Two days past Thanksgiving is too early to begin worrying whether the leftovers are edible. To check for discoloring, change in texture, hints that a trip to the emergency room is in your future.

It isn’t too late to keep looking back on the 2023 Orioles season.

Among the surprises and oddities, I’ve already mentioned how Austin Voth wasn’t impactful, Dillon Tate wasn’t able to pitch, Mike Baumann wasn’t big only in size, Yennier Cano was an All-Star, Danny Coulombe was cool under pressure, Adam Frazier had a power surge and outage, Ryan O’Hearn hit in the middle of the order, Cedric Mullins posted curious splits, and Joey Krehbiel wasn’t around much.

Here are three more:

Logan Gillaspie made the Opening Day roster.

One of the Orioles’ post-break decisions has been made and revealed.

It took less than 24 hours after the last out of the All-Star Game.

The rotation is set for the weekend series against the Marlins at Camden Yards, with some of the anticipated rearranging. Dean Kremer starts Friday night, followed by Kyle Gibson Saturday night and Kyle Bradish Sunday afternoon.

The Marlins are expected to start Sandy Alcantara and Braxton Garrett in the first two games, with Sunday TBA.

The break allowed manager Brandon Hyde to push back Tyler Wells, who is emerging as the staff ace but has thrown 104 2/3 innings, which is one more than his 2022 total.

NEW YORK – Colton Cowser is on the Orioles’ active roster and expected to be in their lineup for tonight’s game against the Yankees.

The first part is official.

The club announced that it selected Cowser’s contract from Triple-A Norfolk. They also selected reliever Eduard Bazardo’s contract and optioned outfielder Ryan McKenna to the Tides after yesterday’s game.

Catcher Anthony Bemboom and pitcher Chris Vallimont were designated for assignment to clear space on a full 40-man roster.

Cowser, the No. 14 prospect in baseball in MLB Pipeline rankings, is batting .330/.459/.537 with 10 doubles, a triple, 10 home runs, 40 RBIs and 48 walks in 56 games. The fifth-overall selection in the 2021 draft out of Sam Houston State has accumulated 381 plate appearances at Triple-A over two seasons and slashed .292/.420/.500 in 83 games.

Jordan Westburg is on the bench tonight, as the Orioles begin a three-game series against the Twins at Camden Yards. Gunnar Henderson is the shortstop, Ramón Urías is the third baseman and Adam Frazier is the second baseman.

Westburg and Brian Roberts (2001) are the only Orioles middle infielders to record at least five hits in their first three career games, according to STATS.

Adley Rutschman is serving as the designated hitter tonight, with Anthony Bemboom behind the plate.

Ryan O’Hearn remains in the cleanup spot.

Dean Kremer is 2-0 with a 3.00 ERA in his last three starts after allowing six earned runs in five innings in Milwaukee on June 7. Kremer has received 20 runs over those three starts and is averaging 6.24 per nine innings this season, the fifth-highest total among American League qualifiers.

One day after Orioles reserve outfielder Ryan McKenna hit a walk-off home run in the 10^th inning, backup catcher Anthony Bemboom broke a tie in less dramatic fashion.

With less pop and some help from the Mariners’ defense, but only the result mattered.

Bemboom popped up a fastball down the right field line in the fifth inning that fell for a hit. Mariners second baseman José Caballero booted it further toward the corner, and Jorge Mateo came around to score from first.

Kyle Bradish retired 13 of his last 14 batters to complete seven innings, matching his season high, and the Orioles won 3-2 before an announced crowd of 19,143 at Camden Yards.

The Orioles are 47-29 after claiming their 16^th series. Closer Félix Bautista notched his 21^st save after surrendering a game-tying home run yesterday to Mike Ford with two outs in the ninth.

The Orioles have made the following roster moves:

• Selected the contract of C Anthony Bemboom from Triple-A Norfolk.
• Recalled RHP Logan Gillaspie from Triple-A Norfolk.
• Designated RHP Spenser Watkins for assignment.
• Optioned C José Godoy to Triple-A Norfolk.
• RHP Noah Denoyer has cleared outright waivers and been assigned to Triple-A Norfolk.

The Orioles’ 40-man roster currently has 40 players.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – The Orioles made a series of roster moves before playing their first game tonight against the Rays at Tropicana Field.

The pitching staff and catchers are impacted again.

Spenser Watkins was designated for assignment this morning to create room for catcher Anthony Bemboom on the 40-man roster. The Orioles selected Bemboom’s contract from Triple-A Norfolk and optioned backup José Godoy. 

Right-hander Logan Gillaspie was recalled from Norfolk to work in a middle relief role.

Watkins joined the Orioles twice this season but didn’t pitch for them. He missed a month with a laceration on his right ring finger, an injury sustained with Norfolk.

The Orioles are down to two catchers on their active roster.

