Aaron Hicks is starting in center field this afternoon, as the Orioles try to clinch the series win over the Guardians.

Hicks is batting sixth.

Keegan Akin is the opener, with Austin Voth working in bulk relief. Twenty-three of Akin’s 24 career starts came in 2020-21.

Adam Frazier is leading off again today. He’s reached base in 20 of 23 games since May 6 and in 24 of 26 starts since April 26.

Ryan McKenna is in left field and batting ninth.

The Orioles are making a change in their rotation, optioning Grayson Rodriguez to Triple-A Norfolk following last night’s 12-2 loss to the Rangers.

Left-hander Keegan Akin is rejoining the team to replace Rodriguez on the staff.

Rodriguez, who entered the season as the organization’s top pitching prospect, allowed eight earned runs and nine total last night in 3 1/3 innings. The inconsistency dragged him down again after he held the Blue Jays to two runs in five innings last weekend.

The total body of work includes a 7.35 ERA and 1.721 WHIP in 10 starts, with 56 strikeouts in 45 1/3 innings. The 50 strikeouts through his first nine career starts were the most by an Orioles pitcher in franchise history.

Rodriguez didn’t break camp with the team after a poor spring training and was recalled to make an April 5 start in Texas after Kyle Bradish went on the injured list with a bruised foot. He allowed two runs or fewer in five outings, never working more than 5 2/3 innings, and a combined 31 earned in 19 2/3 innings in his other five starts.

The Orioles have made the following roster moves:

- Recalled LHP Keegan Akin from Triple-A Norfolk.

- Optioned RHP Grayson Rodriguez to Triple-A Norfolk after yesterday’s game.

The Orioles moved past their off-day and are resuming their three-city road trip tonight in Kansas City. The last stop is in Atlanta.

They haven’t moved past the “soft” part of their schedule. The Royals are 7-22, the second-worst record in the majors. They’re in last place in the American League Central, with a minus-64 run differential in 29 games and a 1-12 record at home.

Can’t let down against anyone, but the Royals are scuffling with 13 losses in their last 16 games.

The teams met seven times last summer, with the Orioles going 4-3. They split a four-game series at Kauffman Stadium.

The Orioles are 128-128 all-time against the Royals in Kansas City, with their last three-game sweep in 2007.

Once Heston Kjerstad started hitting, he didn’t stop.

The No. 2 overall pick by the Orioles out of Arkansas in the 2020 MLB Draft, a player that went 27 months between his last college game and first pro game, he has been making up for lost time since late last season.

The myocarditis diagnosis he dealt with kept him on the sidelines for a long time and it took him time last year – he played his first game for Low Single-A Delmarva on June 10 – to get his stroke back. But now it is back with full force.

He was starting to really swing it late last season for High-A Aberdeen, then was named MVP of the Arizona Fall League. In the first O’s spring training game in March, he homered twice and then he went on to produce an OPS of 1.219 in big league spring training. And now Kjerstad, 24, has quickly, become a handful for Double-A Eastern League pitchers.

“Really, really exciting,” Bowie manager Kyle Moore told me Friday at Prince George’s Stadium. “Got off to the same start that he did in spring training and as he did in the Fall League. It carried over. He looks like a middle of the lineup big league bat. Knows the strike zone as well as anyone I’ve ever seen. That’s exciting.”

CHICAGO – Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said infielder Ramón Urías is much better today after being hit on the left side of his head yesterday by a 96.2 mph sinker.

Urías is in concussion protocol, but the club is waiting on a roster decision.

“It’s a head contusion,” Hyde said. “We’re still doing some further testing, but woke up feeling a lot better, and we feel great about that.”

The ball nailed Urías behind the ear and sent him sprawling to the dirt. He was able to walk off the field under his own power with Hyde and assistant athletic trainer Mark Shires.

“He’s got a pretty big bruise and welt,” Hyde said.

CHICAGO – The Orioles have announced their series of roster moves leading into tonight’s game against the White Sox.

