What's left to decide on Orioles' opening day roster?

The minor soreness in Anthony Santander's side is beginning to feel like the slight tweak of DJ Stewart's hamstring.

As the late Joe Strauss used to tell me after we joined The Baltimore Sun baseball beat in 1997, never underwrite or downplay an injury.

Of course, that also leads to overwriting an actual day-to-day situation, but it's the risk you take.

Stewart won't be ready for opening day because he hasn't played since March 5 and accumulated only eight at-bats. We're just waiting for the Orioles to make it official. Santander has played in 13 games while going 9-for-29 with 10 walks and is hitting on the back fields.

In 2021, you have to take the word of the people who are granted access on those fields.

I meant to attach a Ring camera to one of the backstops last spring before camp shut down and totally forgot about it. My bad.

Santander will participate in Wednesday's workout in Sarasota and take more swings against live pitching, with his inclusion in opening day ceremonies happening as long as he doesn't experience a setback. It's an oblique. Doesn't take much to aggravate it.

We can assume that the Orioles caught it in time. Otherwise, this would have been another lengthy recovery like the one that sidelined him last year in the middle of a Sept. 4 doubleheader.

Maybe the Orioles remain cautious with Santander and use him as the designated hitter Thursday afternoon, with Austin Hays in right field and Ryan Mountcastle in left. Or they trade him to the White Sox.

I'M KIDDING!

Anyway, that's my guess and it's probably incorrect based on my history.

How about this lineup:

Cedric Mullins CF
Anthony Santander DH
Trey Mancini 1B
Ryan Mountcastle LF
Austin Hays RF
Maikel Franco 3B
Pedro Severino C
Pat Valaika 2B
Freddy Galvis SS

Other possibilities include Ramón Urías at second base, though I'm giving the edge to Valaika. Santander and Mancini could flip-flop, which would put a right-handed bat between former and current switch-hitters versus Nathan Eovaldi. My colleague, Steve Melewski, had Mancini in the cleanup spot, but I think that's a little low.

Singles hitter.

I'M KIDDING!

Valaika and Severino also could flip-flop. Severino heated up a bit after a 1-for-22 start, finishing 8-for-40 (.200) with three doubles and a home run. Valaika was 8-for-44 (.182) with three doubles and two home runs.

The lineup leans heavily to the right, but where would Rio Ruiz fit, unless he's the designated hitter? Would manager Brandon Hyde dare to start him at second base after doing it in back-to-back exhibition games?

Now we're running with scissors.

The only lingering question about the 26-man roster, barring a late move like the kind that removed second baseman Yolmer Sánchez, involves the final spot in the bullpen.

The 12 position players for now appear to be outfielders Santander, Hays, Mountcastle and Mullins; infielders Franco, Ruiz, Galvis, Valaika, Urías and Mancini; and catchers Severino and Chance Sisco.

The Orioles could bring in another second baseman. The Rangers designated Rougned Odor for assignment yesterday. He's going to clear waivers and the team that signs him would owe only the prorated league minimum on the remaining $27 million on his contract.

He hits home runs, strikes out a lot - 178 times in 581 plate appearances in 2019 - has a negative dWAR in four of seven seasons, per BaseballReference.com, and is packing a career .289 on-base percentage. But availability for the minimum makes him intriguing and the Orioles could provide regular starts that other teams might not.

He also throws a mean right cross.

As for the pitchers breaking camp, the starters are confirmed as John Means, Matt Harvey, Bruce Zimmermann, Jorge López and Dean Kremer. Eight of the nine relievers appear to be Wade LeBlanc, Tanner Scott, Paul Fry, Shawn Armstrong, César Valdez, Adam Plutko, and Rule 5 selections Mac Sceroler and Tyler Wells. The final spot could come down to Dillon Tate, Travis Lakins Sr. and Cole Sulser.

Do Hyde and executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias base the decision more on 2020 performance, which favors Lakins, or spring numbers, which hurt him after he allowed seven runs and eight hits in 7 1/3 innings?

Camp stats don't matter until they do. Ask Sánchez and Keegan Akin.

All three relievers can be optioned to the minors. All three are going to pitch for the Orioles this summer. But keeping two Rule 5 picks leaves one open seat on the charter to Boston.

* Baseball America's mock draft 2.0 - yes, it's that time of the year again - has the Orioles taking University of Miami catcher Adrian De Castillo. The logic is based on Castillo being the best available player left on the board at No. 5 and his bat profiling at other positions, since Adley Rutschman is the top catching prospect in the land.

The publication has prep shortstop Jordan Lawlar going first to the Pirates. Vanderbilt pitchers Kumar Rocker and Jack Leiter second and third to the Rangers and Tigers, respectively, and prep shortstop Marcelo Mayer fourth to the Red Sox.

I'm nowhere close to draft expert status. We're in different universes. But the Orioles taking a catcher seems like an odd decision to me, even with Castillo perhaps moving out from behind the plate. The bat really needs to be special.