Because my mailbag hates dry heat and cross-country flights, I’m answering more questions today from home and waiting to join the Orioles in Boston.

I go where it goes.

You understand how this works after 15 years. How it’s a sequel to the beloved 2008 original.

You want heavy editing? Go to a movie. I don’t tamper here. We’re crazy with clarity, sinful with style, bold with brevity, loony with length, ga-ga over grammar.

Also, my mailbag expands like a September roster and yours splits like the back of Ye’s jacket.

OAKLAND – The joke landed and also elicited a quick and serious response.

With a six-man rotation, multiple pitchers nearing a return from the injured list and others who are candidates to return from the minors, is it possible that the Orioles actually have, dare we say, too much pitching?

Manager Brandon Hyde, sitting in the dugout yesterday during his media session, smiled and fired back.

“Can never have too much pitching,” he replied.

This is true.

SAN DIEGO – No team is going to keep an Opening Day roster intact for 162 games. The first month is dicey. The first half is virtually impossible.

The Orioles have used 47 players this season and are 121 games into their schedule. They are expected to reinstate left-hander John Means from the 60-day injured list next month. They’d likely provide major league debuts to a few more prospects under different circumstances, but expanded rosters capped at 28 players and the improved depth make it much harder.

Means, catcher James McCann and relievers Mychal Givens and Dillon Tate began the season on the injured list. McCann is the only one on the active roster. Givens is out of the organization after the Orioles designated him for assignment this week.

Givens is expected to become a free agent. The reunion lasted six games before its cancellation.

Tate hasn’t thrown a pitch for the Orioles since Oct. 5, 2022 against the Blue Jays, when he allowed two runs and walked three batters in two-thirds of an inning. He was pulled from his injury rehab assignment after a June 21 appearance with Triple-A Norfolk, his 13^th game overall among three affiliates.

SAN DIEG0 - Orioles outfielder Aaron Hicks returned to the club yesterday after injuring his left hamstring, started in left and exited in the eighth inning with discomfort in his back.

Hicks singled twice but didn’t appear to be running at full speed.

Austin Hays replaced Hicks last night and is starting in left tonight.

“He feels better today,” said manager Brandon Hyde. “Just came out with some back soreness. I don’t know if it was maybe just a little more intensity in these types of games, or maybe locked up on him a little bit. But feels much better today.”

Hicks played two games on his rehab assignment with Triple-A Norfolk. He hadn’t appeared with the Orioles since July 24 in Philadelphia.

Center fielder Cedric Mullins could rejoin the Orioles for the start of their three-city West Coast trip.

The Orioles play a weekend series in Seattle before flying to San Diego and Oakland.

Mullins will stay with Double-A Bowie tonight for a fourth game. He’s 3-for-15 with the Baysox.

A second groin injury for Mullins this season is forcing the Orioles to be more careful with the workload. Perhaps ease him back into his usual role, seek more rest days.

“This last one was a little different in that, it started in a different spot and then it kind of moved,” said manager Brandon Hyde. “Definitely want to keep him as healthy as I possibly can. So, probably talking to him every day, day games after night games, things like that. Might have to give him some rest to make sure he’s fresh.

The All-Star break didn’t shatter the Orioles’ momentum toward their first playoff berth in seven years.

They are 16-7 in the second half. Their lead over the Rays grew to three games. Their 70 wins matched the Braves’ total yesterday.

Any drama left in the season appears to involve possible promotions, fitting pitchers on the roster who are returning from the injured list, and whether the Orioles win the division and receive a first-round bye in the playoffs.

That last one is a biggie.

If the season ended today, the Orioles would kick back and wait for the winner of the Rays-Astros wild card series. The Rangers would play the Twins or Blue Jays.

John Means has adjusted his target return date to Sept. 1, hoping that he’s experienced the last of his setbacks following Tommy John surgery.

The elbow is fine, but Means sustained a strain in his left teres major, a muscle in the scapula/upper back region, while participating in non-throwing activation drills in May during his rehab program.