Left-hander Cole Irvin was optioned to Triple-A Norfolk following yesterday’s 8-7 walk-off win over the Athletics. Left-handed reliever Keegan Akin was placed on the paternity list.

A taxed bullpen is adding right-handers Spenser Watkins and Yennier Cano from the Tides.

Irvin hasn’t gone beyond 4 2/3 innings in his three starts since the Orioles acquired him from the Athletics in a January trade, and he’s allowed 15 runs and 17 hits with eight walks in 12 2/3 innings.

"I had a really good work week this week, so I felt really good coming in," Irvin said after his ERA yesterday rose to 10.66. "Small adjustments. I'm just shooting myself in the foot - walks, hit-by-pitches, bad pitches in bad locations that I know not to go to. It's small stuff that I really need to continue to clean up.

The Orioles are making changes to their rotation and bullpen following their walk-off win this afternoon against the Athletics.

According to multiple sources, left-hander Cole Irvin has been optioned to Triple-A Norfolk after starting today and lasting only four innings. Left-handed reliever Keegan Akin is going on paternity leave.

In corresponding moves, the Orioles are recalling pitchers Spenser Watkins and Yennier Canó.

Irvin came to the Orioles in a Jan. 26 trade that sent minor league shortstop prospect Darell Hernaiz to the Athletics. He’s made three starts and allowed 15 runs and 17 hits with eight walks and 13 strikeouts in 12 2/3 innings.

None of the three starts have lasted more than 4 2/3 innings. Only Kyle Gibson (twice) and Tyler Wells have recorded an out in the sixth inning this season.

I’m flying back into Sarasota this afternoon, with the only off-day of spring training allowing for a later arrival time.

The Twins have three off-days and the Rays have two. How did the Orioles miss out on this?

No rainouts so far, and just one split-squad game with a delayed start while the other was halted early.

The camp roster is down to 51 players after the Orioles optioned left-hander Drew Rom on Monday and optioned shortstop Joey Ortiz and reassigned shortstop Jackson Holliday, infielder Connor Norby and pitcher Kyle Dowdy the following day.

Rom was a long shot to make the Opening Day roster and appeared in only one exhibition game, with the rest of his work done on the back fields. He’s returning to Triple-A Norfolk, with the possibility of making his major league debut this summer.

SARASOTA, Fla. – Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said lefty Keegan Akin “has thrown the ball as well as anyone in camp, this whole time.” He likes Akin’s mid-90s velocity, his breaking pitches and said he is having a great camp.

Akin appreciates hearing that, but after a second half in 2022 where his stats fell off, he is trying to get back in attack mode on the mound and find the form he had in the first half last year.

Before the All-Star break, the 27-year-old Akin had an ERA of 2.36, WHIP of 0.881 and OPS against of .580. But in the second half, his ERA jumped to 4.76 with a 1.482 WHIP and .768 OPS against.

This spring he has thrown five scoreless innings, allowing three hits and one walk with five strikeouts. In the fifth and sixth here against Boston on Sunday, he threw two scoreless, retiring six of seven batters.

“Just throwing strikes,” he said this morning in the Baltimore clubhouse of his solid spring to this point. “It is something I could praise myself for the beginning of the year last year. Feel like I got away from that in the second half and paid for it. Trying to get back on track, throw strikes and fill the zone up. It has worked so far.

CLEARWATER, Fla. – Spring stats don’t appear to carry much weight with Orioles manager Brandon Hyde. He’s only checked the number of plate appearances. Otherwise, he has no interest.

It’s more about the quality of the at-bats and a pitcher’s control in the strike zone, he says.

“Put very little stock in what their numbers are like.”

Some of the competitors for the backup job at first base probably wish the figures counted for more in the final evaluations.

Josh Lester was 1-for-12 before stepping off the bus Wednesday in Fort Myers. Better to turn away. But he went 3-for-3 with two RBIs against the Twins, and he singled twice today in his first two at-bats.

