Ramón Urías will find it harder to get into the Orioles’ lineup as more healthy players filter back from the injured list. Jordan Westburg probably will start at third base on most nights. Jackson Holliday is practically locked into second base. There will be exceptions, of course, like Westburg serving as the designated hitter tonight and Urías oc

NEW YORK – Looking to add some “thump” against left-handed pitching, Nationals manager Davey Martinez is deploying his new-look, righty-heavy lineup against the only southpaw starter they are scheduled to face during this three-game series against the Mets. The most notable addition is Andrés Chaparro serving as the designated hitter in place of Jo

Orioles interim manager Tony Mansolino said he’s “hopeful” that Grayson Rodriguez pitches this season, which must suffice as the latest update on the projected No. 2 starter. Information on Rodriguez isn’t plentiful. The right-hander hasn’t talked to the local media since a March exhibition game in Fort Myers. Rodriguez is going through a throwing progression and he’s doing “great,” according to Mansolino. Rodriguez hasn’t made a major league appearance since July 31 due to a right lat/teres strain that kept him out of the Wild Card series. He went on the 15-day injured list in spring training with discomfort in his elbow/triceps area but was moved to the 60-day IL with another right lat strain. “He’s progressing as expected right now,” Mansolino added. “It’s not something we want to put deadlines on by any means. … There’s not always an exact script for every individual injury. We have human beings involved, so we’re very careful. And I know it probably frustrates you guys at times, but we’re very careful of not trying to set expectations through the media, but we also don’t do it privately. “It’s not something we’re saying like, ‘You’ve got to be ready by this day.’ There’s usually kind of a list of options with some of these guys coming up and if they hit these checkpoints and it goes well. (Colton) Cowser probably expedited his process maybe by a day because he hit the checkpoints quicker, and there’s other scenarios of maybe it lasting a day longer. So we’re trying not to put too much pressure on these guys. I think that’s fair, right? It’s not a public thing. It's just dealing with injured players and understanding that we probably don’t know how every injury is going to heal.” Rodriguez’s throwing is assumed to be on flat ground, but that information isn’t readily available. “The exact specifics I can’t get into,” Mansolino said, “but he’s throwing, he’s progressing as expected.” Even the injury has led to some confusion, with the lat listed as the reason for the 60-day stint. “He probably needs to speak to that specifically,” Mansolino said. “I don’t feel comfortable answering that question. But I would say he never fully came back from the elbow, so it’s probably something, even if it is healed fully, which is might be, I’m sure it’s something that we’re conscious of as he builds himself back up to being a major league pitcher.” Charlie Morton stays in the rotation and makes a start in the weekend series against the Angels at Camden Yards. No move back to the bullpen. Infielder Luis Vázquez is waiting to make his Orioles debut after having his contract selected yesterday. He appeared in 11 games with the Cubs last summer and went 1-for-12. Vázquez hit .280/.345/.447 in 37 games with Norfolk to position himself for a promotion. He first got noticed in spring training with a 325 average, 10 RBIs and .788 OPS in 21 games. “I feel like I was able to make a really good impression during spring, which I think matters a lot, and I think thanks to that, I’m able to be here now,” he said via interpreter Brandon Quinones. “Everyone knows that this is what I wanted. I’ve been playing the way I want to, and being up here in the big leagues is what I wanted, so I feel like I’ve been able to do just that and play really well.” Former Orioles infielder Ryan Flaherty, now the Cubs' bench coach, phoned Mansolino and offered a strong endorsement of Vázquez. The Orioles acquired the infielder for cash considerations over the winter. Flaherty “told me this might be the greatest shortstop he’s ever seen in person,” Mansolino recalled. “So coming into spring training, I trust Ryan and what he says, and what I saw was a really good shortstop. A really good defender. Talented, gifted, comfortable with the glove on his hand. A guy that probably hasn’t hit a ton in the minor leagues coming into this, but you look at his Norfolk numbers and the reports coming from Feddy (manager Tim Federowicz) down in Norfolk and kind of what he’s saying about him, there’s a lot to like.” The Orioles signed left-hander Sayer Diederich, 24, to a minor league contract, according to their transactions page. He pitched in 2024 for the independent Billings Mustangs and hadn’t been with an affiliated team. Ryan O’Hearn is at first base tonight against Tigers right-hander Casey Mize. Jordan Westburg is the designated hitter, Cedric Mullins is in center field and Colton Cowser moves to left. For the Orioles Jackson Holliday 2B Adley Rutschman C Gunnar Henderson SS Ryan O’Hearn 1B Jordan Westburg DH Colton Cowser LF Ramón Laureano RF Cedric Mullins CF Ramón Urías 3B Zach Eflin RHP For the Tigers Parker Meadows CF Gleyber Torres 2B Kerry Carpenter DH Riley Greene LF Spencer Torkelson 1B Wenceel Pérez RF Colt Keith 3B Jake Rogers C Zach McKinstry SS Casey Mize RHP

NEW YORK – The Nationals almost did everything they needed to in order to win Tuesday’s series opener against the Mets. They got a strong pitching performance from starter MacKenzie Gore. They got production from the top of the lineup, particularly CJ Abrams. But they didn’t get a shutdown performance from the bullpen nor added offense late in the

The Orioles are renovating and relocating the Jim Henneman Press Box for the 2026 season, using the current space for a new premium club section behind home plate. The club section will accommodate a capacity of 380 members as part of the upgrades to Camden Yards set in motion since the Orioles reached agreement with the Maryland Stadium Authority

NEW YORK – CJ Abrams is at a crossroads in his third full season with the Nationals. After playing like one of the top shortstops in the game over the season’s first two months, he entered Tuesday’s series opener against the Mets in a slump: Over his previous 17 games, he only hit .143 with a .430 OPS and three extra-base hits. So the question is:

The Orioles got rid of their jet lag from the West Coast trip. They really are healthier. They can’t brag, though. Jordan Westburg and Cedric Mullins returned yesterday, and the club announced at first pitch that Jorge Mateo was going on the injured list with left elbow inflammation. Never a dull moment to the 2025 season. Never a peaceful stretch.

NEW YORK – For the first time since the 2022 Juan Soto blockbuster trade with the Padres, six players from that deal were on the field at the same time. Who would have thought back then it would be at Citi Field three years later? With Soto now playing for the Mets, the former National could look across the field to see Josh Bell (who joined him in

Cade Povich put his hands on his head as Colton Cowser scaled the center field fence. A spectacular catch would limit the damage in the fifth inning and make it easier for the Orioles to rally. Having the ball fall on the other side would hasten his departure and complicate a comeback attempt. Cowser landed on the track without the ball. Spencer To

To reduce the deficit faced by the Orioles in the division and in the Wild Card standings, they always believed that they’d need to cut back on the number of players on their injured list. They won’t pin every problem on their health, but it’s conspired against them again in 2025. The IL count was down to eight with infielder Jordan Westburg and ce