Orioles promote Fuller and hire Borgschulte as hitting coaches

The Orioles made two hires this afternoon to fill out their coaching staff in 2022.

Ryan Fuller has been promoted from Double-A and joins Matt Borgschulte, summoned from the Twins organization, to serve as co-hitting coaches. Fuller was the Baysox's hitting coach and full-season hitting coordinator. Borgschulte worked as hitting coach with the Triple-A St. Paul Saints.

The duo replaces Don Long, who was informed after the season that he wouldn't return. As reported earlier this month, assistant hitting coach José Hernández remains in the organization and is going to fill a variety of roles. But his title no longer exists.

Pitching coach Chris Holt, assistant pitching coach Darren Holmes, major league coach Fredi González, major league field coordinator/catching instructor Tim Cossins, first base coach/outfielder instructor Anthony Sanders and third base coach/infield instructor Tony Mansolino are returning next year. However, some in-game duties are shifting.

One scenario that's been discussed, per sources, is having Holmes relocate from the bullpen to the dugout and Cossins move to the bullpen.

Final structural aspects of the staff will be finalized later in the offseason.

Fuller, 31, completed his second season with the Orioles and first at Bowie. He initially was hired from Power in Training, a facility in Connecticut, to serve as hitting coach at low Single-A Delmarva, and has been instrumental in revamping the hitting philosophy throughout the system.

Fuller's playing career as a professional consisted of one season in the Diamondbacks organization.

Borgschulte, 31, is a native of St. Louis who served as an assistant coach at Drury University in 2014 and assistant coach at Southeast Missouri State University in 2015-16. He joined the staffs of the Palm Beach Cardinals in 2017, Gulf Coast League Twins in 2018 and Fort Myers Miracle in 2019.

A promotion to Triple-A in 2020 was followed by the cancellation of the minor league season due to the pandemic.

Some hires have been made on the minor league side and others are pending. The Baysox have two openings with Fuller leaving and manager Buck Britton expected to move up to Triple-A Norfolk.

* Outfielder Austin Hays and infielder Ramón Urías recently underwent core repairs, but a team spokesman said they're completing all milestones, participating in post-op rehab and are a few weeks away from normal offseason hitting work. They're on track to be full participants in spring training.

Pitcher Keegan Akin underwent a hip adductor repair and is expected to return to a normal offseason program within a few weeks, per the Orioles. He's also on track to be full-go when pitchers and catchers report to the Ed Smith Stadium complex on Feb. 15.

Akin ended the season on the 60-day injured list and Urías on the 10-day list. Hays remained on the active roster and batted .284/.352/.569 with seven doubles, one triple, eight home runs and 22 RBIs over 30 games in September/October.

They join outfielder DJ Stewart on the postseason surgery list. Stewart had a procedure on his right knee and is expected to start some baseball activities in early January.

Other roster players who were on the injured list are making the desired progress and should be fine for the start of spring training.

* Former infielder Julio Lugo, a 12-year major league veteran who played for the Orioles in 2010, died of an apparent heart attack, as first reported by ESPN's Enrique Rojas. Lugo would have celebrated his 46th birthday on Tuesday.

Lugo played for seven teams and earned a World Series ring with the Red Sox in 2007. He appeared in 93 games with the Orioles and batted .249/.298/.282, before signing with the Braves in May 2011 to finish his career.

The Orioles used Lugo at shortstop, second base and third base, and in left field for one game.

Update: Ryan Mountcastle finished sixth in American League Rookie of the Year voting by the Baseball Writers' Association of America.

Mountcastle received two second-place votes and four third-place votes for 10 points. Tampa Bay's Randy Arozarena was first with 124 points.