The Orioles used to view Means as a potential in-house trade deadline acquisition, but the strain eliminated July as a possibility for reinstatement from the 60-day injured list.

Means threw his third bullpen session yesterday, mixing in his changeup for the first time. The other two were strictly fastballs.

“I should do a couple of these and a couple with all the pitches,” Means said, “and then should be back throwing to hitters pretty quickly.”

Orioles manager Brandon Hyde understands the logic behind going with a 12-man pitching staff, with the four-day All-Star break creating a rested bullpen. An extra arm isn’t necessary.

Hyde endorses the unbalanced ratio of pitchers to position players.

Ride with a dozen until it can’t be done.

A five-man bench is ideal for Hyde, however long it lasts. The late-game choices are much more enticing than in past seasons with the increase in talent.

“I have options this year," Hyde said, "which is nice.”

The Orioles have six pitchers on the injured list in various stages of their recoveries. Beginning or getting close to rehab assignments. Throwing in the bullpen or on flat ground. Shut down completely until cleared to play catch.

John Means threw a bullpen session yesterday at Camden Yards. Cionel Pérez is reporting to Double-A Bowie today. Others are in Sarasota.

And then, there’s left-hander DL Hall, who’s on a completely different program.

Hall also is at the spring training complex in Sarasota, but he’s continuing his progression to build strength and velocity. The transfer was made after the Orioles put Hall on a “de-load” with Triple-A Norfolk by limiting his innings and pitch counts.

The opposite of stretching him out to start.

John Means wanted to make one more throw with a weighted medical ball, put a little extra behind it, before concluding his workout in Sarasota and heading to Baltimore. Go a little harder with his body feeling so good and with a July return to the Orioles becoming a firmer reality.

And then, the pain hit him. A strained muscle in his upper back, an area known as the teres major.

The club hopes it’s just a minor setback.

Nothing related to his elbow reconstructive surgery in April 2022, but an incident that delays his season debut and plunge into a pennant race.

“It just kind of yanked on me a little bit,” Means said this morning. “Disappointing, obviously, but at least it’s not a throwing injury or anything like that. But at the same time, it makes it a little bit more frustrating.”

The Orioles won’t plug John Means into their rotation in two months. The timetable for his return has fractured.

Executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias revealed today that Means strained the scapula region in his upper back while performing activation drills in Sarasota. The injury isn’t related to past shoulder issues, per Elias, and the severity is reduced because it’s muscular. But July isn't happening.

Elias said Means “is and was flying along” in his recovery from Tommy John surgery in April 2022 before this week’s setback.

“It’s not his shoulder capsule, it’s not a throwing injury,” Elias said. “He’s just got a strained muscle in the scapula. It’s called the ‘teres major.’ So, this is basically just going to add some time to his return back to the Orioles.

“How long exactly, I don’t know. We’re still very much hoping on getting him back this season, but this is obviously going to slow things down and tack on some time before we actually see him out in games. But he’s doing well. This isn’t the end of the world or anything. It’s just kind of bad timing, an unfortunately timed muscle strain that’s just going to cause him to have to kill some time in his rehab while we wait for that to heal.”

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?

The last four lockers in a row inside the Orioles clubhouse that lead to the entrance to the bathroom and shower area have nameplates above them for John Means, Mychal Givens, Dillon Tate and Cole Irvin.

The first three pitchers are on the injured list, with Means assigned to the 60-day after spring training. Irvin was optioned on April 14 after making three starts.

Those empty spaces will be filled again, but probably on four different days.

Means makes the occasional appearance, and he’s full-go in his bullpen sessions. The team has been targeting a July return for their ace – plenty of time to figure out how he fits.

Tate is beginning his injury rehab assignment Tuesday with high Single-A Aberdeen, and Givens is supposed to start his own later in the week.

The Orioles are in D.C. tonight for the first of two games in a “beltway rivalry” that is more hype than actual substance.

