Bevy of Orioles injury updates, plus other notes

Orioles reliever Dillon Tate is getting a second opinion on his right elbow after undergoing further testing this week.

Tate is on the 60-day injured list with a flexor strain. He hasn’t pitched this season.

“We’re hoping that everything is clear and he’s able to start a rehab assignment following that,” said manager Brandon Hyde.

Tate was removed from his first rehab assignment after allowing 18 earned runs (20 total) and 21 hits with 11 walks in 10 2/3 innings between High-A Aberdeen, Double-A Bowie and Triple-A Norfolk. Eight of his 13 appearances came with the Tides, and he surrendered 10 runs and 12 hits in 6 2/3 innings against International League batters before returning to Baltimore.

A right forearm/flexor strain kept Tate off the Opening Day roster, with the discomfort beginning in November.

Hyde was just scratching the surface with today’s injury updates.

* Reliever Mychal Givens, also removed from his rehab assignment with Norfolk, played catch today.  He’s heading down to Sarasota next week and will pitch in the Florida Complex League following the All-Star break.

Givens is on the 15-day IL with right shoulder inflammation. He was excluded from the Opening Day roster due to a left knee injury.

* Keegan Akin, placed on the 15-day IL today with lower back discomfort, will undergo testing next week in Baltimore.

* Backup catcher James McCann was going to hit on the field today, but the tarp’s on the field. He’s scheduled to catch nine innings Saturday and Sunday with an affiliate. Hyde said it might happen in Norfolk.

McCann sprained his left ankle while sliding into first base on June 17 at Wrigley Field.

* Ryan Mountcastle seemed to be recovered from his bouts of vertigo and will play tonight and Saturday with Norfolk.

* Reliever Austin Voth, sidelined by right elbow discomfort, has a bullpen session on Sunday. He was supposed to play catch today for the second time since going on the IL.

“It’s like an NFL Monday morning injury report,” Hyde said.

Akin allowed 10 earned runs and 13 total in his last four appearances over four innings. He told the club about his back after pitching the 10^th inning Wednesday night against the Reds and surrendering four runs (two earned).

“It’s obviously bothering him enough to report it after the game,” Hyde said. “It is something that had been lingering for a little bit, but he felt fine going in. He just didn’t feel good after.

“I’m waiting to see how long he’s out. Hopefully, this is not too long and we’ll go from there.”

Asked for his concern level with Tate, Hyde said, “It’s hard to tell. Waiting for the second opinion and we’ll go from there.”

“He’s here right now. We’d love to have him with us, but we want to make sure he’s right before he is,” Hyde said.

Voth has tried to navigate the elbow discomfort since spring training, with varying results.

“Right now, just taking it day-by-day for the most part. It’s like slowly improving,” he said.

“It’s been off and on. I’ve just been trying to manage it the most I can, and it just kind of got to the point where I’ve got to take care of myself and get shut down and figure it out, so I can come back and be healthy.”

Voth posted a 4.94 ERA and 1.581 WHIP in 23 games. He allowed two runs and three hits in one-third of an inning on June 13 against the Blue Jays, surrendering his first homer since April 13.

The discomfort became a hindrance during some of his appearances.

“You can kind of notice my command, and it was affecting the way I spin the ball,” he said, “so, definitely when it comes to that, you want to try to get it figured out.”

Voth will need to go out on a rehab assignment before his return, which pushes him past the break.

“Just depends on how I’m feeling,” he said.

McCann said he checked a few more boxes earlier today, which got him ready to join an affiliate. He wanted to run the bases again and catch a bullpen.

The plan is to play for the Orioles before the break. They head to New York and Minnesota next week.

“Hopefully, if everything goes well, be back early on the road trip,” he said.

Is there anything that irritates the ankle?

“When I wake up in the morning, but I think that’s just part of getting older,” he said.

“No, it’s been good. Once we get it loose, we’re good.”

Left-hander Nick Vespi is in the bullpen tonight after the Orioles recalled him for a third time. He hasn’t pitched in a major league game since Oct. 5.

Vespi has registered a 1.71 ERA and 0.987 WHIP in 23 games with Norfolk.

“He really pitches well in Triple-A,” Hyde said. “He offers us a different look out of the bullpen. A guy that has a lot of cutters, slider. There’s some improvement in his sinker this year, which I’m happy about. A guy who wants the ball. He went three innings in his last appearance at Triple-A, so he’s not just a one-inning guy. He can help us out. And his numbers at Triple-A have been really good the last couple years.”

The Reds stole five bases Wednesday night, leaving Adley Rutschman 9-for-51 attempting to throw out runners. He’s the designated hitter tonight.

“The other night for me, that was a case of a really aggressive team with big-time speed on the bases, and weird situations where we had kind of backend leverage guys that can be slow at times,” Hyde said. “They picked the right pitch to go on. There was a lot of first and thirds. It was just kind of an unusual game. And he had to hurry on all five.

“No concern there for me.”

Hyde said he hasn’t heard from American League All-Star manager Dusty Baker seeking input on the pitching staff. Starter Tyler Wells and relievers Félix Bautista and Yennier Cano deserve consideration.

The pitchers and reserves will be announced 5:30 p.m. Sunday on ESPN.

“I haven’t had a whole lot of calls over the years,” Hyde said. “Hopefully, I will be getting some calls regarding that. I haven’t yet.”

Hyde saw the results last night of phase 2 voting, with Rutschman losing out to the Rangers’ Jonah Heim. Rutschman could go to Seattle as a backup, but he won’t start.

“I was hoping that Adley would get in, and disappointed that he didn’t as a starter,” Hyde said. “I’m hopeful that he’ll be in the game.”

The club’s improvement over the years shows itself in many ways, including how three pitchers are in the All-Star discussion.

“We have a record the way ours is, you would hope some guys are going to be recognized for the first half that they’ve had,” Hyde said. “We have a lot of guys who are having good seasons so far. For me, there are some All-Star worthy cases for sure, and I hope all these guys get recognized.

“I’d love to see multiple guys from our club go to the game.”

The Orioles haven’t sent more than one player since 2016.

The Guardians lost this afternoon at Wrigley Field, moving the Twins back into first place in the American League Central with a 40-42 record.

“I assume they’re going to get hot,” Hyde said, “because there’s a lot of talent on that team.”