Orioles and Pirates lineups

Orioles and Pirates lineups
With Yolmer Sánchez designated for assignment yesterday, the Orioles are starting Rio Ruiz at second base for this afternoon's game against the Pirates in Sarasota. Ruiz has made two appearances at second base in the majors, no starts, and never played the position in the minors. Anthony Santander is out of the lineup for the fifth consecutive day due to soreness in his oblique area. Chance Sisco is catching today and Austin Wynns is the designated hitter in the penultimate game of spring...
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Yesterday's moves raise more questions about Orioles roster

Yesterday's moves raise more questions about Orioles roster
The roster cuts announced on Friday night seemed to make it easier to come up with the 26 players going north for opening day, and then pandemonium struck again. The Orioles designated second baseman Yolmer Sánchez for assignment yesterday and traded for pitcher Adam Plutko. The projected lineup was destroyed. There no longer appeared to be a decision pending between utility players Pat Valaika and Ramón Urías, who potentially could share second base and bench duties. Plutko is out of...
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Elias discusses trade and roster after 8-5 loss

Elias discusses trade and roster after 8-5 loss
The search for pitching won't keep executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias glued to the waiver wire and free agent market. He resorted to a third option late this afternoon. Elias acquired right-hander Adam Plutko from the Indians for cash considerations and gave manager Brandon Hyde more innings coverage to begin the regular season. He also raised a few interesting questions that he addressed after an 8-5 loss to the Braves in North Port. Plutko can work as a starter and reliever,...
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Orioles trade for Plutko and DFA Sánchez

Orioles trade for Plutko and DFA Sánchez
Yolmer Sánchez no longer can be penciled in as the Orioles' starting second baseman on opening day. The Orioles have acquired right-hander Adam Plutko from the Indians in exchange for cash considerations and declared Sánchez would be designated for assignment. The 40-man roster remains full. The camp roster remains fluid. Opening day projections remain unreliable. Plutko, 29, was the Indians' 11th-round draft pick in 2013 out of UCLA who's made 50 appearances (36 starts) in the majors...
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Harvey gets second start, Santander has sore side, and more

Harvey gets second start, Santander has sore side, and more
Orioles veteran right-hander Matt Harvey will start the second game of the regular season April 3 in Boston. Manager Brandon Hyde announced his choice during today's Zoom call and is waiting to reveal the rest of his rotation. Harvey, whose contract was selected earlier this week, is making his final exhibition appearance Sunday afternoon against the Pirates in Sarasota. "I love telling him that he gets start No. 2. He was pumped up," Hyde said. "He's had a nice camp, he had a really good...
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Orioles lineup vs. Braves and LeBlanc on his quick return

Orioles lineup vs. Braves and LeBlanc on his quick return
Orioles outfielder Anthony Santander is out of the lineup again tonight for their game against the Braves in North Port. Santander is marked absent for the fourth game in a row. Manager Brandon Hyde said yesterday that Santander has been accumulating at-bats on the back fields. Yusniel Diaz is in right field and Stevie Wilkerson is playing left. Ryan McKenna is in center. Adley Rutschman is serving as the designated hitter. Many of the projected regulars are staying back in Sarasota. John Means...
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More thoughts on spring training roster, trends and surprises

More thoughts on spring training roster, trends and surprises
Three more exhibition games and the Orioles can break camp. Three more and they can put the finishing touches on their active roster, which must get down to 26 players prior to Thursday afternoon's opening day in Boston. Last night's hatchet job got them to 36. More on that confusion later. Spring training statistics can't always be trusted, but we've been reminded again that Austin Hays is a special talent. "We just need to keep him healthy" should be printed on orange T-shirts. What...
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Orioles option Akin and put Davis on 60-day injured list

Orioles option Akin and put Davis on 60-day injured list
Keegan Akin has fallen out of the rotation competition in Orioles camp. First baseman Chris Davis has gone on the 60-day injured list. There's more activity this evening than the game against the Yankees in Tampa. Akin, second baseman/outfielder Jahmai Jones and middle infielder Richie Martin were optioned to Triple-A Norfolk. Left-hander Fernando Abad and infielder/outfielder Chris Shaw were reassigned to Twin Lakes camp. The Orioles also announced the signing of left-hander Wade LeBlanc to a...
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LeBlanc returning to Orioles (and other notes)

LeBlanc returning to Orioles (and other notes)
One day after left-hander Wade LeBlanc was granted his release from the Orioles, he's on the verge of returning to them on a split contract. The Orioles are working on finalizing the latest agreement, according to an industry source. LeBlanc will go back on the camp roster and earn $700,000 if he's in the majors, as first reported by USA Today. The minor league deal that he signed in late January reportedly paid $800,000. The pitching staff remains unsettled with opening day less than a week...
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Orioles and Yankees lineups

Orioles and Yankees lineups
Maikel Franco is starting at first base tonight and Rio Ruiz is at third base for the Orioles' 6:35 p.m. game against the Yankees in Tampa. Cedric Mullins is in center field, Ryan Mountcastle is in left and Austin Hays is in right. Trey Mancini is the designated hitter and Chance Sisco is catching. Anthony Santander is out of the lineup again. Jorge López is making his sixth appearance and third start. He's allowed one run and three hits with 11 strikeouts in nine innings out of the...
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Hardy, Devereaux and Angel chosen to Orioles Hall of Fame

