SARASOTA–What’s happening? There was only one new injury that executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias revealed on Thursday as Orioles camp opened.
Left-handed starter Trevor Rogers, who appeared to be a long shot to make the team, has a partially dislocated right kneecap and is likely to start the 2025 season on the 15-day injured list.
Without Rogers, manager Brandon Hyde said he had eight or nine pitchers who would be given enough innings to be considered a starting pitching candidate.
Elias has spent the offseason adding to the Orioles’ inventory, and the team could be faced with some tough decisions when the roster must be trimmed.
“I think that’s one of the strong suits of the roster, the way I look at it,” Elias said. “We do have depth in a lot of areas, and I feel that’s something that we need. That’s something that we’re possibly able to carve out an advantage for ourselves in a very competitive landscape.”
Elias said that he didn’t expect infielder Jorge Mateo to be ready for the start of the season but hoped that Félix Bautista would be. Both had Tommy John surgery, although Mateo’s was last year and Bautista’s was in 2023.
“I want Mateo to be ready when he’s ready,” Hyde said. “And not try to push anything, but he’s making great progress. He’s following the progression well. He might miss a little bit of time. We want him to get really healthy when he comes back.”
What’s happened? Even though position players aren’t required to report until Monday, many were in the clubhouse. Mateo, Gunnar Henderson, Colton Cowser, Jackson Holliday, Heston Kjerstad, Coby Mayo, Ryan Mountcastle, Cedric Mullins, Tyler O’Neill and Dylan Carlson were among the experienced position players who reported.
Two starting pitchers didn’t report. Tomoyuki Sugano was obtaining his visa in Japan. Elias said he hoped he’d be in camp some time this weekend. Zach Eflin’s wife gave birth to a baby boy, and he’s also expected sometime soon.
With Mateo out, the Orioles could carry five outfielders: Cowser, Kjerstad and Mullins, who hit left-handed, and O’Neill and Ramón Laureano, who hit right-handed.
“They all need at-bats,” Hyde said. “We’re going to see how it goes at this point. I’m not setting in stone any sort of platoon, who’s going to platoon with who … Just like with pitching, I want to get five guys that are healthy at the end of camp, and then we’ll go from there matchup wise.
“O’Neill and Laureano have had good careers and done some special things. Laureano, defensively, we’ve seen a lot. I’ve seen O’Neill offensively, the power he has with Boston last year. We have moveable pieces, and we’ll see how it shakes out.”
Last year, Ryan O’Hearn and Adley Rutschman combined for more than half the starts at designated hitter. Hyde might have more candidates for that role in 2025.
“I think it depends on our roster, where we are health-wise. If it starts today and Mounty is playing first, O’Hearn’s more than likely going to DH. I think that I have to always be careful with Adley. I don’t want to wear him out. He’s an important part of our lineup, but he also catches, and that does take a toll.
“You’d love to see a versatile designated hitter where you move guys in and out of that spot to give guys a breather, so we’ll kind of take it day-to-day.”
Outfielder Daz Cameron passed through outright waivers and accepted an assignment to Triple-A Norfolk. He was invited to spring training.
What’s up with? – Matt Bowman is back with the Orioles as a non-roster player. The Chevy Chase, Maryland native hopes there’s room for him on the team. In 15 games last season, Bowman was 1-0 with a 3.45 ERA. He also pitched for Arizona, Minnesota and Seattle in 2024.
“We had some options and we weighed them all, but I think after the year I had last year, some continuity played into it for me,” Bowman said. “Four teams last year was a lot and the idea of going to yet another team was less appealing.
“There’s opportunity here. Things went very well here. I like this system. I think it works very well for me in particular.”
There might not be many openings in the bullpen, but Bowman is optimistic he can make the team.
“I never go into a spring training with a spot secured,” he said. “Things happen in spring training. You just have to put yourself in a good position, and we’ll see what happens.”
What’s what? It’s an unusual camp because if there aren’t additional injuries beyond those reported on Thursday, the lineup and pitching staff look fairly set. Besides some difficult decisions, it could mean little drama.
“I hope that everybody’s healthy at the end and we have tough conversations,” Hyde said. “That’s never a fun day, but that means you’re deep.”
What’s the word? “The AL East is going to continue to be the AL East.”-Elias on competition in the division.
What’s the number? 13 The Orioles will have a hard time reducing their roster to 13 position players.
“You look on paper, and it’s a very talented group of position players. Way more than 13 guys in this organization deserve to be in the big leagues,” Elias said.