Orioles option Akin and put Davis on 60-day injured list

Orioles option Akin and put Davis on 60-day injured list
Keegan Akin has fallen out of the rotation competition in Orioles camp. First baseman Chris Davis has gone on the 60-day injured list. There's more activity this evening than the game against the Yankees in Tampa. Akin, second baseman/outfielder Jahmai Jones and middle infielder Richie Martin were optioned to Triple-A Norfolk. Left-hander Fernando Abad and infielder/outfielder Chris Shaw were reassigned to Twin Lakes camp. The Orioles also announced the signing of left-hander Wade LeBlanc to a...

Orioles put Matt Harvey on 40-man roster

Orioles put Matt Harvey on 40-man roster
The Orioles have turned a reclamation project into one of their starters to begin the 2021 season. Veteran right-hander Matt Harvey's contract was selected this morning and he's on the 40-man roster and in the rotation. Harvey, who turns 32 on Saturday, signed a minor league deal in February that included an opt-out clause this week. He could have returned to the free-agent market, but he's headed north with the team and might start the season's third game in Boston. John Means gets the...

Updating Mountcastle and reviewing 2-0 loss

Updating Mountcastle and reviewing 2-0 loss
Ryan Mountcastle was supposed to make the trip to Fort Myers and play left field tonight for the Orioles. It said so on the first lineup card posted in the afternoon. The second card an hour later had Tyler Nevin in left field, also batting third. An explanation on Mountcastle's removal sort of came after a brisk 2-0 loss to the Red Sox. Manager Brandon Hyde explained on his Zoom call that Mountcastle was scratched with "a non-physical injury." "It's just something that I can't disclose...

Orioles lineup vs. Red Sox (updated)

Orioles lineup vs. Red Sox (updated)
Yusniel Diaz is starting in right field tonight, Stevie Wilkerson is in center and Richie Martin is playing shortstop, as the Orioles travel to Fort Myers for a 6:05 p.m. game against the Red Sox. Martin has moved over from second base and is attempting to convince the Orioles that he can be ready for opening day. Chance Sisco is catching and batting second. Ryan Mountcastle is in left field and Pat Valaika is at first base. Dean Kremer is making his fifth appearance of the spring and manager...

Another rotation check, Franco's opening day vow and 4-3 win

Another rotation check, Franco's opening day vow and 4-3 win
The bullpen game today in Sarasota began with veteran changeup artist César Valdez retiring the last seven batters that he faced. He was done for the afternoon and ready to change clothes when Trey Mancini and Maikel Franco hit two-run homers in the bottom of the third inning. Dillon Tate followed Valdez to the mound and retired only two batters, three other relievers pitched and Adley Rutschman doubled in his first at-bat in the Orioles' 4-3 win over the Rays. Now, back to the...

Trying to understand roster, Wells' bad luck and Davis' bad back

Trying to understand roster, Wells' bad luck and Davis' bad back
Turning in a perfect NCAA basketball tournament bracket is easier than figuring out the Orioles' opening day roster. Not knowing whether the Orioles carry 13 or 14 pitches is a complication, but there are others. The confusion isn't subsiding. It's actually increasing daily. The growing possibility of DJ Stewart going on the 10-day injured list has created more roster turmoil. It's March madness. If the Orioles carry 13 position players, they can hold onto outfielders Ryan Mountcastle,...

Stewart nearing exclusion from opening day roster

Stewart nearing exclusion from opening day roster
Orioles outfielder DJ Stewart hasn't played since March 5 due to a hamstring injury. He isn't in today's lineup and could remain out at least during the early portion of the week. A "mild tweak," as it was described, is taking a significant amount of time to heal. Stewart is cleared to bat in intrasquad games. However, the Orioles don't want to turn him loose on the bases and risk a setback. Hamstrings require patience. Opening day is less than two weeks away and Stewart has appeared in...

Orioles lineup vs. Twins

Orioles lineup vs. Twins
Third baseman Maikel Franco is making his Orioles debut this afternoon, batting second against the Twins in Sarasota. Franco played in yesterday's intrasquad game and is ready to move up to the next spring level. Richie Martin also is in the lineup, as expected. He's playing second base in his debut while Yolmer Sánchez leads off and starts at shortstop. Pat Valaika is the first baseman, Stevie Wilkerson is in right field and Ryan McKenna is in center. Cedric Mullins, Austin Hays and...

Harvey's strong outing strengthens bid for rotation spot

Harvey's strong outing strengthens bid for rotation spot
Matt Harvey looks like he's moving away from his uncertain status and toward a locker in the visiting clubhouse at Fenway Park. Harvey was signed by the Orioles to a minor league deal in order to compete for a job, not simply to get ready for opening day. A disastrous spring would have put him back on the market. The results keep getting better. Harvey held the Yankees to one run and hit - Gio Urshela's solo home run - over four innings in a 2-1 win at Ed Smith Stadium. Rule 5 pick Mac...

Matt Harvey on his strong outing against the Yankees

Matt Harvey on his strong outing against the Yankees
After feeling he was making solid progress with his mechanics and in his work with the Orioles pitching coaches after his last start, right-hander Matt Harvey went out tonight and topped that performance. Five days ago he allowed five hits and two runs over four innings against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Tonight he allowed just one hit and one run - that on a solo homer - over four innings at Ed Smith Stadium against the New York Yankees. Harvey walked one and fanned two and the Yankees went just...