Hardy, Devereaux and Angel chosen to Orioles Hall of Fame
Former Orioles shortstop JJ Hardy and outfielder Mike Devereaux have been elected to the club's Hall of Fame. Long-time radio broadcaster Joe Angel will be inducted as this year's Herb Armstrong Award winner. The trio will be honored along with the 2020 "Wild Bill Hagy Award" winner, Mo Gaba, during an on-field ceremony prior to the Aug. 7 game against the Rays at Camden Yards. Hardy spent the last seven seasons of his 13-year career with the Orioles from 2011-17 and won three straight Gold...
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Hays has huge night while rotation remains unresolved in 10-9 win

Hays has huge night while rotation remains unresolved in 10-9 win
As the loudest sounds in Orioles camp today came from the maneuvering of veteran pitchers, like furniture dragged across wood floors, young left-hander Keegan Akin had to tune it out and do his job. A smart approach, but hard to execute. Akin made the start tonight and threw 32 pitches in a two-run top of the first inning against the Pirates in Sarasota. He was charged with six runs and eight hits in only 2 1/3, walking two batters and striking out three, and headed to the dugout with head...
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Leftovers for breakfast

Leftovers for breakfast
The rotation guessing game can't be played without the constant moving of pieces. The Orioles appear to be lining up Dean Kremer behind opening day starter John Means. They appear to want Matt Harvey to pitch the third game, though it hasn't been stated. He could go fourth. My logic came from the idea that the team would want to separate rookies Kremer and Keegan Akin, but the latter has to earn the job and he struggled last night. Would the Orioles stick Bruce Zimmermann in the fifth spot...
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Matt Harvey: "The hard work paid off"

Matt Harvey: "The hard work paid off"
Matt Harvey isn't too old to appreciate a good joke. Especially the kind delivered at his expense and the punchline bringing smiles all around the room. No one was happier than Harvey, who learned with a dash of humor that the Orioles selected his contract and put him on their 40-man roster for opening day. Manager Brandon Hyde and executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias decided to have a little fun with it. "I come in pretty much every day and say 'hi' to everyone, been pretty...
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Orioles and Pirates lineups

Orioles and Pirates lineups
Ryan Mountcastle has returned to the Orioles' lineup tonight after being scratched yesterday. Adley Rutschman is the designated hitter against the Pirates in Sarasota. Maikel Franco is the cleanup hitter. Trey Mancini is starting again at first base. Cedric Mullins is leading off and playing center field, with Austin Hays in right. Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said wants to see better fastball command from Dean Kremer and Keegan Akin. Kremer started last night. Akin gets his chance...
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Orioles put Matt Harvey on 40-man roster

Orioles put Matt Harvey on 40-man roster
The Orioles have turned a reclamation project into one of their starters to begin the 2021 season. Veteran right-hander Matt Harvey's contract was selected this morning and he's on the 40-man roster and in the rotation. Harvey, who turns 32 on Saturday, signed a minor league deal in February that included an opt-out clause this week. He could have returned to the free-agent market, but he's headed north with the team and might start the season's third game in Boston. John Means gets the...
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Long on McKenna: "He impressed me"

Long on McKenna: "He impressed me"
The optioning and reassignment of players to Twin Lakes Park is done only to reduce the camp roster. They aren't confined to the complex as if surrounded by an electrical fence. The Orioles have the freedom to play them in Grapefruit League games. Out of sight on occasion, for sure, but not banned from the site. They are still able to remain visible and fresh in the minds of the evaluators on the Ed Smith side of spring training. The last round of cuts on March 16 removed infielders Rylan...
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Updating Mountcastle and reviewing 2-0 loss

Updating Mountcastle and reviewing 2-0 loss
Ryan Mountcastle was supposed to make the trip to Fort Myers and play left field tonight for the Orioles. It said so on the first lineup card posted in the afternoon. The second card an hour later had Tyler Nevin in left field, also batting third. An explanation on Mountcastle's removal sort of came after a brisk 2-0 loss to the Red Sox. Manager Brandon Hyde explained on his Zoom call that Mountcastle was scratched with "a non-physical injury." "It's just something that I can't disclose...
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Orioles remain undecided on pitching numbers (updated)

Orioles remain undecided on pitching numbers (updated)
Opening day is approaching the one-week mark and the Orioles don't know whether they're breaking camp with five or six starters and whether they're carrying 13 or 14 pitchers. Health, performance and other factors are tipping the scales. "Our pitching situation is still very much in flux and there's still a lot of questions still to be answered," Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said today in his Zoom Call. "I think adding somebody as a sixth man in the rotation is doable without having to...
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Orioles lineup vs. Red Sox (updated)

Orioles lineup vs. Red Sox (updated)
Yusniel Diaz is starting in right field tonight, Stevie Wilkerson is in center and Richie Martin is playing shortstop, as the Orioles travel to Fort Myers for a 6:05 p.m. game against the Red Sox. Martin has moved over from second base and is attempting to convince the Orioles that he can be ready for opening day. Chance Sisco is catching and batting second. Ryan Mountcastle is in left field and Pat Valaika is at first base. Dean Kremer is making his fifth appearance of the spring and manager...
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