The Situation: The Orioles have dropped six of their last seven and now find themselves four games back in the AL East. Injury and underperformance in the starting rotation have already forced the Birds’ hand, with Freddy Garcia logging four underwhelming starts over the past three weeks. Rather than turning to T.J. McFarland or Jake Arrieta for Thursday’s start north of the border, Dan Duquette and Buck Showalter will turn the ball over to the no. 2 prospect in the Orioles’ system (and no. 13 prospect in baseball), Kevin Gausman, in an attempt to inject the rotation with some life, not to mention some electric stuff.

Background: Gausman was a sixth-round selection by the Dodgers out of Grandview High School (Aurora, CO), but he turned down first-round money in favor of two years at LSU, where he immediately made an impact, finishing eighth in the SEC in strikeouts, ninth in hits allowed, and fifth in batting average against. After a strong summer as part of USA Baseball’s Collegiate National Team, Gausman dominated the SEC as a sophomore, leading the conference in strikeouts and finishing third nationally while serving as the Tigers’ Friday night starter and earning All-American honors from multiple publications. He was the first pitcher selected in the 2012 draft, going fourth overall to the Baltimore Orioles, and he signed a $4.32 million dollar deal, $120,000 over slot allotment.

The Situation: With Clayton Richard becoming the latest Padres starter to land on the DL, the club is calling up Smith from Double-A San Antonio. He’ll join the rotation and make his big-league debut against Tampa Bay on Saturday.

Background: San Diego’s 14th-round pick in the 2011 draft, Smith was selected out of the University of Oklahoma after beginning his collegiate career at Texas JUCO power Howard College. The right-hander’s velocity has jumped a tick since his college days, and his command continues to improve. Following a solid full-season debut at High-A Lake Elsinore last season, Smith has been the Texas League’s most dominant starter in the early going this year. Through six starts, he has yielded just four earned runs on 17 hits in 31.1 innings, walking six and striking out 37. The Texan did not rank in Baseball Prospectus’ top 10 Padres prospects over the offseason, though he certainly would if they were re-ranked today.

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The Situation: With the worst bullpen in the major leagues as measured by ERA, the Cardinals are in desperate need for relief help. Just as they turned to right-hander Trevor Rosenthal down the stretch and in the playoffs last year, the Cardinals will again turn to a young, hard-throwing right-hander in Carlos Martinez.

Background: Previously known as Carlos Matias, Martinez failed a background inspection and was suspended for a year by Major League Baseball rather than being allowed to sign with the Red Sox in in 2009. After the suspension was up, the Cardinals gave him a massive payday, ponying up a $1.5 million signing bonus. Pitching in the Dominican Summer League in 2010, Martinez started 12 games en route to posting a miniscule 0.76 ERA and 78 strikeouts in 59 innings.

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The Situation: Though he has played only 10 games above High-A, the Marlins are looking to 22-year-old outfielder Marcell Ozuna to fill the void left created by Giancarlo Stanton’s trip to the disabled list with a hamstring injury. The Marlins added Ozuna to their 40-man roster over the offseason, which made the decision to call him up now that much easier. The 22-year-old, who was ranked no. 10 on BP’s Marlins Top 10 list by, was hitting .333 with five home runs and 15 RBI in 10 games for Double-A Jacksonville.

Background: Signed out of the Dominican Republic in 2008, Ozuna debuted with the Marlins’ DSL affiliate that summer, posting a .279 batting average while knocking 14 doubles and six home runs as a 17-year-old. Playing in the rookie-level Gulf Coast League in 2009, Ozuna continued to excel at a young age, this time hitting .313 in 55 games and blasting another 22 doubles and five more home runs. After starting with Low-A Greensboro in 2010, Ozuna broke a bone in his left wrist, forcing him to miss the next two months. After recovering, Ozuna tore through the New York-Penn League, leading the league in home runs (21) and runs batted in (60). The Marlins gave him another crack at Low-A in 2011, and he handled it well, posting a .266/.330/.482 line in 131 games. After a promotion to High-A for the 2012 season, Ozuna nearly duplicated his batting line (.266/.328/.476) while leading the Florida State League in home runs (24) and RBI (95).

