SARASOTA, Fla. – Cedric Mullins is the last man standing, and running, among the trio of young outfielders who made their way from the minors to Camden Yards.

Austin Hays was traded to the Phillies last summer and he signed with the Reds as a free agent. Anthony Santander received a five-year deal with the Blue Jays.

Mullins is approaching his own free agency as he prepares for his eighth season in the majors. The Orioles drafted him in 2015.

“On the personal side, there’s a lot of focus involved, of course, but on the team side of things, it’s business as usual,” Mullins said. “We go about it day by day, looking to improve the team.”

Santander’s big personality is conspicuous by its absence in the clubhouse. However, the Orioles will be in Toronto for a four-game opening series, so the reunion isn’t too far down the runway.

The start of the 2023 postseason for the Orioles included the shocking news that John Means wouldn’t make the Division Series roster due to elbow soreness that followed his appearance in an intrasquad game at Camden Yards. The club didn’t share anything of that magnitude this morning, but the inclusion of Colin Selby in the bullpen came as a surprise.

Selby was chosen over Matt Bowman. Albert Suárez wasn’t going to make it after working six innings Sunday in Minnesota.

Explaining the Selby move, manager Brandon Hyde said, “We just felt Selby in a couple games he’s thrown for us showed really, really good stuff. And just from a matchup standpoint, wanted an extra right-hander in the bullpen. He’s got a 97 mph fastball and a really good slider, so we’re excited to add him.”

The Game 2 starter remains a mystery, and it appears that what happens later today might dictate the choice.

Where is Hyde on the Game 2 starter?

The Orioles are carrying 12 pitchers and 14 position players for the Wild Card series against the Royals that begins this afternoon at soggy Camden Yards.

Albert Suárez threw six innings on Sunday and was dropped from the roster until perhaps getting a start in the Division Series if the Orioles can advance. Rookie Cade Povich made it, giving the Orioles five left-handers in a nine-man bullpen.

The big surprise is Colin Selby making it over Matt Bowman after the Orioles recalled him Sunday. Selby has made three appearances. Bowman made 15, including a start as the opener, and posted a 3.45 ERA in 15 2/3 innings.

The 14 position players who ended the regular season have remained with the club for the first round of the playoffs. The Orioles kept infielder Emmanuel Rivera and outfielder Heston Kjerstad. A 13-13 split likely would have removed one of them.

The Game 2 starter apparently is dependent on the Game 1 outcome. Corbin Burnes is on the mound this afternoon.

MINNEAPOLIS – The Orioles recalled reliever Colin Selby this morning and designated left-hander Tucker Davidson for assignment after he tossed 4 2/3 scoreless innings last night.

Selby is another fresh arm for the bullpen, with manager Brandon Hyde prepping his other relievers for availability in Game 1 of Tuesday’s Wild Card game.

Selby appeared in two games with the Orioles in August and didn’t allow a run or hit in three innings. He struck out four batters.

The Orioles haven’t committed to their Game 2 starter.

Albert Suárez gets today’s start, with uncertainty over how long he’ll pitch. Hyde was non-committal yesterday about possibly shortening Suárez.

The Orioles have lost eight of 11 games and scored 21 runs in that stretch. Tonight’s lineup combination puts Jackson Holliday at second base after Livan Soto made three consecutive starts, and Heston Kjerstad at designated hitter after he came off the bench last night and singled twice.

James McCann is catching. Emmanuel Rivera is playing third base.

Dean Kremer has five quality starts in his last six outings. He’s posted a 3.76 ERA in the second half.

Kremer has made one career start against the Giants and allowed two runs in six innings. Matt Chapman is 2-for-17 with a home run against him, but San Francisco put him on the paternity list today.

Kremer’s fastballs are generating a whiff rate of 32.1 percent in September, per STATS, which is nearly double his 16.8 rate through August.

The lack of fresh relievers impacted starter Trevor Rogers.

The Orioles optioned Rogers early this afternoon within a bevy of roster moves that included calling up left-hander Nick Vespi and selecting right-hander Matt Bowman’s contract from Triple-A Norfolk.

Rogers’ next turn in the rotation was Sunday but the spot became listed as TBA.

“Just kind of where we are bullpen-wise,” said manager Brandon Hyde. “We feel like we needed to get some help in the bullpen, get some guys that are able to pitch tonight. Cade (Povich) is gonna throw tomorrow, so we want Trevor to stay ready. We’ll see what happens here. We just want him to stay ready and we’ll see how things shake out the next couple weeks.”

The Orioles sent outfielder Kyle Stowers and second baseman Connor Norby to the Marlins for Rogers at the trade deadline. He’s posted a 7.11 ERA and 1.842 WHIP in four starts and hasn’t gone more than five innings.

The Orioles were short one reliever yesterday at Citi Field and apparently are making a move to correct it.

Left-hander Nick Vespi is joining the Orioles today, per sources. And there could be more roster changes coming after yesterday’s waiver claim of infielder Emmanuel Rivera.

Vespi made the Opening Day roster with Jacob Webb on the paternity list. He was optioned two days later, recalled May 22 as the 27^th man in St. Louis and immediately returned to Triple-A Norfolk, recalled May 24 when Dean Kremer went on the injured list with a triceps strain, optioned three days later, recalled June 3 and optioned three days later when the Orioles selected Cade Povich’s contract, was recalled June 15 when Kyle Bradish went on the IL with a sprained ulnar collateral ligament, and was optioned again July 3 when Kremer was reinstated.

Teams can’t option a player more than five times in a season without going through the waiver process. Sending him down after the 27th-man designation doesn’t count against the total.

Vespi has appeared in 10 games and allowed four runs and 10 hits in 11 1/3 innings. Three runs were surrendered over 1 1/3 innings in his last major league outing on June 30 against the Rangers.

NEW YORK – Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez sat on a fastball last night like it was a clubhouse sofa.

Alvarez got ahead 3-0 against Orioles reliever Seranthony Domínguez – oh, let’s just call him the closer and stop hedging – and unloaded for his first career walk-off hit of any kind. And man, did he enjoy it.

Well, what he saw of it.

Alvarez made contact, held up the bat with one hand, released it and turned to the Mets dugout. He never looked back at the ball, gesturing to teammates with both hands and slapping his chest multiple times before beginning to round the bases. His jersey was pulled below his left shoulder after reaching home plate and being mobbed.

Domínguez struck out the first batter he faced. He struck out three Red Sox in the ninth inning the previous day. But he’s also surrendered home runs in back-to-back appearances.

The Orioles elevated Eloy Jiménez to the cleanup spot for this afternoon’s series finale against the Red Sox.

Jarren Duran robbed Jiménez of a home run last night with a leaping catch at the center field fence in the ninth inning. Jiménez is 14-for-33 (.424) with the Orioles.

Adley Rutschman returns to the lineup after pinch-hitting last night. He began the past two games on the bench due to lower back discomfort.

Ryan O’Hearn is in right field and batting second. Anthony Santander isn’t in the lineup.

Gunnar Henderson, in the third slot again today, is batting .346 against fastballs this month compared to his .262 mark in July.

The Orioles recalled reliever Colin Selby this morning from Triple-A Norfolk as the replacement for Cade Povich, who was optioned following last night’s 5-1 loss to the Red Sox.

Selby was acquired from the Royals for cash considerations on July 11. He’s allowed six earned runs and seven total with 10 hits in nine innings.

Selby, 26, appeared in two games with the Royals this season and allowed two earned runs and three total in three innings. His last appearance was May 4 against the Rangers, which came after a scoreless inning the previous night. He posted a 9.00 ERA in 21 games (five starts) with the Pirates in 2023.

His last appearance with the Tides was Thursday. He didn't allow an earned run in four straight outings before surrendering three in two-thirds of an inning.

Povich’s latest stay in Baltimore was destined to be brief. He was charged with two earned runs last night in a career-high 6 1/3 innings and left to a standing ovation, but the Orioles recalled him only to make the one start and push back everyone else in the rotation.

The Orioles acquired right-hander Colin Selby, 26, from the Royals today for cash considerations and optioned him to Triple-A Norfolk. Kyle Bradish was moved to the 60-day injured list to make room on a full 40-man roster.

Selby, a Virginia native, made two relief appearances with the Royals and allowed two earned runs (three total) in three innings. He appeared in 21 games with the Pirates last season, making five starts, and had a 9.00 ERA and 1.833 WHIP in 24 innings.

He’s averaged 5.7 walks and 10 strikeouts per nine innings in the majors.

Austin Hays remains in left field, as the Orioles try to avoid being swept by the Cubs in their three-game series.

Hays is slashing .340/.379/.574 (32-for-94) with 13 doubles, three home runs, 12 RBIs, three walks, four hit-by-pitches and 14 runs in 35 games since returning from the injured list on May 13.