Injuries, hot streaks and more from Orioles as they near Opening Day

SARASOTA, Fla. – The Orioles didn’t mean to become a spring training cliché. It just happened. Nothing they could do about it.

Their roster appeared to be mostly set, with few decisions pending. They were proceeding without new injuries. But a team can’t get too comfortable because something always seems to happen.

Or multiple things happen, which is worse.

Imagine being told before pitchers and catchers reported that the Orioles would begin the season with Gunnar Henderson and Grayson Rodriguez on the injured list. Oh yeah, and their new reliever, Andrew Kittredge, would appear in one exhibition game and need surgery on his left knee. How long until panic set in and counseling was recommended?

This isn’t just an Orioles thing, though some locals would argue it. Yankees ace Gerrit Cole underwent Tommy John surgery and won’t pitch this season. Rookie of the Year Luis Gil could miss three months with a lat strain. Giancarlo Stanton had platelet-rich plasma injections in both elbows. The Rays got back their ace, Shane McClanahan, after he missed the 2024 season following Tommy John surgery, and he walked off the mound Saturday with a triceps injury.

And that’s just in the division.

The Padres lost starter Yu Darvish to elbow inflammation. The Rangers placed starter Jon Gray on the 60-day injured list with a fractured wrist.

It’s a mess out there.

The Orioles broke camp but they aren’t a fractured team. They remain united in their trust of the depth that’s accumulated. They are confident that they can stay competitive and get stronger when their injured players are reinstated. Henderson will be back, perhaps after missing only six games in the minimum seven days. Rodriguez will be back. This isn’t Kyle Bradish, Tyler Wells and John Means having season-ending surgeries in the same month.

“I mean, obviously, it’s a huge blow,” infielder Jackson Holliday said of Henderson. “You want that guy out there for sure, every single night. Luckily, I don’t think it’s too serious. It’ll just be a few days, hopefully. Obviously, he’s an extremely important part to this team as far as a leader and a player. We’ve got a bunch of really good players to be able to hold the fort down until he’s back, but hopefully he’s well soon.”

What else? Well, Tomoyuki Sugano didn’t allow a run until his final start, struck out 15 batters in 15 innings and looked like he’d make a smooth transition to the majors. He just needs to pitch around Jazz Chisholm Jr.

“I thought he did great,” said executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias. “Really can’t wait to see what he does in major league baseball. I thought he looked really good. His velocity seems like it’s in a good spot. The way, the confidence with which he transitioned to the Grapefruit League, just being in the States, he’s just fit right in. He seems like a natural here and really happy that we have him.”

Cade Povich had one bad inning and impressed more than any other starter in camp, which earned him the fifth spot in the rotation.

“I’ve seen Povich as dominant as anyone in Triple-A, and I’m pretty sure he had some starts last year in the majors when he was just mowing people down,” Holliday said. “Obviously, it’s real stuff from the left side. There’s not a whole lot of good left-handed pitchers in the big leagues. I mean, there are some great ones. As far as quantity, there are obviously a bunch of righties, and to have a lefty starter in the rotation I think is important, cause guys get comfortable facing righties over and over. And to have one like that who has huge, high-end potential is fun. It’s fun to play behind him, and I’m excited for him.”

Keegan Akin is coming off the best season of his career and he surrendered runs in only one appearance this spring. Again, I wonder if anyone noticed.

Yennier Cano allowed one run and three hits in six innings. Charlie Morton ignores the bottled waters in the clubhouse and goes straight for the fountain of youth. How else to explain his seven scoreless innings before allowing three runs to the Braves yesterday in the second? Cionel Pérez strung together four consecutive scoreless outings.

Adley Rutschman is back, baby. He’s back. The All-Star catcher slashed .357/.438/.595 with a double and three home runs.

Ryan Mountcastle led the team with five home runs and 14 RBIs and went 13-for-43 (.302) with a 1.038 OPS. Parades are thrown for players who hit to all fields, but the Orioles love that Mountcastle is pulling the ball again. Dylan Carlson was destined to be optioned due to the crowded outfield, but he went 9-for-28 (.321) with a double, two home runs, nine RBIs and 12 – yes, 12 – walks. Colton Cowser went 16-for-41 before his 0-for-3 yesterday, with three doubles, two home runs and a 1.030 OPS, and he looks like he’s going to easily top his 2024 runner-up to Rookie of the Year season.

Holliday hit .333 with an .865 OPS, stole five bases and followed those aggressive instructions. He’s bunting and running the bases like he’s being chased. This is going to be fun to watch.  

No one surprised more than Vimael Machín, the hit machine, who batted .400 (18-for-45) with a 1.016 OPS. Livan Soto might be a close second after batting .386 (17-for-44) with a .926 OPS. Luis Vázquez plays shortstop like he inhabited Ozzie Smith’s body, minus the back flips, and he batted .325 (13-for-40) with a .788 OPS. This is an extremely deep infield.

“It’s important,” Holliday said. “It’s a long season. To have really good players all over the field and to have a lot of depth at each position is important to build a winning team, and to have those guys every single day, it’s fun to watch. Machín is an unbelievable hitter. I don’t know why that guy wasn’t playing in the States. It’s great. Those guys are great teammates and great players and fun to play with.”

Félix Bautista is pitching again and that alone is cause for celebration, but he’s also making the Opening Day roster. The mystery over his status clouded the importance of having him healthy again.

The Orioles look like a playoff team in a league that isn’t as intimidating. It’s more about how long until they’re at full strength, if the baseball gods let them get there, and how far they can go. No one in the clubhouse expects anything less than a deep dive into the postseason.

"We have a collective mindset and thought process of winning every single game and beating people into the ground,” said Zach Eflin. “That’s the kind of mentality this team takes. It’s a lot of fun to be a part of."

“I think our guys are ready to go,” said manager Brandon Hyde. “You never know what kind of injuries you're going to have as spring training starts, and that's just kind of part of the game and everybody's going through it. But I feel like our guys are ready. Our pitchers are stretched out. I think we played pretty good baseball here the last few days, so ready to go. 

* Brendan Mortensen is in D.C. today for the exhibition finale against the Nationals. The game airs on MASN2.