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The Situation: Rockies infielder Chris Nelson could not duplicate the success he experienced in 2012, posting a .242/.282/.318 line in 22 games this year, and the club designated him for assignment over the weekend. Nelson’s departure opened the door for Arenado, ranked third on the Rockies Top 10 list by Baseball Prospectus over the offseason, to make his major-league debut on Sunday.

Background: Drafted in the second round in 2009, Arenado raked at every stop through his first three years in the minor leagues. His professional debut in the Pioneer League was a rousing success, with an even .300 batting average and 17 extra-base hits in just 54 games. Pushed to the Low-A South Atlantic League as a 19-year-old in 2010, Arenado responded with a performance worthy of top-prospect praise, highlighted by a .308/.338/.520 line in 92 games. Promoted another level in 2011, Arenado hit .298 with 32 doubles and 20 home runs in the High-A California League. The jump to Double-A in 2012 proved a little difficult for him, as he “struggled” to the tune of a .285 batting average, 36 doubles, and 12 home runs. Through 18 games with Triple-A Colorado Springs this season, he was hitting .364/.392/.667.

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The Situation: With a piecemeal starting rotation and an overtaxed bullpen, the Padres are in desperate need of arms at the big-league level. Erlin, whom Baseball Prospectus ranked as San Diego’s sixth-best prospect in January, is likely slated for a long relief role in the short term, as long men Thad Weber and Anthony Bass were forced to throw a combined 7.2 innings over the previous two nights. Weber was optioned to Triple-A, clearing the roster space for Erlin’s call-up.

Background: Selected by Texas in the third round of the 2009 draft, the California high school product tore through the lower levels and reached Double-A in May 2011. Erlin was dealt to the Padres at the deadline later that summer, going to San Diego with RHP Joe Wieland in exchange for setup man RHP Mike Adams. Although Erlin pitched well in 11 starts for Double-A San Antonio last season, he was sidelined due to inflammation and tendonitis in his elbow. The injury didn’t require surgery, and he finished with a strong stint in the Arizona Fall League. Prior to Wednesday’s call-up, Erlin had made three starts for Triple-A Tucson, yielding seven runs in 13.1 innings.

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The Situation: In need of an impact arm in the late innings, the Tigers called up a legit intimidator out of the bullpen in Bruce Rondon, who should add a much-needed bat misser to the relief equation.

Background: Signed as an international free agent out of Venezuela in 2007, Rondon’s developmental progress has been slow and steady since moving to the bullpen full time in 2010. The following season was the big step forward, as the big-bodied pitcher was unhittable in the Midwest League, missing 61 bats in 40 innings of relief. His biggest hurdle was command, as he allowed more walks than hits. The command improved in 2012, and the fastball continued to miss barrels at a high clip as he climbed the professional ladder. Before the start of the 2013 season, Rondon was ranked as the no. 3 prospect in the Tigers org, and barely missed inclusion on the BP 101. After a hot start to the season, the opportunity for major league advancement opened up and the 22-year-old is ready to walk through the door, which should turn into a permanent role at the highest level.

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The Situation: Starter John Lannan was injured during his last start on Wednesday, forcing the Phillies to look to the minor leagues for support. With left-hander Adam Morgan having just pitched in Triple-A, the team will turn to their eighth-ranked prospect in right-hander Jonathan Pettibone.

Background: The Phillies gave Pettibone an aggressive $500,000 signing bonus as a third-round pick in 2008 and assigned the 17-year-old right-hander to the Gulf Coast League for one start in his debut summer. In 2009, Pettibone moved on to the New York-Penn League, where he tossed 35 1/3 innings with a 5.35 ERA as one of the younger players in the league. The Phillies continued to promote him a level at a time as he moved to Low-A in 2010 and put together his first truly successful season, posting a 3.49 ERA in 131 1/3 innings.

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The Situation: In an ironic twist, the oft-injured Anthony Rendon (Baseball Prospectus’ top Washington Nationals prospect and the 35th-rated prospect on Jason Parks’ Top 101 entering the season) has the injury of another to thank for his first taste of major-league action. Nationals All-Star third baseman Ryan Zimmerman was placed on the 15-day disabled list on Saturday for a strained left hamstring, leaving Washington with a hole to fill at the hot corner. Coming off strong showings in both the Arizona Fall League and spring training, Rendon put himself on the fast track to the Nation’s capital with a red-hot start to the 2013 season, including the most recent 10-game stretch at Double-A Harrisburg, in which he posted a triple-slash line of .333/.511/.636 while clocking in with an 11:8 walk-to-strikeout ratio.

Background: After dropping to Atlanta in the 27th round of the 2008 Draft, Rendon decided to forgo the start of his professional career in favor of three years with Coach Graham and the hometown Rice Owls. Without question the decision was a good one, as the Houston native immediately established himself as the top player in college baseball, eventually earning a major-league deal with the Washington Nationals worth $7.2 million over four years ($6 million of it in signing bonus).

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The Situation: With a doubleheader scheduled on Sunday against the Royals, the Red Sox require a spot starter to help bolster the starting rotation. With Webster rested and pitching extremely well in Triple-A, he gets the call to make his big-league debut.

Background: Acquired as part of the package sent to the Red Sox in exchange for Josh Becket, Carl Crawford, and Adrian Gonzalez, Webster may end up the most important piece of that deal for the Sox. Drafted by the Dodgers in the 18th round of the 2008 draft, Webster has endured an up-and-down professional career. After breezing through the lower levels during his first three seasons as a pro, Webster hit a bump in the road when he reached Double-A as a 21-year old in 2011. In 91 innings with Chattanooga that summer, the right-hander was touched up for a 5.04 ERA and over 10 hits per nine innings.

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The Situation: After an impressive 127 2/3 innings with the Brewers in 2012, right-hander Mike Fiers has fallen flat on his face to start the 2013 season. As a result, the Brewers will give fellow 2009 draftee Hiram Burgos a try in the rotation. Burgos will be called up in time to make his major-league debut against the Chicago Cubs on Saturday.

Background: A native of Puerto Rico, Burgos was drafted by the Brewers in the sixth round of the 2009 draft. The then-21-year old product of Bethune-Cookman College scuffled to a 5.62 ERA in his professional debut with rookie-level Helena. After showing significant improvement in a return trip to Helena in 2010, Burgos was promoted to Low-A, where he posted a 4.48 ERA in 74 1/3 innings split between the rotation and bullpen. Burgos struggled again in 2011, sporting a 4.89 ERA in 22 High-A starts and allowing 142 hits in just 119 2/3 innings.

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The Situation: Not even two years after being drafted out of Rice, left-hander Tony Cingrani is on his way to the big leagues to help fill a significant void in the Cincinnati Reds rotation. Johnny Cueto, the club’s top starter, has been placed on the 15-day disabled list with a strained muscle in his back, creating an opening for Cingrani to return to the majors after making three relief appearances last fall. Cingrani has gotten off to a blazing start for Triple-A Louisville, hurling 14 1/3 innings across three starts, allowing only three hits and two walks while striking out 26 batters.

Background: Drafted in the third round in 2011, Cingrani had found success in the bullpen after struggling as a starter in his first year (2010) at Rice. As a senior, Cingrani posted a 1.92 ERA and fanned 62 batters in 52 innings out of the bullpen. The Reds moved him to the rotation after he signed and he responded with a spectacular 1.75 ERA in 13 starts for rookie-level Billings. Jumping two levels to High-A in 2012, Cingrani torched the hitter-friendly California League with a 1.11 ERA in 10 starts, punching out 71 hitters in 56 2/3 innings. After a promotion to Double-A, Cingrani continued to succeed with a 2.12 ERA and a strikeout rate north of 10 per nine innings. The Reds purchased his contract in September and he allowed a solo home run in five innings while striking out nine hitters.

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