The Orioles made another adjustment to their bullpen before tonight’s series opener against the Royals at Camden Yards.

Left-hander Nick Vespi was recalled from Triple-A Norfolk and lefty Bruce Zimmermann was optioned, giving manager Brandon Hyde an available arm in relief. Zimmermann threw 61 pitches in three innings Wednesday night in Milwaukee.

Vespi is waiting to make his first appearance in 2023. He was recalled on May 12 and optioned two days later.

The numbers in Triple-A are worthy of a second promotion.

Vespi is 2-0 with a 1.77 ERA, 0.984 WHIP and seven saves in 19 games with Norfolk. He’s allowed four runs and 15 hits with five walks and 21 strikeouts in 20 1/3 innings.

Don’t be fooled by the smile.

Logan Gillaspie knows when it’s appropriate to be a nice guy. Like, for instance, when teammates, club employees and reporters walk over to his locker. When he’s around his family or is approached by a fan.

Pretty much anytime except when he’s pitching.

The Orioles recalled Gillaspie from Triple-A Norfolk Monday morning and gave him another chance in their bullpen. They kept him busy after taking him north, with appearances made on March 30 and April 1, 4, 7, 9, 11, 12 and 15.

Gillaspie didn’t allow a run or hit in his first three games over 1 2/3 innings. Four of the next five were harsh, including his final outing in the 10^th inning in Chicago. The automatic runner scored, and so did pinch-runner Seby Zavala after back-to-back singles by Jake Burger and Oscar Colás.

The annual revealing of the non-roster invites for spring training bring equal parts curiosity over the biggest names and the group of suspicious omissions. The latter can be fueled by prospect status or by previous opportunities in the majors. There's got to be a reason for the exclusion.

The same holds true when the Orioles share their list of extra players brought over from minor league camp for home games or the travel roster.

Zac Lowther was absent from all of it.

Didn’t receive an invitation, didn’t appear at Ed Smith Stadium or on the team bus.

So, what exactly is going on with Lowther, 27, who made his major league debut in 2021, got one relief appearance the following season and seems to have disappeared?

BOSTON – A long season awaits Anthony Bemboom, whether he’s in the majors or catching at Triple-A, but he’s already set aside some time for reflection. How could he not?

Bemboom has been through a lot, starting with his decision to re-sign with the Orioles following the 2022 season. He was put on the 40-man roster and removed a month later, already knowing, it appeared, that the Orioles wanted to keep him in the organization but likely would have to outright him.

More unexpected was the trade that brought catcher James McCann from the Mets on Dec. 21. Bemboom had no shot at making his second straight Opening Day roster unless an injury created an opportunity.

The unpredictability of sports struck again.

McCann developed soreness in his left oblique about a week before the Orioles broke camp. He tried hitting off a tee, the session didn’t go as he hoped, and the Orioles placed him on the 10-day injured list and selected Bemboom’s contract.

SARASOTA, Fla. – The Orioles are traveling to Tropicana Field this morning to play the Rays, who can't use their spring facility in Port Charlotte due to the damage inflicted by Hurricane Ian.

The place will seem empty. As if that's an oddity. But it's still 72 degrees and dry inside and a great setup for visiting teams and the media. Don't be a hater.

I spent some time yesterday making sure that I didn't forget to share anything important, as the days meld together and the brain begins to fry. Or anything stupid. Let's not be elitist.

* Outfielder Kyle Stowers isn’t working out at first base.

I felt like I had to confirm it after speculating in Friday’s mailbag.

I’d have a bunch of non-sports questions if I were flying for the holidays.

“Why is this line so long? Why isn’t it moving? Where are my bags? Where am I supposed to sleep?”

"Do I dare try the sushi?"

Here are a few more relating to the Orioles:

Which free agent starting pitcher could sign with the Orioles?
Rich Hill is off the board after agreeing to a one-year, $8 million contract with the Pirates.

Left-hander DL Hall didn’t make it out of the bullpen yesterday at Triple-A Norfolk, if that’s where he sits when he isn’t scheduled to pitch.

He wasn’t on the lineup card. And he didn’t pitch.

The Orioles want Hall back in the majors as a power arm coming out of the bullpen. They’re shortening his outings and intend to do the same with his rest periods.

But not yet, apparently.

The minors shut down on Mondays except for the Florida Complex League, which went dark yesterday. Hall could get a few innings Tuesday night in Jacksonville.