Anthony Bemboom was designated for assignment this morning, and the Orioles selected Ryan O’Hearn’s contract from Triple-A Norfolk.

O’Hearn, who is wearing No. 32, gives the Orioles a backup first baseman and corner outfielder. He’s another left-handed bat with the club facing at least four consecutive right-handed starters.

O’Hearn was batting .300/.349/.725 (12-for-40) with three doubles, a triple, four home runs, 11 RBIs, three walks and 13 strikeouts in 43 plate appearances with Norfolk. He was lumped in the last roster cuts in spring training after slashing .375/.444/.650 with two doubles and three home runs in 18 games.

Today’s move puts O’Hearn back on the 40-man roster. The Orioles acquired him from the Royals on Jan. 3 for cash considerations and designated him for assignment two days later while claiming Lewin Díaz off waivers.

The parade of opposing left-handed starters this week has created a new set of lineup challenges for Orioles manager Brandon Hyde.

Gunnar Henderson sat out Monday night’s series opener against the Athletics, but left-handed hitting Adam Frazier started at second base. Only one catcher played. Ryan McKenna made another start in right field.

Last night’s 11^th game of the season produced the 11^th different order. Frazier moved to the bench. Henderson started at third base. James McCann was the first of four designated hitters used - it felt like a record of some sort - and his first Orioles hit was a tie-breaking double in the fourth inning.

Who knows what tomorrow brings – besides another lefty starter for Oakland?

The streak will run to four southpaws in a row, counting the Yankees’ Nestor Cortes on Sunday. Thursday afternoon’s spot remains TBA, but Oakland is expected to send right-hander Adam Oller to the mound. Oller’s two appearances this season have been in relief.

The Orioles have decided to carry three catchers on their 26-man roster.

Veteran James McCann was activated this morning from the 10-day injured list after two injury rehab games at High-A Aberdeen. As the corresponding move, outfielder Kyle Stowers was optioned to Triple-A Norfolk.

Anthony Bemboom remains in the majors, providing a second backup to Adley Rutschman.

McCann could be in today’s lineup with the Yankees starting left-hander Nestor Cortes.

Stowers has barely played this season. He received only six plate appearances in three games.

ARLINGTON, Tex. – Well, that was unexpected and unlikely but most welcome.

An Orioles pitching staff that had allowed nine runs three straight games completely reversed its fortunes last night deep in the heart of Texas. They threw a four-pitcher, one-hitter at Globe Life Field. Against a Texas team that was 3-0 and leading all of MLB with 29 runs scored.

Last night Texas went 1-for-29 for the night and 0-for-24 after Josh Jung’s infield single with one out in the second inning. It was the fewest hits allowed by the Orioles since they one-hit the Chicago White Sox on the road on June 24, 2022.

The pitching game plan had to call an early audible when starter Kyle Bradish took a liner off his right foot. He suffered a contusion, but preliminary X-rays were negative for a fracture. We should get an update later today at the ballpark.

Lefty Danny Coulombe came in and got four outs, three against lefty hitters. In the dugout, Tyler Wells was not dressed in full uniform because he wasn’t scheduled to pitch until tonight. But he told Brandon Hyde to use him if needed and Hyde took him up on the offer. Grab that jersey quick.

ARLINGTON, Tex. – The Orioles scored 23 runs in Boston and had two players produce a five-hit game. They hit nine doubles and added seven homers and their team OPS of 1.033 leads the American League at this early point.

But baseball’s No. 1 prospect, Gunnar Henderson, considered a leading candidate to be the American League Rookie of the Year, is still looking for his first hit of 2023. He is 0-for-8 but has also drawn a team-leading six walks.

That is six walks out of the Orioles' team total of 15 and no other player on the roster has walked more than twice thus far.

“The hits haven’t come yet but they will,” manager Brandon Hyde said this afternoon in the visitor’s dugout at Globe Life Field. “But he’s taking good at-bats. Lot of 3-2 counts. Laying off borderline, the pitches that are off (the plate). Feel like on some of his swings, he’s just missing a few. Little bit musclely, I think he’s trying to get that first one. Once he gets that first one, he’s going to be able to relax a little bit. But his at-bats have been good so far.”

Henderson’s walk rate, which was 12.1 last year is 42.9 at this very early juncture. Last season he saw 4.08 pitches per plate appearance and that is up to 4.50 so far this year.

BOSTON – The Orioles set their 26-man roster with the anticipated moves on the injured list and a late pivot in the bullpen.

Logan Gillaspie and Mike Baumann made the club, and Joey Krehbiel was optioned to Triple-A Norfolk.

Krehbiel broke camp with the team and spent most of the season on the active roster before slumping over the second half and being optioned in September. He had poor numbers this spring after two exhibition appearances but got on a roll with six straight scoreless and hitless outings, and he seemed like a safe bet to travel north.

Baumann was switched to a short-inning role and thrived with five consecutive scoreless appearances. Gillaspie pitched in seven games and allowed an unearned run with two walks and 10 strikeouts in seven innings.

