Meisinger and Fry talk about their promotions

Meisinger and Fry talk about their promotions
Paul Fry could have taken Ryan Meisinger on a tour of Camden Yards earlier today. Fry spent two whole days here last April, making him a more qualified guide. The Orioles selected the contracts of both pitchers from Triple-A Norfolk while optioning Jimmy Yacabonis and Yefry Ramirez . They also moved reliever Darren O'Day to the 60-day disabled list and designated infielder Corban Joseph for assignment to open spots on the 40-man roster. Meisinger said he wasn't worried about the Orioles...

No game leaves Orioles with more time to figure out roster

No game leaves Orioles with more time to figure out roster
The Orioles won't play a game today, but they've got a lot of roster maneuvering to consider before the Phillies come to town. Joey Rickard was recalled from Triple-A Norfolk before Sunday's game to give the Orioles another right-handed bat against Rays southpaw Blake Snell, who's murder on left-handed hitters. And to finally let Anthony Santander, shed of his Rule 5 status, continue his development in the minors. Losing the switch-hitting Santander for Rickard causes the Orioles to tilt...

Orioles and Athletics lineups

Orioles and Athletics lineups
OAKLAND, Calif. - Adam Jones moves up to second in the Orioles' lineup tonight, vacating the cleanup spot that Chris Davis will occupy for the series opener against the Athletics. Mark Trumbo is in right field, Pedro Álvarez is the designated hitter and Danny Valencia is playing third base. Zach Britton threw another bullpen session today. Valencia stood at the plate holding a bat, but no swings. Jonathan Schoop is batting second tonight at Double-A Bowie as he starts his rehab assignment....

Wondering again about the Orioles roster

Wondering again about the Orioles roster
BOSTON - The Orioles' streak of roster moves on game days is up to seven with Jonathan Schoop going on the disabled list yesterday and Alex Cobb getting his official recall from Double-A Bowie. Will it grow to eight? The bullpen is the usual suspect, so let's go there first. Donnie Hart threw 17 pitches Friday night after being recalled and 22 yesterday while working twice in less than 24 hours. He retired four of five batters in his debut and allowed an unearned run yesterday over 1 1/3...

Orioles reassign Aquino (O's win 7-4, Castro quotes)

Orioles reassign Aquino (O's win 7-4, Castro quotes)
SARASOTA, Fla. - The Orioles have reassigned left-hander Jayson Aquino to minor league camp before today's game against the Yankees at Ed Smith Stadium. The camp roster is down to 44 players, including 21 pitchers. Closer Zach Britton is on the list, but he's also on the 60-day disabled list. Aquino made three appearances this spring and allowed three runs (two earned) and five hits in five innings, with two walks and seven strikeouts. The Orioles tabbed him as the starter on Saturday after...

Taking a guess at the minor league pitching rotations

Taking a guess at the minor league pitching rotations
SARASOTA, Fla. - On Friday we took a shot at projecting the rotation for Single-A Delmarva. It seems the Orioles have discussed using seven pitchers as starters with the Shorebirds. They would pitch as part of a five- or six-man rotation. The seven that we could see in Salisbury include include 2017 top draft pick left-hander DL Hall along with fellow 2017 picks Zac Lowther, Michael Baumann and Cameron Bishop. They would be joined by 2016 draft picks Matthias Dietz and Brenan Hanifee and 2015...

Orioles get 28 pre-arb players under contract (O's win 13-5)

Orioles get 28 pre-arb players under contract (O's win 13-5)
SARASOTA, Fla. - The Orioles announced today that they reached agreements on one-year deals with 28 players who aren't eligible for arbitration. It's that time of the spring. Here's the list: Right-handers Pedro Araujo, Alec Asher, Dylan Bundy, Miguel Castro, Stefan Crichton, Mychal Givens, Hunter Harvey, David Hess, Jesus Liranzo, José Mesa Jr., Yefry Ramirez, Mike Wright Jr., Jimmy Yacabonis and Gabriel Ynoa. Left-handers Richard Bleier, Nestor Cortes Jr., Donnie Hart, Chris Lee and...

Orioles and Pirates lineups and Trumbo update

Orioles and Pirates lineups and Trumbo update
SARASOTA, Fla. - Anthony Santander gets another start in left field today and Colby Rasmus is leading off and playing right, as the Orioles host the Pirates. Chris Davis remains out of the lineup. Trey Mancini is starting at first base. Left-hander Jayson Aquino is making his first start as Gabriel Ynoa's replacement. Ynoa has been diagnosed with shin splints and will be unavailable for at least the next two weeks. Available relievers include Richard Bleier, Donnie Hart, Brad Brach, Jimmy...

Gabriel Ynoa scratched from Saturday start

Gabriel Ynoa scratched from Saturday start
SARASOTA, Fla. - Right-hander Gabriel Ynoa is unable to make his scheduled start on Saturday against the Pirates at Ed Smith Stadium. An MRI on Ynoa's shins revealed a "stress reaction," which we're told shouldn't be confused with a fracture. Orioles manager Buck Showalter said yesterday that Ynoa has been bothered by shin splints, which led the team to arrange an MRI in the late afternoon. Ynoa is out of minor league options and competing for a spot in the rotation or bullpen. Ynoa has...

Brugman outrighted to Norfolk (Orioles fall 7-1)

Brugman outrighted to Norfolk (Orioles fall 7-1)
FORT MYERS, Fla. - Outfielder Jaycob Brugman has cleared waivers and been outrighted to Triple-A Norfolk, keeping him in the organization. He'll return to major league camp on Monday. The Orioles designated Brugman for assignment on Wednesday while re-signing starter Chris Tillman. Brugman gives the Orioles another left-handed hitting outfielder to join Colby Rasmus and Alex Presley, who were signed to minor league deals. Brugman has options and can be sent down if he fails to break camp with...