The Orioles swapped out pitchers again today, recalling Denyi Reyes from Triple-A Norfolk and optioning left-hander Zac Lowther.

Lowther threw 100 pitches last night in 5 1/3 innings. Reyes was the 27^th man for Saturday’s doubleheader in Boston, allowing one run in 3 2/3 innings in Game 2, and remained eligible to be recalled in fewer than 10 days.

Lowther was the first Orioles reliever last night to throw at least 100 pitches since Gabriel Ynoa on May 5, 2017.

Adley Rutschman is on the bench tonight as the Orioles continue their series against the Mariners. He’s 7-for-39 in 10 games.

Trey Mancini is playing first base and Anthony Santander is the right fielder and cleanup hitter.

Pitching again in the majors is the only proverbial carrot that pitcher Zac Lowther needs dangled in front of him. He didn’t get the call until Monday morning. His bags are unpacked but he doesn’t know if he’s in for an extended stay, especially after working 5 1/3 innings last night.

There actually was more to it for Lowther beyond just leaving the minors. He knew from what he observed from a distance and heard from teammates that the Orioles are having a blast, and he wants badly to be included in it.

The fear of missing out can gnaw at a guy.

“You kind of see as a whole how the team has been playing and it’s fun baseball, it’s a different energy,” he said. “Obviously, I wasn’t here, but you can just see it on the field. It’s like, ‘Hey, I want to be a part of that.’ It’s a little more motivation, but you really don’t need anymore motivation than, it’s the big leagues. But when you’ve got guys like (Kyle) Bradish, who have pitching really well down in Triple-A, getting a chance, and then Adley (Rutschman), you knew it was only a matter of time with those two.

“Just being able to get back here with them is great, because they’re good guys, I enjoy spending time with them, enjoy playing with them. It’s a lot of very positive things. You’ve got really good pitchers at Triple-A like Cody (Sedlock) and Nick Vespi, who finally got their chance and they did really good. It was just fun to see.

Orioles manager Brandon Hyde didn’t carry any delusions of a long start tonight by Bryan Baker. He wasn’t raising the bar to three innings. This was strictly an opener arrangement followed by, if it worked as planned and hoped, significant coverage from Zac Lowther until Hyde could begin calling upon some of his high-leverage relievers.

The game didn’t reach the point where a tie or lead needed to be protected. The Orioles were in damage control. Live to play another night.

Baker was charged with three runs in 1 2/3 innings, Lowther let two inherited runners score and six of his own over 5 1/3, one unearned after a Ramón Urías error that assisted the Mariners in sending 10 batters to the plate in the third, and the Orioles began their homestand with a 10-0 loss.

Lowther retired 12 of 13 beginning with the final out in the third inning and got into the seventh at 100 pitches. Marcos Diplán didn't let the Mariners score in 1 1/3, and infielder Chris Owings made his second career pitching appearance in the ninth, allowing one run on two doubles.

Owings was trusted with 1 2/3 innings for the Royals in 2019 and surrendered four runs and six hits, including two homers. He allowed a leadoff double tonight to Eugenio Suárez after starting him with a 49 mph slider, induced a ground ball and shallow fly, and was burned by Taylor Trammell’s double down the right field line.

Zac Lowther and his family made plans for Memorial Day. Just relax on the beach, enjoy the break that minor league players receive on Mondays.

Then came the phone call at 11 a.m. from Triple-A Norfolk pitching coach Justin Ramsey.

“Normally,” Lowther said, “he’s not the one to call me.”

Lowther was told to get on a flight to Baltimore. The beach would have to wait for another morning.

Bags were packed for Lowther, his wife Brianna and 18-month-old daughter Isabelle. Not the stuff they’d take to the shore.

The Orioles have chosen a bullpen game tonight to begin their series against the Mariners at Camden Yards.

Right-hander Bryan Baker is making his second start. He did the same in St. Louis on May 12 and tossed 2 1/3 scoreless innings with one hit, no walks and three strikeouts.

Baker’s last appearance came in Game 1 of Saturday’s doubleheader in Boston. He threw 31 pitches and didn’t allow a run in 1 1/3 innings.

Mariners rookie George Kirby, the 20^th overall pick in the 2019 draft out of Elon University, is making his fifth major league start tonight. He’s allowed 10 earned runs (12 total) and 23 hits in 20 innings, with two walks and 20 strikeouts.

A May 8 debut against the Rays produced six scoreless innings with no walks and seven strikeouts. He’s allowed nine runs and 16 hits in his last two starts over 10 innings.