FORT MYERS, Fla. – Jordan Westburg is young by most standards, celebrating his 26^th birthday only last month. However, the soreness in his lower back is making him reconsider.

“I’m getting old,” he said this morning with a smile. “Feeling older by the day.”

Westburg hasn’t played since the Feb. 22 opener due to spasms in his back. He could return to the lineup as early as Thursday in Lakeland.

“Soon, any day now,” he said. “I feel good, back to full workouts.”

Westburg’s ailment isn’t a fresh story in spring training. He’s just the latest player felled by a mattress, in this case at the Airbnb in Sarasota that he’s renting with some teammates.

FORT MYERS, Fla. – Orioles infielder Jordan Westburg said his lower back is feeling much better and he should return to the lineup by Thursday or Friday.

Westburg said he experienced some spasms caused by a soft mattress at his Airbnb.

Reliever Andrew Kittredge remains shut down while working to eliminate the inflammation in his left knee. He doesn’t know when he’ll be available to pitch or whether his status for Opening Day could be impacted.

Jackson Holliday is leading off today against the Twins in Fort Myers.

Also on the trip are Adley Rutschman, Colton Cowser, Heston Kjerstad, Coby Mayo and Ramón Laureano.

SARASOTA, Fla. – The Orioles are on the road again today with their bus pointed toward Fort Myers for another game against the Twins at Hammond Stadium.

The redundancy this spring is mind numbing. No games in Port Charlotte, the third-shortest trip from Sarasota. Only one in North Port, which is the second shortest and super convenient for manager Brandon Hyde, to close out the Florida portion of the schedule.

Out of nine games, the Orioles have played the Pirates three times – losing all three - host them again Thursday night and head back to Bradenton Monday afternoon for a MASN telecast. They’ve gone to Clearwater twice and have a split-squad game there Sunday afternoon. They were in Fort Myers Friday and return less than a week later.

The five projected starters are impressing, and Grayson Rodriguez’s next turn is today. He tossed 1 2/3 scoreless and hitless innings against the Blue Jays in his debut. The only baserunner came from a hit-by-pitch.

“I was able to drive the fastball, changeup was working good, was able to throw the new sweeper once and got a bad swing on it, so I was pretty excited about that,” he said afterward.

SARASOTA, Fla. – The Orioles are off today. My mailbag never rests.

This is the spring training edition. You ask and I answer, just like in the summer, fall and winter.

The clarity, length and style are fine. No reason to mess with them - or for anyone to know if I do. Sue me.

Also, my mailbag hits home runs over the scoreboard and yours fouls out to the catcher.

If he plays, say, 145-150 games, do you think Tyler O'Neill will make us forget about Anthony Santander?
Let’s get one thing straight: We shall never forget about Anthony Santander. Never, I tell you! He was too impactful on the field and in the clubhouse. However, O’Neill has the power to make fans worry a lot less about the 44 home runs subtracted from the roster, and he’s a more accomplished outfielder. O’Neill has exceeded 100 games twice in his career and he hit 34 homers in 2021 and 31 last season. You get him in the 145-150 range and he’s going to do some serious damage. And then you hope that he doesn’t decide to opt out.

The Orioles and Red Sox played to a 6-6 tie today at Ed Smith Stadium, which leads into Tuesday’s first off-day.

Here are some nuggets from this afternoon, when the first five innings meant the most to the Orioles:

* Félix Bautista faced three batters in the fifth inning – strikeout, strikeout, ground ball, standing ovation from fans.

This was Bautista’s moment. Everything else that happened was secondary.

Bautista ran the count full to Trayce Thompson and struck him out on a fastball up and away. Nate Eaton swung through a nasty splitter.

SARASOTA, Fla. - The Orioles have a big pitching day lined up for this afternoon’s game against the Red Sox at Ed Smith Stadium.

Charlie Morton makes his second start, but that’s just the opening act.

Tomoyuki Sugano will follow in relief, his second spring training appearance after Wednesday’s start against the Pirates in Bradenton. And Félix Bautista will make his exhibition debut later in the game, his first action in a competitive game since Aug. 25, 2023, prior to his Tommy John surgery.

Other relievers today include Roansy Contreras and Matt Bowman.

Bautista won’t be used on back-to-back days or more than one inning early in the regular season, according to manager Brandon Hyde.

The Orioles are 4-4 in the Grapefruit League, losers of two straight, and it means as much as the heart-healthy claims on boxes of Cheerios. Maybe if you power-walk to the fridge to get the milk.

Spring training records aren’t important. Take the wins where you can get them, but don’t judge a game by the final score.

For example, the 5-2 loss to the Pirates Saturday. Much more impactful were Cade Povich’s three scoreless innings. He put on a clinic, locating his fastball and secondary stuff. The changeup was outstanding.

Four of Povich’s six strikeouts were looking. He had the Pirates guessing wrong. He had outstanding stuff. And he had a catcher, Adley Rutschman, who did some fine framing.

Povich said afterward on the MASN broadcast that he thought he missed with a curveball, but Rutschman got him the strike.

