretty heavy load so far,” Hyde said. “Come on, Charlie Morton. Need you. That’s the bottom line. We need to give some of these guys a break.”

Just in case that doesn’t happen, though, the Orioles on Sunday morning optioned pitching prospect Brandon Young, who started Saturday in his shaky-yet-solid MLB debut, and recalled right-hander Cody Poteet from Triple-A Norfolk to reinforce a tired relief corps.

Young, the Orioles’ No. 20 prospect according to Baseball America, scattered seven hits and three walks across four innings of three-run ball. He pitched well enough to keep the Orioles in the game, giving the offense time to pile up five homers in a 9-5 win over the Cincinnati Reds.

When Young took the mound, he became the first homegrown pitching prospect solely developed by the Mike Elias regime to make it to Baltimore. The 2020 undrafted free agent endured a winding road to reach the show, and while he was optioned Sunday, he will likely be back in Baltimore soon, given the club’s starting pitching woes.

Poteet, whom the Orioles acquired for cash from the Chicago Cubs in late March, has a career 3.80 ERA in 83 MLB innings since 2021. Poteet, who is on the 40-man roster, has an 11.25 ERA in eight innings for the Tides this season, and he struggled mightily on Sunday. He relieved Charlie Morton and allowed five earned runs and six hits while walking two in just 2 2/3 innings in the series finale against the Reds.

The move puts the Orioles back to a four-man rotation. They will likely need to add a starter for Friday’s series opener in Detroit. Kyle Gibson, who is starting Sunday for High-A Aberdeen, is an option as he continues his buildup after signing with the Orioles late in spring. No. 1 starter Zach Eflin (lat muscle strain) would be eligible to come off the injured list by then, but it appears unlikely he’ll be healthy enough. Poteet also has starting experience. Young can’t be recalled for 15 days, unless he’s being added in place of an injured player.

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