Martin and Ruiz returning to lineup

Richie Martin is advancing to an important stage in his recovery from hamate bone surgery.

He's expected in Monday's lineup against the Pirates.

Manager Brandon Hyde said today that Martin is getting at-bats in Sarasota and should play the following day.

Martin underwent surgery in January to remove the bone, cutting into his bid to make the club in a utility-type role. He missed the truncated 2020 season due to a broken bone in his right wrist.

"If he's good to go, he'll be in there tomorrow," Hyde said today from the grounds crew shed in Lakeland, the latest odd setting for his road Zoom call.

Third baseman Rio Ruiz, unavailable while battling an illness, also is expected in Monday's lineup. He's 1-for-12 this spring.

The catching reserves include Maverick Handley, a sixth-round pick in 2019 out of Stanford University who's received only one at-bat this spring.

Hyde can't offer much of a scouting report due to limited exposure.

"I've just seen him catch 'pens and I've seen him catch some live BPs and a few at-bats," Hyde said. "I'll tell you what, I really like the way he catches. I like the way he catches and throws, but I haven't seen him much offensively. But I know he's really good defensively and really solid. I've been impressed with his defensive work."

The Orioles have ventured into the halfway point of their game schedule. Hyde isn't ready to make concrete decisions across the board, but he knows what needs to be fixed.

"I would like to see us play better the last couple weeks," he said. "I don't think we've played very well the first couple weeks for numerous reasons. A lot of these guys did not play much baseball last year and the guys that were in the secondary site, missing out on six months of baseball, I think guys come here and it's been a little fast for them at times. I think trying to impress, also. Young players tend to try to impress in major league camp. So I hope we're going to try to relax a little bit.

"I think you're going to see the regulars, guys you would expect to make the team, play more the last couple weeks to get their at-bats up, to get them more in game shape. I'd just like to see us play a little cleaner baseball the last couple weeks."

Does Hyde rely on track records for certain players as opposed to spring training stats?

"Yes and no," Hyde said. "I'm not looking at numbers at all. It's more about the quality of their at-bats, how they're improving defensively, how they're playing positions with those guys that are multiple-position guys. Kind of evaluating everything.

"You're seeing guys that we're trying out at different positions for versatility, etc. We'll put our heads together the end of camp and come up with who we feel like is the best 26-man roster we can going into the season. But numbers-wise for me, it's such a small sample. It's more about taking good at-bats. I don't even know what Anthony Santander's numbers are, but I know he's walking a lot and I really like the at-bats he's taking."