During Monday’s contest between the Baltimore Orioles and the Tampa Bay Rays, infielder Ramon Urias went down with a left hamstring strain. In response to this unfortunate break for the O’s, a myriad of roster moves were made today.Urias was placed on the 10-day IL list, LHP Keegan Akin was optioned to AAA Norfolk, and catcher Luis Torrens was DFA’d.
To fill these holes the Orioles recalled LHP Drew Rom, INF/OF Ryan O’Hearn, and utility man Terrin Vavra.
Akin has long been considered a fringe player on the O’s roster, and after posting an ERA of 5.91 through 10.2 IP, his presence in the bullpen was no longer justifiable. Akin’s replacement, 23-year-old Drew Rom, will start out in the bullpen, despite starting in all his appearances for the Tides this year. Rom has been shoving this year, with an ERA of 2.87 in 31.1 IP, and his first appearance will be his Major League debut.
Catcher Luis Torrens was acquired from the Chicago Cubs just six days ago in exchange for cash. He failed to make a single appearance for the O’s, and his presence as a third catcher seemed exceedingly unnecessary.
Terrin Vavra is back in Baltimore. Vavra, who was working on his 1B skills this Spring, has also begun to appear at catcher for Norfolk. It seems the 25-year-old will serve as an emergency catcher in lieu of Torrens. While Vavra’s defensive versatility is certainly awe-inspiring, I’m sure O’s fans would prefer to avoid a scenario that would necessitate his services behind the dish.
Ryan O’Hearn has also returned to Charm City. In a brief stint with the O’s earlier this year, O’Hearn slashed .263/.318/.316 as Ryan Mouncastle’s understudy at 1B. This is perhaps a direct replacement for Urias, who appeared at 1B for the first time with the O’s against the Atlanta Braves this past weekend.
In all honesty, none of these moves are likely to be permanent; Dillon Tate and Mychal Givens are on the way, and there will likely be further shakeups to the 40-man roster in the coming weeks.
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