The Orioles are discussing construction possibilities for their roster next week with teams allowed to carry only 13 pitchers. They get a fourth bench player as the forced tradeoff.

Monday’s off day delays the club’s decision, but it’s coming.

Joey Krehbiel is expected to be activated today from the injured list, which removes a reliever from the bullpen. Someone else must go by Tuesday. And the Orioles eventually need a starter to replace Bruce Zimmermann, who was optioned Thursday afternoon.

A fifth starter isn’t required until June 25, so no rush.

Jorge López, Dillon Tate, Félix Bautista, Cionel Pérez and Keegan Akin are safe, and Bryan Baker probably also fits into that category.

TORONTO – Orioles first baseman Trey Mancini still expects to avoid the injured list as the swelling is reducing in his right hand.

Mancini has the hand wrapped, but he noted the improvement this afternoon.

His timeline for returning stays the same. He said yesterday that it could be two or three days.

The injury occurred in Monday’s series opener against the Blue Jays when Mancini swung at a tailing 91 mph sinker from Alek Manoah and the ball struck his hand and rolled up the third base line.

Mancini said he might be available off the bench Thursday afternoon, but he seems more likely to play over the weekend when the Orioles host the Rays.

The Orioles are going to be without reliever Joey Krehbiel for at least 15 days due to right shoulder inflammation. However, they don’t seem concerned that his absence from the bullpen will be extensive.

“Hopefully, it’s just a couple weeks and give him time to rest it and work in the training room with Brian (Ebel) and the guys, and it won’t be too long,” manager Brandon Hyde said today.

Left-hander Nick Vespi returns to the Orioles with his 0.00 ERA and 26 strikeouts in 18 1/3 innings with Triple-A Norfolk. His major league debut consisted of two scoreless innings before the Orioles optioned him.

“He’s had an incredible year in Norfolk,” Hyde said. “It was just one of those situations where we needed to send him out last time out just from a numbers standpoint and what we needed in the bullpen the next day, unfortunately, because he threw the ball so well for us. So, we’re happy to have him back.

“With the new rules this year, it’s unfortunate that you have to wait a little longer to bring guys back, unless there’s an injury, but also, as you start getting more talented in your upper levels, start getting more talented in the big leagues, you start having to make tougher decisions. But as well is having talented guys in Triple-A to call up, so we’re excited to bring him back up as a bullpen option for us. He’s going to be live for us tonight.”

The Orioles announced the reported roster move this afternoon, with reliever Joey Krehbiel going on the 15-day injured list with right shoulder inflammation and left-hander Nick Vespi being recalled from Triple-A Norfolk.

But there were others.

Tyler Nevin was recalled from Norfolk and infielder Chris Owings went on the bereavement list. Nevin is starting at third base tonight.

Infielder Jahmai Jones was placed on unconditional release waivers. Jones underwent Tommy John surgery last week.

Adley Rutschman is catching Bruce Zimmermann tonight. Ramón Urías is on the bench.

Keegan Akin had no idea that he held an Orioles’ record or that it existed. A visitor to his locker yesterday shared the news.

No Orioles reliever had thrown two or more innings in his first 11 appearances of the season. Akin blew past Jimmy Haynes for the team mark of 10 and has tied Chuck Crim for the major league record of 14 set in 1987.

“I did not know that,” Akin said, making no attempt to impersonate Johnny Carson.

The item is in the game notes, but Akin probably doesn’t peruse them at his locker.

“That’s pretty cool,” he said, smiling. “I didn’t see that.”

Can you build a bullpen and get significant contributions from other teams' castoffs and have that bullpen perform about as well as any in baseball? So far, for the Orioles, that answer is yes.

Over time we will see if this bullpen can keep up its impressive start and how the ‘pen will hold up when having to cover so many innings. But if we gave a 49-game grade, how could they get anything other than an A?

Even in losing 12-2 Sunday, right-hander Cody Sedlock helped preserve the bullpen for tonight by pitching three innings plus in his major league debut. He and Marcos Diplán combined to give up six runs, but no other pitchers were needed on a day when starter Bruce Zimmermann allowed five homers and pitched just four innings.

The O’s ‘pen, in having this big year, has been a real key in the team’s overall improvement and ability to beat good teams and win some close games. The Orioles seem to be slowly getting better at winning those close games as the year goes on.

Through Saturday’s games, the Baltimore 'pen had an ERA of 3.00 to rank second behind Houston at 2.53. And the O’s bullpen compiled a 2.61 ERA in May, also second to the Astros, whose relievers are at 1.94 for the month.

OAKLAND – For the Orioles today, having almost as many ejections as runs scored was not a winning formula. While they may have had a good argument with first base umpire Rob Drake, the O’s hitters produced just four runs today, one more than the first three games of this series combined.

When Oakland scored late runs, a close game morphed into a two-run A's win, as the Athletics beat the Orioles 6-4 to take three of four in this series. The Orioles (4-9) head now to play the Angels at 1-3 on this trip and 1-6 in road games.

They scored just seven runs in this series, the first leg of a three-city road trip.

The ejections came after the top of the fourth. What looked like a routine 1-4-3 groundout in the O's fourth, on a ball Trey Mancini hit back to the box that caromed to second, instead turned into a play leading to two O’s ejections. Both Mancini and manager Brandon Hyde were tossed by Drake.

Mancini would reach first on what was later scored E4. But when the throw got away a bit from the first baseman, he was called out when tagged by the catcher Sean Murphy backing up the play. Mancini was apparently ruled to have made a move toward second base after crossing the first base bag. He may have had a step with a slight lean in that direction at most, but the umpire made the out call.

OAKLAND – In the first game of a 10-game road trip, right-hander Spenser Watkins, trying to hold onto the fifth starter’s spot, gave the Orioles a big effort.

Watkins allowed a first-inning run and nothing after that. He got rolling in the middle innings behind a frequency to throw a lot of first-pitch strikes. He did that to 10 of the first 13 batters he faced.

Watkins would go five innings, allowing two hits and one run with two walks and one strikeout. He threw 67 pitches, 44 for strikes. He threw 30 sliders or cutters among his pitches, and his fastball, which averaged 90.8 mph last year, was at 92.2 mph tonight.

Meanwhile, would the O’s offense and defense be able to back him?

The hitters once again could not get much going and the O’s infield defense unraveled when Oakland produced a big four-run inning in the last of the sixth.

Trying to catch a break or at least a few clutch hits, the Orioles came up with sort of a partial loaf tonight. They finally scored some runners in scoring position to tie the game 2-2. But when Milwaukee pushed across two runs in the top of the ninth versus righty Jorge López, they beat the Orioles 4-2 at Camden Yards.

But it was a night where the Orioles’ top starting pitcher, lefty John Means, exited the game early due to injury.

Means, who missed time last year with a shoulder issue, retired seven straight batters through the top of the fourth tonight and was trailing Milwaukee 2-0. But he was settling into a good groove, retiring the Brewers in order on nine pitches in the third and 12 pitches in the fourth.

And then he was suddenly out of the game due to left forearm tightness.

When right-hander Joey Krehbiel started warming up in the home fourth, it was clear something was up. Means was at 51 pitches through four and he was rolling. But he would also soon be out of the game.