Akin back with Orioles and awaiting further instructions

While the Orioles decide what's next for pitcher Keegan Akin, he's just glad to rejoin the team and continue hoping for a more peaceful stretch in his professional life.

His failure to make the club out of spring training was followed by a cut left index finger sustained in a kitchen accident in April that ruined a chance to be recalled. He finally made it back to the team and into the rotation and had to be scratched from a July 21 start against the Rays due to his placement on the COVID-19 injured list.

Akin cleared the protocols and threw a bullpen session yesterday at Camden Yards. The club is evaluating him and how long it takes before he's ready to face hitters again, and in what role.

"Obviously, I didn't get off to a good start in spring," Akin said today in a Zoom call. "It's just been a grind, a good learning point just overall really with how it's going. Just trying to stay positive with it and go day-by-day and grind it out and just learn from things and get better each day."

Akin and Anthony Santander went on the COVID-19 list while the team was in St. Petersburg, Fla. Akin didn't provide much information today beyond saying "some stuff came up."

A player can be removed from the active roster after testing positive, exhibiting symptoms or coming in close contact.

"Obviously, MLB protocols, it's better to be safe than sorry with that stuff," he said. "Just had to follow those rules and go by those rules."

Akin declined to say whether he's been vaccinated. The Orioles reached the 85 percent threshold in May, which relaxed certain safety protocols such as wearing masks in the dugout and bullpen and contact tracing devices in team facilities.

"It's kind of a personal question," Akin said. "Not really comfortable with answering that one right now."

The downtime for Akin was spent driving back to Baltimore and finding a park where he could throw into a lacrosse net for the past five or six days.

"Just anything to get outside, get active and try to stay in as best shape as possible while being away from the facilities," he said. "It was definitely a unique situation."

The current five-man rotation doesn't leave a spot for Akin. Alexander Wells, Matt Harvey, John Means and Spenser Watkins are starting in Detroit after Jorge López worked the first two innings last night against the Marlins at Camden Yards.

Akin is with the Orioles and waiting to find out whether he's a starter, reliever or bound for Triple-A. The former second-round draft pick is 0-5 with an 8.19 ERA and 1.800 WHIP in 13 games (eight starts) covering 48 1/3 innings.

"Just glad to travel and be with the team right now and just going to give me a couple days to kind of get back on my feet, throw a couple bullpens and just kind of fine-tune some things and we'll go from there," he said.

Meanwhile, Juan De Los Santos, 19, threw four hitless innings today for the Rookie-level Florida Complex League orange team.

Triple-A Norfolk catcher Brett Cumberland has a double, a run scored and two passed balls, giving him six on the season. Shawn Armstrong retired all three Durham batters faced, striking out two, but Eric Hanhold was charged with three runs and four hits in one-third of an inning.

Dusten Knight retired the side in order in the ninth and lowered his ERA to 0.68. His scoreless innings streak has reached 19 2/3.

Here's the Tigers lineup for tonight's series opener, which includes former Orioles second baseman Jonathan Schoop:

Akil Baddoo LF
Jonathan Schoop DH
Robbie Grossman RF
Miguel Cabrera 1B
Eric Haase C
Jeimer Candelario 3B
Willi Castro 2B
Zack Short SS
Derek Hill CF

Casey Mize RHP