SARASOTA, Fla. – To push for a clean slate in spring training is to erase the best of Keegan Akin in 2022.

The Orioles’ left-hander posted a 2.63 ERA, 0.92 WHIP and .196 average against in 33 games through Aug. 14. He worked at least two innings in his first 19 outings to set a reliever record. The switch to a bullpen role seemed to unlock the talents that enticed the Orioles to select him in the second round of the 2016 draft.

The last 12 appearances didn’t match up. They didn’t come close.

Akin registered a 5.40 ERA, 1.74 WHIP and .333 average against, including one emergency start, and was optioned Sept. 26.

The Orioles recalled him two days later while placing infielder Ramón Urías on the injured list with a sprained right knee.

SARASOTA, Fla. - Another spring training page has turned.

Report dates are behind us. First workouts are in the past tense. Photo day is done. Exhibition games are here, beginning with today’s 1:05 p.m. matchup with the Twins at Ed Smith Stadium.

The first road game is Sunday against the Tigers in Lakeland, a journey that will be repeated Thursday for whatever reason.

The media hasn’t been informed of any new injuries. Dillon Tate’s strained flexor/forearm was revealed on the first day of media access on Feb. 16, and his health has improved significantly. Closer Félix Bautista says his right shoulder and left knee feel good, with no setbacks during his bullpen sessions that resume this morning. DL Hall’s lower back soreness is gone.

The positive vibes remain. This is camp happy, with lots of talk about chemistry, the perfect mix, and the playoffs. Contending into September and falling short again would be a tremendous disappointment. Simply being competitive isn’t good enough in 2023.

SARASOTA, Fla. – Now it’s getting serious.

Stories will be filed from Florida camps, beginning with this morning’s hour-long media access inside the clubhouse at the Ed Smith Stadium complex. Executive vice president/general manger Mike Elias and manager Brandon Hyde will be available before the first workout with pitchers and catchers.

The Birdland Caravan provided early access to Elias, Hyde and many of the players who would draw crowds at their lockers.

Other topics for them will develop later. I’m interested in getting some of the guys who didn’t make it to Maryland and the breweries.

Newly engaged Tyler Wells is staying on a starter’s routine but with no promises that he’s in the rotation. What are his expectations? How would he handle a switch back to the bullpen after he went through the process of converting from Rule 5 relief to starter – and impressing over the first half before the first of his two injuries?

The 2023 Major League Baseball season will be unique in a few ways with some new rules coming to the majors for the first time. Such as the use of the pitch clock.

Will Orioles pitchers have any issues adjusting to the clock? We can’t know this answer yet, obviously, but I am going to guess any issues will be minimal.

Under the new rules, pitchers will have 15 seconds to pitch with no one on base and 20 seconds with a runner or runners on. The timer starts when the pitcher catches the return throw from the catcher, and to beat the clock the pitcher must start his motion before the clock runs out. The ball doesn't need to touch the plate before the clock expires, but the pitcher's motion must have started. Pitchers can step off the rubber and reset the clock, but this year can do that just twice per plate appearance.

MLB is trying, it seems, both to improve pace of play and improve time of game. In the minor league games using the clock last season, the average time of game was about 26 minutes shorter. Major league games moved past the three-hour mark on average in 2014. In 2021 big league games took an average of three hours, 10 minutes. The average last year was three hours and four minutes.

On Statcast they actually have a “pitch tempo” leaderboard. It tracks the amount of time from one pitch to the next for hurlers. Among the Orioles, when no one was on base, lefty Keegan Akin was the fastest worker with an average of 14.4 seconds between delivering pitches.

One of the potential benefits of attending the Winter Meetings, held next week at the Manchester Grand Hyatt in San Diego, is the chance to gain more clarity on the Orioles’ preferences for the construction of their roster. Any specifics regarding the pitching staff or lineup. How they might pivot if the original plan begins to crumble.  

