After the Machado trade, the new players are settling in at Bowie

BOWIE, Md. - Getting traded can be difficult for any baseball player. And for the four newest members of the Double-A Bowie Baysox, it has been. But since the Manny Machado trade that took them from the Los Angeles Dodgers to the Orioles and from the west coast to the east, they are finally starting to settle in with their new organization.

When Machado became a Dodger, four of the five players the Orioles acquired joined the Baysox, led by 21-year-old outfielder Yusniel Díaz from Havana, Cuba. Five days after he hit two homers in the All-Star Futures Game, Diaz batted third and started in right field on Friday night for Bowie.

He was joined by right-handed pitcher Dean Kremer, who gave up one run over six innings to get a win on Sunday in his Bowie debut. Also by relief pitcher Zach Pop, who struggled in his first Bowie game on Friday, allowing three runs without getting an out. Also joined by infielder Rylan Bannon, who went 2-for-4 and homered in Sunday's doubleheader.

Díaz is the centerpiece of the trade, and he said today he welcomes and embraces that. Before the deal, with Double-A Tulsa, he hit .314/.428./.477 with 10 doubles, four triples, six homers and 30 RBIs. He was batting .429 in July. With Bowie, he singled on the first pitch he saw Friday but is 1-for-9 in his first three games.

But Díaz said there is no pressure on him to perform, even though he was the biggest name in the group of players the Orioles got for Machado.

"It feels good to be the key of this trade," Díaz said through translator Macarena Aquirre of the Bowie staff. "But I don't feel pressure. It is what it is and feels good to be here. I've been adapting slowly and everything is going well with my teammates."

Díaz was ranked No. 47 in Baseball America's mid-season top 100 prospect rankings and No. 49 by ESPN. He was rated No. 84 in the pre-season ranking by MLBPipeline.com.

Bowie manager Gary Kendall's early impression of Díaz has been a strong one.

"He's got a lot of energy," said Kendall. "Very impressed so far. He's played center and right and his routes have been good. He throws well to bases and has arm strength and is accurate. He's got real good instincts out there.

"Offensively, he's been hitting in the three-hole, and the ball comes off his bat well and he shows some power. I think he's a good-looking hitter with a lot of qualities we're looking for with a young guy at 21. Very toolsy and he is going to help us."

Díaz is going to alternate with Ryan McKenna between playing center field and right field. He is going to bat third for the Baysox most nights, with Ryan Mountcastle hitting behind him.

Bannon talked about having his life uprooted by the trade.

"It has been pretty crazy, jumping on flights and getting out here," he said this afternoon. "But really excited. Meeting a clubhouse full of new faces can be nerve-wracking, but this is a great opportunity. It definitely helps to get traded with guys you know. But the coaches here are great and they are helping me adapt every day. It's been awesome so far. I'm happy to be an Oriole now and very excited to get going here."

The 22-year-old right-handed hitter was having a strong season for Single-A Rancho Cucamonga. In 89 games he was batting .296/.402/.559 with 20 homers and 61 RBIs. Bannon was the 2017 Big East Conference Player of the Year, and then the Dodgers selected him in round eight last June. He was a college teammate and roommate for three years with pitcher Zac Lowther of the Single-A Frederick Keys.

In another note from Bowie, outfielder Austin Hays has returned to taking part in baseball activities. He's been out since May 24 with a right ankle injury. He should be back on the field soon. In fact, later this week he is expected to start a minor league rehab assignment with short-season Single-A Aberdeen.