The last pitch thrown by Orioles closer Félix Bautista in a competitive game was Aug. 25, 2023 against the Rockies at Camden Yards. Bautista was one strike away from his 34^th save but settled for the unwanted hold.

Bautista unleashed a 102.3 mph fastball to pinch-hitter Michael Toglia, tumbled toward first base, began flexing his hand and walked off the mound. He underwent reconstructive-elbow surgery in October, and rest, rehab exercises and baseball activities followed as Bautista missed the entire 2024 season. He’s gotten through bullpen and live batting practice sessions without any setbacks and is expected to pitch Monday afternoon against the Red Sox in Sarasota.

Manager Brandon Hyde provided the update earlier today in his media scrum in Clearwater, where the Orioles are playing the Phillies.

Monday's game airs on MASN and also features Tomoyuki Sugano’s second appearance with the Orioles. Charlie Morton starts and Sugano is scheduled to pitch in relief.

Bautista is expected to be ready for Opening Day, but the team will ease him back into a full-time closing role. He’s got to build up his arm and innings, and the velocity is sitting in the mid-90s.

Samuel Basallo is serving as the designated hitter this afternoon, as the Orioles make another Sunday trip to play the Phillies in Clearwater.

Gary Sánchez is behind the plate.

Ramón Laureano gets the start in center field and is batting leadoff, followed by second baseman Jackson Holliday.

Colton Cowser is in right field and Heston Kjerstad is in left. Coby Mayo is at third base.

Dean Kremer makes his first start after giving up two runs and three hits with two walks and three strikeouts over two relief innings against the Tigers in Sarasota.

SARASOTA, Fla. – The best season of Keegan Akin’s professional life came with one harsh outcome that he’s able to laugh about five months later.

It took that long.

Pitchers dread the slow walk back to the dugout after surrendering a game-winning run. Head bowed, the roar of the opposing crowd ringing in his ears, reporters seeking an explanation and reaction.

Akin would like to forget, but the reminder has a locker set up on the other side of the spring training clubhouse.

Outfielder Tyler O’Neill punctuated a three-homer series against the Orioles in September by clearing the Green Monster in the 10^th inning. The Red Sox responded to Emmanuel Rivera’s tie-breaking single by taking advantage of a Jackson Holliday error and bringing O’Neill to the plate.

Tyler O'Neill would have been in today's Orioles lineup except he's dealing with an illness, according to manager Brandon Hyde, who met with the media in Sarasota for his daily pregame dugout session.

O'Neill hit a ball Thursday against the Blue Jays that cleared the concourse in left field for a three-run homer. He didn't make the trip to Fort Myers yesterday, but he wasn't going to play anyway. It didn't raise any red flags.

Starter Charlie Morton also was out of camp recently due to an illness and he made a quick return.

Dylan Beavers is starting in left field today as a late addition to the lineup.

Hyde also said that Jordan Westburg is feeling better and has been cleared for light baseball activities. He isn't swinging a bat because of the soreness in his lower back that's kept him out of the lineup since last Saturday's exhibition opener, but he's able to play catch.

SARASOTA, Fla. - Dylan Beavers gets the start in left field this afternoon, as the Orioles host the Pirates again. Beavers hit the go-ahead two-run homer yesterday against the Twins and is 3-for-6.

Cedric Mullins is leading off. Ramón Laureano is in right field.

Adley Rutschman is behind the plate. Ramón Urías remains the third baseman. Nick Gordon plays second base after Jackson Holliday homered yesterday in Fort Myers.

Cade Povich makes his second start. He tossed two scoreless and hitless innings in his spring debut against the Phillies in Clearwater.

Gunnar Henderson (right side) and Jordan Westburg (lower back) remain out of the lineup. Tyler O'Neill also isn't in it after homering Thursday.

SARASOTA, Fla. – A week of exhibition games seems like an appropriate time to share some observations before the Orioles play the Pirates this afternoon at Ed Smith Stadium. Cade Povich opposes Paul Skenes in a rematch from Spring Breakout, except this one airs on MASN.

Povich went three innings and allowed two runs, but hardly anyone noticed because Skenes was the dominant figure before he threw a pitch. Skenes retired the side in order in his only inning, striking out Jackson Holliday and Enrique Bradfield Jr.

That's the distant past. Let’s move a little closer.

* Rodolfo Martinez is a camp darling, though I wouldn’t necessarily use that word around him because the scowl could melt concrete. Media became infatuated with his high-velocity fastball, impressive side and live batting practice sessions and absence from an affiliated team since being in the Giants system in 2019. Who doesn’t love a good camp story?

Comparisons to Albert Suárez were inevitable because of their similar treks through foreign countries. In Martinez’s case, he’s still waiting to make his major league debut.

SARASOTA, Fla. – Zach Eflin makes his exhibition debut this afternoon, with the Orioles traveling to Fort Myers to play the Twins.

Gary Sánchez is behind the plate for Eflin.

Coby Mayo gets the start at first base.

Jackson Holliday is leading off and playing second base. Colton Cowser is in center field, Heston Kjerstad in left and Dylan Carlson in right.

Liván Soto, who’s 3-for-6 with two doubles, is the shortstop.

SARASOTA, Fla. – Jud Fabian could have used a spoiler alert.