Daily media sessions with executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias can be enlightening, without any expectations of him providing play-by-play on his meetings with executives and agents. Information can be dispensed in broad terms and still satisfy the masses.

The desire to sign or trade for at least one veteran starting pitcher has been confirmed. Nothing new on that front. And the targeted areas in free agency are below the top tier, which you’d hope would douse any reports linking the Orioles to the priciest arms and suggesting that they’d engage in a massive bidding war.

Here's the question that hasn’t been answered: What is the exact level of importance in bringing in a left-hander?

John Means will head back to the 60-day injured list after undergoing Tommy John surgery. Bruce Zimmermann broke camp last spring as the No. 4 starter but made a few trips to the minors and isn’t a lock for the rotation after registering a 5.99 ERA and 1.480 WHIP.

The Orioles are concentrating on upgrades for their rotation, but they also could acquire at least one new reliever on a major league or minor league deal. They don’t usually bring back the exact same unit while expecting the exact same results. That's a dangerous little game.

If nothing else, they can increase the camp competition.

The trust that the bullpen instilled in manager Brandon Hyde keyed the 2022 turnaround. Leads didn’t dissolve like teaspoons of sugar in water.

The Orioles were 60-2 when ahead after the sixth inning, 64-3 after the seventh and 71-3 after the eighth. They kept deficits manageable and allowed for late comebacks.

The ‘pen’s 3.49 ERA ranked ninth in the majors. The Orioles were last in 2019 and 2021, and 27^th in 2018.

BOSTON – Two of manager Brandon Hyde’s most difficult conversations of the season were held this week in the visiting clubhouse at Fenway Park.

The Orioles optioned relievers Keegan Akin and Joey Krehbiel, placing them on the taxi squad with instructions to stay ready.

Two pitchers who broke camp with the team and lasted until the fourth week of September. Valuable contributors earlier in the summer who became expendable based on the bullpen’s needs and recent performance.

It’s worked out better for Akin. The Orioles recalled him two days later after infielder Ramón Urías went on the injured list with a sprained right knee, and he tossed three scoreless innings Wednesday night.

Krehbiel played catch yesterday and returned to his locker soaked in sweat despite the cool temperatures in Boston. All he’s got are the workouts.

BOSTON – Busting through the tape at the finish line is how the Orioles imagined it, the momentum carrying them into the playoffs under the best-case scenario. That’s what they’re trying to do with tired legs.

The last few weeks of the season must feel like ankle weights.

Manager Brandon Hyde sat Cedric Mullins and Adley Rutschman tonight against veteran left-hander Rich Hill, conceding how badly they needed a rest, especially with marathon games played in succession. Dean Kremer made tonight’s start on his normal turn after throwing 106 pitches in a complete-game shutout.

The dog days bark the loudest. But the Orioles have tuned out the noise all season and will continue to do so to the best of their ability.

Hill, who turns 43 in March, tossed six scoreless innings, and the Orioles lost again, 3-1, at Fenway Park, with a split the best they can do while trying to shove past 80 victories.

BOSTON – Orioles executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias has described it as “about as meteoric of a season as you’ll see.” The rise of now 21-year-old Gunnar Henderson from Baseball America’s No. 57 overall prospect to No. 1 as the summer months crept toward fall. From minor league stud to major league contributor in a wild card chase.

Henderson keeps leaving an impression on every field and at every level, and Baseball America rewarded him today with his selection as its Minor League Player of the Year.

The youngest position player to make his Orioles debut since Manny Machado in 2012 and the youngest to debut in the majors this season, Henderson hit a combined .297/.416/.531 with 24 doubles, seven triples, 19 home runs and 76 RBIs in 112 games between Double-A Bowie and Triple-A Norfolk – drawing 41 walks and striking out 38 times with the Baysox.

“It’s just a great honor and I can’t thank God enough for blessing me with the ability to be in this situation and to bless me with these awards that come with this stuff,” Henderson said this afternoon.

“Looking forward to keeping it going after this.”