Colby Rasmus in Monday's starting lineup

Colby Rasmus in Monday's starting lineup
FORT MYERS, Fla. - Outfielder Colby Rasmus will make his Orioles debut Monday afternoon against the Tigers in Sarasota. Rasmus will play right field. "I had a good talk with him a couple days ago," said manager Buck Showalter. "I told him if he doesn't think so, I could wait until Wednesday, but that's what he wanted to do." Showalter views Rasmus as a platoon player at this point in camp. Rasmus is a career .211/.290/.366 hitter against left-handed pitching. "I think, looking at the...

Orioles lineup vs. Red Sox

Orioles lineup vs. Red Sox
SARASOTA, Fla. - Austin Hays is serving as the designated hitter today and Craig Gentry is leading off and playing center field, as the Orioles make the trip to Fort Myers to play the Red Sox. The lineup is missing a projected starter for the 2018 season. Joey Rickard is in right field - he could work into a platoon - and Anthony Santander is batting cleanup and playing left field. Austin Wynns is catching after hitting a home run last night to give the Orioles a 1-1 tie with the Twins. For the...

Zach Britton on being "maybe a little ahead of schedule"

Zach Britton on being "maybe a little ahead of schedule"
Zach Britton couldn't attend Saturday's FanFest at the Baltimore Convention Center, an excused absence based on his Achilles surgery and rehab in California. But the Orioles closer was a presence at the annual event, spreading positive updates about his recovery in an online Q&A and conference call with the media. He also maintained a humorous dialogue through his Twitter account while referenced in the season ticket holders' session with executive vice president Dan Duquette and manager...

A look at some in-house rotation candidates

A look at some in-house rotation candidates
The assumption seems to be that the Orioles may leave spring training with at least one in-house pitcher winning a job in their starting rotation come April. And yes, we all know they have just two starters set right now in Kevin Gausman and Dylan Bundy. You know what that means, right? If they had to play today, they might need gloves (and I don't mean baseball gloves) first of all, but also they also would need three in-house starters in addition to Gausman and Bundy. Let's take a look at a...

Orioles sign four to minor league contracts

Orioles sign four to minor league contracts
The Orioles announced four minor league signings, including three players who stay in the organization after becoming free agents. Left-handers Jayson Aquino and Andrew Faulkner and corner infielder Aderlin Rodriguez agreed to terms, as did right-hander Tim Melville, the lone outsider in the group. Melville, who's 28 and a former fourth-round pick, has appeared in six major league games with the Reds, Twins and Padres since 2016. He made one start for the Twins this summer, allowing five runs...

What's left for the Orioles among starter candidates?

What's left for the Orioles among starter candidates?
Orioles manager Buck Showalter provided one of the early light-hearted moments at Saturday morning's KidsPeace Trick-or-Trot 5K/1-mile walk at Camden Yards. And I'm not referring to his humorous reaction to my Wonder Woman costume, which both amused and disturbed him. Taking the microphone to offer his appreciation and encouragement to the crowd, Showalter said, "We're looking for good runners, good costumes and left-handed starting pitching." Two out of three ain't bad. The pitching will...

A look at the Orioles' list of pending minor league free agents

A look at the Orioles' list of pending minor league free agents
To put in perspective how long Garabez Rosa has been in the Orioles organization, when Adam Jones was traded to the club in February 2008, Rosa was about to begin his second season on the O's farm. Signed out of the Dominican Republic at 17 in November 2006, Rosa has played 1,154 games over 11 seasons in the Orioles' minor league system. Save for a few games at Triple-A Norfolk, he's been at Double-A Bowie since the 2013 season. He is the Baysox's all-time leader in games (590), hits (650),...

Taking the rotation for another spin

Taking the rotation for another spin
While waiting to find out which playoff games are airing on Animal Planet and Cartoon Network ... We can spend the bulk of the winter talking about the Orioles rotation and how they can find upgrades without breaking the bank or trading away every prospect in the farm system. Spoiler alert: There are no easy answers. They really could use a proven ace who doesn't come with disclaimers such as, "Needs to take the next step." But can anyone reasonably expect them to get into a bidding war for...

Faulkner outrighted, Orioles and Blue Jays lineups

Faulkner outrighted, Orioles and Blue Jays lineups
Left-hander Andrew Faulkner cleared waivers and has been outrighted to Triple-A Norfolk. Faulkner joins Logan Verrett, Tyler Wilson and Jayson Aquino as pitchers who were outrighted since Sept. 5 after the Orioles designated them for assignment. Faulkner, 24, was 3-0 with a 2.79 ERA in 34 games with Triple-A Norfolk. He allowed only one home run in 38 2/3 innings and opponents were batting .216. Left-handers posted a .208 average. The Orioles acquired Faulkner from the Rangers on April 6 for...

Hays on "unbelievable" rise to the majors, and other notes

Hays on "unbelievable" rise to the majors, and other notes
Kevin Gausman will remain the Orioles starter Thursday afternoon as they close out their series against the Yankees, the weather creating the first home postponement of the season. Orioles manager Buck Showalter said outfielder Austin Hays will get a chance to play at some point after last year's third-round draft pick had his contract selected yesterday from Double-A Bowie. Hays would have been getting his at-bats in the Eastern League playoffs, which are scheduled to begin tonight if the...