ST. PETERSBURG -- The revolving door that is the Orioles’ pitching situation swung open again Monday morning, and in walked Tom Eshelman. By early evening, the 25-year-old had taken a winding journey to Tropicana Field: three organizations, four years and a mid-20s stint at extended camp separating Eshelman from his first big league callup.

“It’s been a long road,” Eshelman said later, standing at his locker in the Orioles' clubhouse. “For me to be here, it’s unbelievable. Hopefully I can work hard enough to stay.”

Unlike many new faces who find their way to the Orioles these days, that just may be in the cards. With his parents, brother and fiancee in the stands, Eshelman put together as solid an outing as any of the handful of arms Baltimore has cycled through its vacant fifth rotation slot in recent weeks, logging five solid innings Monday.

• Box score

It wasn’t until the Rays rallied against Baltimore’s bullpen that the Orioles dropped a 6-3 decision, spoiling Eshelman’s debut.

“I was impressed,” manager Brandon Hyde said. “He gave me a little Kyle Hendricks feel, of a guy being able to work both sides of the plate and throw off-speed in fastball counts. Nice tempo, looked like a pro.”

Acquired last month from the Phillies for international bonus money, Eshelman rebounded from a rocky first to hold Tampa Bay to two runs over five innings. Both came in his initial frame, when Eshelman, a control pitcher whose fastball didn’t eclipse 88 mph Monday, allowed four hits and walked one before retiring Brendan McKay to escape a base-loaded jam. He then settled down.

Eshelmen faced one batter over the minimum over the next four innings, needing just 15 pitches in the second and nine to breeze through the fourth. All told, Eshelman induced 10 ground-ball outs and finished five frames on just 75 pitches.That allowed the Orioles to rally back via a trio of run-scoring singles, Rio Ruiz putting Baltimore on top with a go-ahead opposite-field knock off left-hander Adam Kolarek in the sixth.

“I think it was a lot of nerves, a lot of excitement, anxious to be out there,” Eshelman said. “After a bumpy first, I calmed down.”

But with Eshelman’s pitch count not an issue and the righty in line for a win, Hyde went to his bullpen in the bottom half of the frame rather than allow Eshelman to face the heart of the Rays' order a third time, citing the quality of contact the Rays made off him in the fifth. It took Branden Kline three batters to transform a one-run lead into a two-run deficit, the righty allowing two hitters to reach ahead of Kevin Kiermaier’s three-run homer.

For as hamstrung as the Orioles have been on the starting side since optioning David Hess in mid-June, the inconsistency of relievers like Kline have only compounded their depth issues. They’ve scrambled for weeks as a result, cycling four different starters -- and twice using openers -- and rejiggering their bullpen with roster moves almost daily. Kline was optioned to Triple-A Norfolk after Monday’s game, his ERA now 6.75, and Eshelman was optioned for Tuesday night's starter Asher Wojciechowski, thus beginning the process anew.

The Orioles also activated Josh Lucas from the 10-day injured list on Tuesday, and designated reliever Matt Wotherspoon for assignment to clear space for Wojciechowski on the 40-man roster. Wojciechowski's club debut was set for a day after he was acquired from the Indians for cash. A former Houston farmhand like Eshelman, Wojciechowski last pitched in the Majors in 2017 and owns a career 6.64 ERA. He will be the sixth spot starter the Orioles have used in the past three weeks, and the 30th different pitcher to appear for the club this season. That matches the franchise record set in 2018, through 84 games.

Eshelman's optioning had little to do with his performance, as the Orioles don't need a fifth starter until after the All-Star break. With more outings like his on Monday, perhaps that type of turnover will become less frequent by the end of the summer.

“This guy is throwing mid-80s with a pitch mix and other pitches, but he’s commanding the baseball,” Hyde said of Eshelman. “I think a lot of guys in our ‘pen can take a nice little lesson. Hopefully they were watching closely. And if you’re able to locate on both sides of the plate, pitch below the zone at times, instead of center-cutting balls and walking leadoff hitters, then you give yourself a chance.”