The Orioles placed catcher James McCann on the 10-day injured list, pitchers Dillon Tate and Mychal Givens on the 15-day IL and John Means on the 60-day IL. Catcher Anthony Bemboom’s contract was selected, giving him two Opening Day roster berths in a row.

SARASOTA, Fla. – We have reached the final day of spring training. The Orioles play the Cardinals at 1:05 p.m. at Ed Smith Stadium. The equipment is packed, the complex will empty after Tuesday morning’s workout, and the word “Publix” won’t be uttered again until next spring.

Also going away are the warm temperatures. The high in Boston for Thursday’s opener is 43 degrees, with a 70 percent chance of rain Saturday.

Baseball isn’t boring but it can get rude.

The sure things on the Opening Day roster also started to disappear, beginning with reliever Dillon Tate. His forearm strain is expected to keep him on the injured list until mid-to-late May.

Mychal Givens hasn’t been used in relief since March 16 and he limped off the mound only 10 pitches into yesterday’s simulated game, firing his glove against the dugout railing and venting verbally, as well. Couldn’t miss it.

SARASOTA, Fla. – The Orioles re-signed catcher Anthony Bemboom to a split contract in October, removing him from minor league free agency and putting him on the 40-man roster, and outrighted him to Triple-A a few weeks later. Go ahead and compete for the backup job, but as a non-roster invite to spring training. We’re saying there’s still a chance.

The flurry of catcher activity in the offseason suddenly left the Orioles with six of them on the 40-man, but they whittled it to one before trading for veteran James McCann, who’s under team control for the next two seasons.

The hurdles for Bemboom became much taller. McCann is the overwhelming favorite to break camp with the team, and no one is replacing Adley Rutschman. Only an injury could disrupt the plan.

As if a catcher would ever get hurt in camp. Be real.

Bemboom wasn’t blindsided by the Orioles’ interest in keeping him in the organization. They were transparent about it.

How the rotation and bullpens are constructed, with the first influencing the second, are the biggest spring training curiosities for me and many others. The final bench spot must be monitored, with a non-roster, left-handed hitting first baseman hoping to crash the opening day party in Boston.

I’ve already filled this space with some spring training storylines. Here’s a recent story.

What else is worthy of our attention besides the exhilarating pitchers fielding practice and bunt drills?

I’ll take a swing at it with some quick hits.

Every Kyle Gibson side session and appearance is noteworthy because the Orioles gave him $10 million guaranteed, their largest deal since hiring Mike Elias, and he could move near or at the top of the rotation. They expect more out of him than just innings, though they'll gladly take those, as well. He's bound to draw comparisons to Jordan Lyles, the pitcher he basically is replacing.

“When do you head down to spring training?”

I was asked again this week during dinner with some friends. I smiled, shrugged and offered the usual time frame.

Major League Baseball hasn’t shared the report date for pitchers and catchers, which coincides with my report date. We usually know months ago.

The Rays arrive on Feb. 14, with their first workout held the following day. But they’re in upheaval after Hurricane Ian hit Port Charlotte hard in late September.

Every March home game will be played at Tropicana Field. The Orioles visit on the 5^th.

The Orioles are keeping two openings on their 40-man roster as they get closer to the Thanksgiving holiday shutdown.

This isn’t a mandated quiet period. It just typically works out that way.

Thanksgiving 2005 was an insane exception. The Marlins traded Carlos Delgado to the Mets and Mike Lowell, Josh Beckett and Guillermo Mota to the Red Sox for Hanley Ramírez, Aníbal Sánchez, and two others.

Reporters covering the Marlins almost tossed their turkey.

(The judges also would have accepted “yacked their yams”)

The next round of awards are handed out this week, starting tonight with Rookie of the Year from the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.

Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman is a finalist in the American League with Cleveland’s Steven Kwan – his former college teammate – and Seattle’s Julio Rodríguez.

Rodríguez already was chosen by The Sporting News, Baseball America and his peers in the Players Choice Awards. He won a Silver Slugger Award last week. He’s just waiting to hear from People Magazine on the results for “Sexiest Man Alive”.

The BBWAA isn’t expected to veer away from Rodríguez, but we’ll find out tonight on MLB Network beginning at 6 p.m.

A first- or second-place finish for Rutschman would give him a full year of service time under the new collective bargaining agreement. That’s a year closer to arbitration and free agency. And it’s why some writers were uncomfortable with the ballot or declined to vote.

Armchair general managers remained on call throughout the World Series. Can't put away the cell phone or shut the laptop.

There's lots of work to do. Never mind that your salary isn't enough to tip the DoorDash driver.

You're in it for the love of the game.

I already posed three questions: whether you’d re-sign first baseman Jesús Aguilar, whether you’d pick up Jordan Lyles’ $11 million option and whether you’d trade an outfielder.

Here are two more: