The last time outfielder Aaron Hicks was an above-average hitter (going by OPS+, where 100 is league average), was the 2020 season. He had an OPS of .793 for the New York Yankees that year, which was 22 percent above league average. But his OPS since the 2021 season is .625, and that is 22 percent below the league norm.

He comes to Baltimore to try and help offset the loss of center fielder Cedric Mullins, on the injured list with a right groin strain.

Speaking to O’s media for the first time today, Hicks discussed his fall off at-bat since the 2021 season.

“It’s been rough, you know what I mean? Felt like I’ve had some good games here and then some bad games. Just about getting into a rhythm for me. Hopefully I get the opportunity to play every single day while Mullins is out and kind of get going to be able to solidify a spot,” he said.

“I’m excited to be here. It’s an exciting young team and excited to help them win. They are definitely young and they’re exciting. They come to play every single day.  

Aaron Hicks is starting in center field this afternoon, as the Orioles try to clinch the series win over the Guardians.

Hicks is batting sixth.

Keegan Akin is the opener, with Austin Voth working in bulk relief. Twenty-three of Akin’s 24 career starts came in 2020-21.

Adam Frazier is leading off again today. He’s reached base in 20 of 23 games since May 6 and in 24 of 26 starts since April 26.

Ryan McKenna is in left field and batting ninth.

The Aaron Hicks’ era in Baltimore, however long it lasts, began yesterday with reports that the Orioles were close to reaching an agreement on a major league contract. An obvious counterpunch to losing Cedric Mullins to a groin injury. One that statistically doesn’t seem to pack much of a wallop.

Hicks was seen at Camden Yards, walking with executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias on the service level. Not long after that, the team announced the roster move.

The immediate reaction, a reflex assumption, was that Mullins would be lost for a considerable amount of time. Otherwise, just stick with Austin Hays and Ryan McKenna in center field, with a few infielders capable of handling the corners. Jorge Mateo can play center, too.

Bring up Joey Ortiz for infield depth. Select Daz Cameron’s contract and add a true center fielder.

Or, Aaron Hicks, who’s also a center fielder with 619 starts in the majors, along with 104 in left and 69 in right.

Adam Frazier lined an 0-2 changeup from Cal Quantrill into center field tonight, and the Orioles had their new leadoff hitter.

For one game, at least.

Frazier could stay atop the order or move down. Austin Hays might bat first Wednesday or in the next series. The lineup will be fluid with Cedric Mullins idle.

It takes a village to replace Mullins, and the Orioles carried that attitude to an 8-5 victory over the Guardians before an announced crowd of 11,709 at Camden Yards.

A five-run second was highlighted by Anthony Santander’s bases-loaded triple, and the Orioles improved to 35-20.

The Orioles are hopeful that Cedric Mullins’ absence from the team will be measured in weeks instead of months. They’ll grip that optimism with both hands and also keep their fingers crossed.

Mullins was placed on the 10-day injured list after he slowed before reaching first base yesterday in the eighth inning and limped off the field with assistant athletic trainer Mark Shires. He’s been diagnosed with a strained right groin muscle.

Manager Brandon Hyde was relieved to learn that Mullins could return ahead of a lengthy absence.

“It’s what I was hoping for, honestly, in that, you never know how bad those can be and it sounds like we’re getting some positive news in it being weeks and not months,” Hyde said.

“When you see a guy pull up like that, your first instinct is, not good, but because he pulled up, it seems like he helped himself. He didn’t get a hit out of it. He sacrificed maybe a hit for some weeks. We’re going to do everything we can to get him back as soon as possible. We’ll see how it goes, but I think the news was positive, at least for how bad it looked.”

The Orioles have signed veteran outfielder Aaron Hicks to a major league contract. He’s active for tonight’s game at Camden Yards.

The lineup hasn’t been posted.

Hicks replaces Cedric Mullins, who’s on the 10-day injured list with a right groin strain.

The Yankees designated Hicks, 33, for assignment on May 20 with the club owing him about $27.6 million for more than 2½ seasons remaining in a seven-year, $70 million contract. The Orioles are on the hook only for the league minimum.

Hicks was batting .188 with a .524 OPS in 28 games. He’s made 619 starts in center field, where the Orioles need to replace Mullins.

Austin Voth is waiting like everyone else.

He knew yesterday morning that he’d start Wednesday afternoon against the Guardians or work in a bulk relief role behind an opener. Manager Brandon Hyde confirmed the plan to the media in his daily session in the auxiliary clubhouse.

How the bullpen was used yesterday and which relievers are needed tonight are the determining factors. Can’t announce an exact arrangement if an opener candidate is called upon before Wednesday, or if Voth is forced into a game.

Cionel Pérez, Mike Baumann, Mychal Givens and Keegan Akin pitched yesterday, none for more than one inning.

Voth will accept any role assigned to him. Being in the majors is the perk. But he welcomes an opportunity to start again.

Being shut out for the fourth time this season was the least of the Orioles’ worries today as they filed into the clubhouse.

Center fielder Cedric Mullins pulled up short of first base in the eighth inning while trying to beat out a ground ball to shortstop, and he’s been diagnosed with a strain in his right abductor/groin area.

Mullins is undergoing further testing, but he’s likely to go on the 10-day injured list.

“We’re hoping for great news on that, but you never know,” manager Brandon Hyde said following a 5-0 loss to the Guardians at Camden Yards.

Mullins walked twice today and was thrown out trying to steal in the first inning. He’s batting .263/.356/.479 in 53 games with 12 doubles, three triples, eight home runs, 39 RBIs, 28 walks and 13 steals in 15 attempts. His .835 OPS ranks second on the club behind Austin Hays’ .867.

The six strikeouts in the first four innings today could be used as an example of Tyler Wells’ effectiveness against the Guardians. The whiffs or frozen bats off his four-seamer, cutter and changeup.

But also, the way he maneuvered out of a jam in the first inning when his outing could have fallen apart fast.

A leadoff single by Steven Kwan was followed by a comebacker from Amed Rosario that Wells knocked down and fielded before attempting to get the force at second base. A mixup in coverage brought together Jorge Mateo and Adam Frazier at the bag. Mateo failed to make the catch, and Wells was charged with the error.

The right-hander retired the next three batters on a popup, strikeout and ground ball. His 21-pitch inning would launch him to a third quality start.

It wouldn’t spare him the loss.

The Orioles almost have their starter for Wednesday afternoon.

Austin Voth is going to start or pitch in bulk relief behind an opener to conclude the series against the Guardians at Camden Yards.

The club won’t call up a pitcher from Triple-A Norfolk and hand him the assignment.

“We’re unsure a little bit on who’s going to start the game,” said manager Brandon Hyde, “but trying to hold back Austin for that game.”

Left-hander Keegan Akin can provide length out of the bullpen today if Tyler Wells is knocked out early.

Guaranteed of having another winning month, the Orioles continue their homestand today against the Guardians with Adley Rutschman on the bench and Austin Hays moved to second in the order.

Hays has eight RBIs in his last eight games and nine in his last 11.

Adam Frazier is batting seventh. Ryan McKenna gets the start in right field.

Tyler Wells has allowed eight runs and 11 hits in his last two starts covering 10 innings. He’s walked three batters, struck out 15 and surrendered five home runs.

Wells has made three career appearances against Cleveland, including one start, and allowed two runs and three hits in 6 2/3 innings.

Spenser Watkins can laugh about it now, accepting if not embracing his status in the world of bizarre injuries.

Covered in dirt after attempting a diving tag at home plate on a wild pitch, Watkins stepped inside the team’s bathroom at Harbor Park in Norfolk to wash his hands. A simple task except Watkins cut his right ring finger on the bottom edge of the porcelain sink.

“I clipped it on a sharp spot,” he said yesterday, before the Triple-A Tides’ games in Memphis. “It just started bleeding right away. It was kind of a weird thing, and it was in the worst spot in terms of issues with throwing.”

Other factors influenced the injury, like the ball staying near the batter’s box and luring Watkins to the plate, where he went in head-first. Which made him want to clean the hand. Which caused the laceration.

Watkins won’t unseat former Orioles outfielder Marty Cordova, who was scratched from a 2002 lineup after falling asleep in a tanning bed and burning his face. Day games were prohibited to keep him out of the sun. Or, on the broader major league scale, Astros pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. being hit on the elbow by a champagne bottle last fall during a playoff celebration.

The Orioles didn’t need to change back into their regular uniforms. Hall of Famer Jim Palmer didn’t need to order a pancake for breakfast this morning in the press dining room before joining the MASN broadcast.

One was scheduled, the other spontaneous.

Purely coincidence that Kyle Bradish struck out the side in the top of the first inning and the Orioles scored twice in the bottom half, taking a lead they would protect throughout the game. And how Bradish escaped a two-on, no-out jam in the second, retired 11 batters in a row and held the Rangers to one run in 6 2/3.

Yennier Cano surrendered a two-out, game-tying double to Corey Seager in the eighth, but the Orioles offered an immediate response with the first two batters reaching against Cole Ragans and Austin Hays delivering an RBI single in a 3-2 victory over the Rangers before an announced crowd of 25,124 at Camden Yards.

Félix Bautista struck out the side and recorded his 13^th save, and the Orioles improved to 34-19, recapturing the second-best record in baseball. They still haven't been swept.

John Means wanted to make one more throw with a weighted medical ball, put a little extra behind it, before concluding his workout in Sarasota and heading to Baltimore. Go a little harder with his body feeling so good and with a July return to the Orioles becoming a firmer reality.

And then, the pain hit him. A strained muscle in his upper back, an area known as the teres major.

The club hopes it’s just a minor setback.

Nothing related to his elbow reconstructive surgery in April 2022, but an incident that delays his season debut and plunge into a pennant race.

“It just kind of yanked on me a little bit,” Means said this morning. “Disappointing, obviously, but at least it’s not a throwing injury or anything like that. But at the same time, it makes it a little bit more frustrating.”

The Orioles will try to avoid a sweep today and recapture the second-best record in baseball with Anthony Santander back in the lineup as the right fielder and cleanup hitter.

Santander didn’t play yesterday.

Ramón Urías is the second baseman and Gunnar Henderson is playing third. Adam Frazier moves to the bench.

James McCann is the designated hitter.

Kyle Bradish made his season debut in Texas on April 3, was hit on the foot by a line drive, and exited after only 1 2/3 innings. He didn’t pitch again until April 19.

David Hess declared himself cancer free on Jan. 20, 2022, posting on social media that he was “cured” and cleared to resume baseball activities. He could pitch again. Immerse himself in one of his passions.

The disease doesn’t choose favorites. It came back to Hess after he appeared in eight minor league games last season in the Rays’ system. And it’s worse.

Hess has been open about his battle, sharing details and the strength of his faith in various posts. He used his Instagram account Friday to provide the latest update, and it’s heartbreaking.

In true Hess form, however, it’s also brave and inspirational.

Here is the text in full:

Early outs on the basepaths became a second obstacle for the Orioles today besides the team playing across from them.

The Rangers now have the second-best record in baseball. They don’t need any assistance.

The road trip rush is fading, with the Orioles losing again 5-3 before an announced crowd of 37,939 at Camden Yards.

Ryan Mountcastle and Ramón Urías had back-to-back RBI doubles off Will Smith with two outs in the ninth to make it close.

Dean Kremer registered his fourth quality start after he was charged with three runs in 6 1/3 innings, leaving him with a 2.45 ERA in May. Manager Brandon Hyde removed him at 97 pitches after a one-out walk to Robbie Grossman, and Bryan Baker surrendered a double to Leody Taveras and two-run single to Marcus Semien.

Orioles reliever Austin Voth is a possibility to start Wednesday afternoon’s game against the Guardians at Camden Yards.

Voth will be unavailable for a few days after throwing 62 pitches last night in 3 2/3 innings. He saved the bullpen in a 12-2 loss but can’t be used for a while.

“Fortunately for us last night, Austin Voth was a savior for us,” said manager Brandon Hyde. “If I have to go through a couple more guys there, puts us in a terrible spot in a series here against a really good club, and then Cleveland. You want to minimize those types of starts just for the other guys, as well.

“Austin Voth really picked us up last night and saved me from having to use two other guys that we wouldn’t want to use, to then, hopefully be fresh as we can for these next two games.”

Asked about Voth pitching Wednesday, Hyde said, “Voth’s an option, yeah.”

Anthony Santander sits today as the Orioles resume their series against the Rangers at Camden Yards.

Adley Rutschman is the designated hitter against left-hander Andrew Heaney, and Ryan McKenna is playing right field.

Santander struck out twice last night and hit into a double play. He was 4-for-6 in his previous two games in New York.

Austin Hays moves up to third in the order. Ramón Urías returns to the lineup at third base with Gunnar Henderson on the bench.

Adam Frazier is the second baseman.

The Orioles are making a change in their rotation, optioning Grayson Rodriguez to Triple-A Norfolk following last night’s 12-2 loss to the Rangers.

Left-hander Keegan Akin is rejoining the team to replace Rodriguez on the staff.

Rodriguez, who entered the season as the organization’s top pitching prospect, allowed eight earned runs and nine total last night in 3 1/3 innings. The inconsistency dragged him down again after he held the Blue Jays to two runs in five innings last weekend.

The total body of work includes a 7.35 ERA and 1.721 WHIP in 10 starts, with 56 strikeouts in 45 1/3 innings. The 50 strikeouts through his first nine career starts were the most by an Orioles pitcher in franchise history.

Rodriguez didn’t break camp with the team after a poor spring training and was recalled to make an April 5 start in Texas after Kyle Bradish went on the injured list with a bruised foot. He allowed two runs or fewer in five outings, never working more than 5 2/3 innings, and a combined 31 earned in 19 2/3 innings in his other five starts.