SARASOTA, Fla. — The Orioles reassigned five players and optioned another one to minor league camp Friday in their first round of cuts since the team opened spring training. Their roster dropped to 57 players with the series of moves.
None of the cuts came as a surprise. The Orioles optioned right-handed pitcher Seth Johnson, who holds a spot on their 40-man roster, and reassigned catcher Silas Ardoin, right-hander Justin Armbruester, left-hander Ronald Guzmán, right-hander Garrett Stallings and right-hander Nathan Webb to their minors complex at Twin Lakes Park.
“All three of those guys threw the ball well and good to see them pitch in front of the major league coaching staff and expect them to go to the minor leagues and hopefully be a phone call away and stay ready,” manager Brandon Hyde said of prospects Johnson, Armbruester and Stallings. “I thought they performed extremely well here and making cuts right now, it’s going to be part of the process and we want to go down and get some work in and stay ready.”
Johnson, 25, has just three career innings above Single-A to his name after spending most of the 2022 and 2023 seasons working his way back from Tommy John elbow reconstruction. The 2019 first-round draft pick of the Tampa Bay Rays is among the Orioles’ top starting pitching prospects along with Cade Povich and Chayce McDermott. He started one Grapefruit League game this spring, pitching two scoreless innings against the Atlanta Braves.
The other five players were in camp as nonroster invitees. Guzmán is set for his first full professional season as a pitcher in 2023 after converting from first base. Armbruester and Stallings will likely return to their spots in Triple-A Norfolk’s starting rotation while Webb should be a factor in the Tides’ bullpen a year removed from his own Tommy John surgery. Ardoin reached Double-A Bowie last season and finished the year strong at the plate.
With two open spots on their 40-man roster, the Orioles (11-2 in Grapefruit League play) head into the weekend with plenty of decisions left to make regarding who breaks camp with the big league club at the end of March.