The young outfielder wasn’t surprised when the Orioles announced their roster of spring training invites earlier this month and slapped his name on the list.

“I kind of got told in November that it might be a possibility,” he said, “but other than that, I was just excited when I got that call that I was gonna be here.”

Baseball America ranks Fabian as the No. 9 prospect in the system, though he’s the fifth outfielder behind Heston Kjerstad, Vance Honeycutt, Enrique Bradfield Jr. and Dylan Beavers. He’s a second-round draft pick in 2022 out of the University of Florida and he appeared in 30 games with Triple-A Norfolk last summer. It made sense that he’d be in major league camp for the first time.

“It’s been fun,” he said recently. “It’s been fun to meet all these guys and go with how they’re working and what they do every day to get better. It’s a good learning experience for me and it’s been fun so far.”

SARASOTA, Fla. – Orioles manager Brandon Hyde was asked a few days ago about a drama-free camp, how the only injuries were sustained prior to the report dates. The conversation included warnings about the risks of jinxing it.

Here we are.

We learned earlier today that Jordan Westburg hasn’t played since Saturday due to lower-back soreness. And shortstop Gunnar Henderson exited today’s game after one inning with lower right side discomfort.

No further details are available. Manager Brandon Hyde will provide an update in his post-game media scrum.

Henderson made a nice running grab of Bo Bichette’s line drive in the first. He led off the bottom of the inning with a ground ball to first baseman Will Wagner, who bobbled it and flipped to pitcher Easton Lucas.

SARASOTA, Fla. – Félix Bautista completed his second live batting practice session this morning in the intense Florida heat on the Camden Yards replica field, and it won’t be much longer before he pitches in his first Grapefruit League game.

Heston Kjerstad and Gary Sánchez kept alternating at-bats until Bautista faced seven hitters. He threw 25 pitches with Triple-A catcher Maverick Handley behind the plate.

Kjerstad struck out swinging twice and Sánchez was caught looking. Kjerstad also lined to right field and either singled or doubled into left-center field. Sánchez also popped up and grounded to third base.

One of Bautista’s splitters caused Sánchez to flail at it below the zone. He had an audible reaction to it before turning to Handley for apparent confirmation on the pitch. Or perhaps they were just admiring the quality.

Bautista has graduated from bullpen sessions. The first live batting practice was Sunday while the Orioles traveled to Clearwater to play the Phillies.

SARASOTA, Fla. – Orioles reliever Nate Webb is one of today’s scheduled pitchers against the Blue Jays at Ed Smith Stadium.

This is a big deal for Webb and his family. It’s his first outing since March 9, 2023 in the Pirates camp prior to undergoing ligament-reconstructive surgery in his right elbow.

The Orioles signed Webb to a two-year minor league deal and were on the verge of assigning him to an affiliate before he tore his left Achilles tendon in May. He was invited to camp this spring.

Grayson Rodriguez makes his first exhibition start, with Toronto sending former Orioles minor leaguer Easton Lucas to the mound.

I’ll save you the trouble: Lucas was acquired from the Marlins for infielder Jonathan Villar on Dec. 2, 2019. The Orioles traded him to the Athletics for reliever Shintaro Fujinami on July 19, 2023.

SARASOTA, Fla. – The first exhibition game didn’t properly showcase Orioles minor league outfielder Enrique Bradfield Jr.

His skillset and the improvements made would become more evident. Just give it time.

Bradfield was thrown out trying to steal after pinch-running for Cedric Mullins, and he went hitless in three at-bats in a loss to the Pirates. But this is the same player, chosen with the 17^th overall pick in the 2023 draft out of Vanderbilt, who swiped 99 bases in his first two minor league seasons – including a combined 74 last summer between High-A Aberdeen and Double-A Bowie. He’s been caught only 15 times as a professional.

The defense was on display Saturday, with Bradfield getting great jumps on a couple of line drives and making the plays look routine. But how he hits is going to determine whether he reaches the majors with similar speed.

Jackson Holliday gets the bulk of the camp attention with his toe-tap substituting for the leg lift as a timing mechanism. Catcher Samuel Basallo, who replaced Holliday as the No. 1 prospect in the system, is a must-watch in batting practice and provided another reminder of his strength Sunday with a 107.4 mph single in Clearwater.

BRADENTON, Fla. – Orioles manager Brandon Hyde offered simple instructions this morning for Tomoyuki Sugano before the Japanese right-hander’s much-anticipated exhibition debut. Just go out, relax and pitch.

Keep it simple, Sugano.

“It’s a first spring training outing, so it doesn’t mean anything,” Hyde explained. “Just want him to get his work in.”

The Orioles hoped that Sugano would throw 35-40 pitches. He needed only six to complete the first, all of them strikes, but was extended to 22 in the second while escaping a two-out jam.

Tommy Pham led off the bottom of the first with a broken-bat infield single, but Bryan Reynolds grounded into a 4-6-3 double play started by Jackson Holliday. Sugano retired the first two batters in the second before former Oriole Adam Frazier singled and Isiah Kiner-Falefa walked. Holliday ranged to his left to field Darick Hall’s bouncer with the count full.