Lingering questions about the lineup

Lingering questions about the lineup
If it's too early to make final calls on the Orioles' 26-man roster, the same rule should apply to the opening day lineup. The mind starts to work on it with the announcement that the Red Sox are starting left-hander Eduardo Rodríguez on April 1 at Fenway Park. Begin building the right-handed order. The Orioles could go left-on-left from the leadoff spot with center fielder Cedric Mullins abandoning switch-hitting. He homered off a southpaw last night, but also was batting ninth. They...

Orioles and Pirates lineups

Orioles and Pirates lineups
Rio Ruiz has returned to the Orioles' lineup today, playing third base and batting seventh against the Pirates in Sarasota. Richie Martin isn't in the lineup, but could enter the game later. He's recovered from surgery in January to remove a broken left hamate bone and got some at-bats yesterday. Austin Hays is in left field again, with Cedric Mullins in center. Trey Mancini is the first baseman. Pat Valaika is the second baseman. Matt Harvey is making his second start after his three-inning...

Orioles and Tigers lineups (and more)

Orioles and Tigers lineups (and more)
Adley Rutschman is rewarded for yesterday's double, the Orioles' only hit in Dunedin, with a start today as the designated hitter against the Tigers in Lakeland. Rutschman is batting seventh, one spot ahead of Ryan McKenna, who gets the start in center field. Austin Wynns is behind the plate. Yolmer Sánchez is leading off. Ryan Mountcastle is in left field. Dean Kremer is making his third start after allowing three runs and walking three batters in 4 2/3 innings. He tossed three scoreless...

This, that and the other

This, that and the other
The growing possibility that Chris Davis begins the season in the injured list, whatever its length, removes the misguided argument that he's blocking a prospect. Davis hasn't done it. Prospects aren't kept at Triple-A or the alternate camp because he's in the organization. Ryan Mountcastle wasn't making the club on opening day 2020. Yusniel Diaz isn't making it next month. (Mountcastle is 2-for-19 with a double, home run, five RBIs, no walks and four strikeouts. Don't panic.) A four-man...

Hunter Harvey exits 6-2 loss with oblique injury (Fenter returned)

Hunter Harvey exits 6-2 loss with oblique injury (Fenter returned)
Orioles reliever Hunter Harvey threw one pitch today and left the mound. The same questions about injuries and durability followed him. At least it wasn't Harvey's arm, the only good news attached to the scene. The Orioles announced that Harvey injured his left oblique, which should keep him off the opening day roster and adjust the team's bullpen plans. An oblique doesn't heal quickly. The Orioles have plenty of references at their disposal. Today was supposed to mark the third appearance...

Orioles lineup vs. Phillies

Orioles lineup vs. Phillies
Trey Mancini is making his third start today in the last four days, going back to first base for a 1:05 p.m. game versus the Phillies in Sarasota. Mancini is 4-for-14 with an RBI and is searching for his first extra-base hit. He underwent surgery exactly one year ago to remove a malignant tumor from his colon, but has made a full recovery and is expected to be in the opening day lineup. Austin Hays gets his turn in center field and Ryan McKenna is in right. Rio Ruiz, who's 1-for-12 this...

Wrapping up Mullins' day, Hernández's second start and 7-5 loss

Wrapping up Mullins' day, Hernández's second start and 7-5 loss
What to do with Cedric Mullins is one of the items that's missing from manager Brandon Hyde's plate. Mullins is going to be on the opening day roster. He's going to play a lot of center field. And he's going to hit in the leadoff spot. Baseball is losing its prototypical leadoff types, but Mullins fits the description and fits in the Orioles lineup. He began today's 7-5 loss to the Pirates with another hustle double and scored on Yolmer Sánchez's single. Center fielder Anthony Alford...

Félix Hernández on his outing (O's lose 7-5)

Félix Hernández on his outing (O's lose 7-5)
It was another day when the Orioles did not get a strong outing from their starting pitcher. Right-hander Félix Hernández, a six-time All-Star and the 2010 AL Cy Young Award winner, again had a shaky outing as the Orioles faced the Pittsburgh Pirates in Bradenton. Hernández did not express concern over either the stat sheet or that his fastball again was mostly in the mid-80s. He'll no doubt get more chances to show he can be effective but his ERA is 9.64 after two spring...

Some Orioles decisions harder than others

Some Orioles decisions harder than others
The Orioles won't really sink their teeth into their camp roster until they get closer to opening day. The first round of cuts was more like a nibble. There are decisions to be made that are going to challenge them. Others shouldn't consume hours and run late into the night. For example: Easy: Outfielders Yusniel Diaz and Ryan McKenna head to the alternate camp site in April and await their major league debuts later in the summer. The Orioles, meanwhile, celebrate their outfield depth that...

O's notes on Valaika, Mullins, the young pitchers and more

O's notes on Valaika, Mullins, the young pitchers and more
Pat Valaika was on the Orioles' opening day roster in 2020, his second opening day roster in the majors. Now he's shooting for three and his chances may be pretty good. He showed versatility starting at five positions last year for the Orioles and had a strong finish with his bat. He played in 52 of 60 games, which tied for the third-most on the team. Not considered an everyday player, he still tied for seventh on the club in plate appearances and only three Orioles hit more than his eight...