Sure, it’s fun to beat the team down the road. But players would be stretching the truth like Silly Putty if they claimed to have extra motivation. This isn’t a division series.

There isn’t much of a mailbag rivalry, either. Too one-sided over here.

You have questions. I usually have answers, or at least a level of sarcasm that could distract you.

This is the latest sequel to the beloved 2008 original, and it’s better than any Oscar nominated movie this year. I’m giving you information, opinions, and everything everywhere, all at once.

Grayson Rodriguez had a hunch that he’d be starting Tuesday night. The four scoreless innings to close out his major league debut in Texas. How he remained on the active roster, with option rules prohibiting a call-up unless replacing an injured player. No off-days that might cause him to be skipped.

The T-shirt giveaway in his honor.

So many clues.

The Orioles confirmed Saturday that Rodriguez would face the Athletics in the second game of the series.

“I guess I’m excited, first off, just being able to pitch in Camden Yards, something I’ve dreamed of ever since I was drafted,” Rodriguez said yesterday morning. “I guess it’s going to be another little dream come true for me.”

ARLINGTON, Texas – The Orioles got through a tough spot last night because right-hander Tyler Wells and two of his teammates saved the day in the 2-0 win over the Texas Rangers. When right-hander Kyle Bradish left last night’s game early, the Orioles put the wheels in motion in thinking about piecing together last night’s nine innings and about tonight’s outing. During the Monday game, they were already leaning toward having Opening Day starter Kyle Gibson pitch tonight.

But now comes the decision about the starter here tomorrow afternoon in the series finale at Texas. The O’s still have not made a decision on what they will do. They could use Austin Voth if he doesn’t pitch tonight. They could call someone up from the minor leagues to make the start.

“We’re still in discussions about tomorrow,” manager Brandon Hyde said today in the Baltimore dugout. “We’re going to get through tonight and then go from there.”

At Triple-A, DL Hall is scheduled to pitch Norfolk’s home opener tonight. Drew Rom is listed for Wednesday, Grayson Rodriguez for Thursday and Bruce Zimmermann on Saturday.

Hyde was asked if it’s too soon to call up Rodriguez after the organization decided to option him to the minors to begin the season. Rodriguez pitched to a 7.04 ERA in 15 1/3 spring innings. He went four innings, allowing three runs (two earned) in the Tides' season opener last Friday. He would be on regular rest for a start tomorrow.

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.

SARASOTA, Fla. – Left-hander John Means elevated his full-mound bullpen session yesterday.

Means said he threw changeups for the first time, counting 10 of them among his 30 pitches.

“I felt great,” he said. “I was excited about it all day.”

Means estimated that he’s done five or six bullpens, throwing every other day for the last few weeks.

More changeups are coming next week, followed by some breaking balls in April.

FORT MYERS, Fla. – John Means is getting back to baseball normal.

Means threw his first half-mound session yesterday morning in Sarasota, tossing 20 fastballs with no discomfort in his surgically repaired left elbow. He’ll do it again Wednesday and progress to a full mound Friday morning.

“Felt great, felt awesome,” Means said. “Kind of felt like a baseball player again yesterday. Got some dirt on my cleats, so it was great. Everything felt good.”

Means said he threw with 50 percent intensity and will gradually increase it.

“Just feeling the slope again,” he said.

SARASOTA, Fla. – The schedules for players leaving Orioles camp for the World Baseball Classic are clearer after this morning’s media scrum with manager Brandon Hyde.

Center fielder Cedric Mullins will play Friday and Sunday before joining Team USA in Arizona. Right fielder Anthony Santander will play Friday, Sunday and Monday before driving to Miami and beginning workouts with Venezuela.

Dean Kremer, who’s pitching for Israel, will work two-plus innings Friday in relief of starter Kyle Gibson. He’s also headed to Miami.

Left-hander John Means said his first half-mound session will be early next week, perhaps on Monday. We’re told there are no setbacks following his Tommy John surgery.

Closer Félix Bautista’s next bullpen is Saturday. The knee and shoulder are fine.