Dwight Smith Jr. on baseball's return and his fundraiser

The temperature in Baltimore today is supposed to reach 98 degrees. Not a cloud in the sky. But there will be Orioles on the Camden Yards field.

Sweating for a shortened season.

The summer camp begins this morning with staggered workouts. The facility and social distancing don't allow 44 players to perform drills simultaneously.

Pitchers will do their throwing in shifts with an obvious shortage of mounds, compared to the Sarasota complex. Hitters will take their hacks in cages and drills will be conducted in the infield and outfield - hopefully with minimal damage to the grass.

(Head groundskeeper Nicole Sherry already is sweating.)

Outfielder Dwight Smith Jr. returned to Baltimore this week and underwent testing for COVID-19. Can't get on the field without it.

Smith didn't opt out, as other players have done based on health and safety concerns, but he considered the potential dangers and whether it was wise to plunge into workouts and game-like conditions.

"It crossed my mind because of being around my family, I didn't want to put them at risk," he said. "But at the same time, me going out to play and to continue to put messages out there like Black Lives Matter and do fundraisers and use this platform that I've been able to use ... I felt like it was more important for me to go out and play and to be with my teammates regardless of whoever is opting out and who's playing."

Major League Baseball will release the schedule next week, with the Orioles playing the first of their 60 games on July 24.

"I'm definitely eager," said Smith, who slashed .241/.297/.412 in 392 plate appearances last summer and also sustained a concussion and calf injury.

"Can't wait to get out of this hotel room and get ready to be around the guys. Still have got to practice social distancing with all the rules and all that stuff, but I'm ready to get going and kind of make it somewhat normal and try to have a season and make it as safe as possible."

While Smith works on his swing and takes his reps in the outfield, he's also going to stay busy monitoring the online bidding for the fundraiser he set up this week for McIntosh High School in Peachtree City, Ga.

The school is Smith's alma mater and where his sister Shannon was supposed to graduate this spring before the coronavirus pandemic.

Fans can bid on autographed and authentic items from current Orioles players and exclusive online gaming experiences with Smith. Proceeds raised will be gifted to the 400 seniors.

Smith, a 2011 graduate, set a goal of $20,000. Bidding ends on July 30.

"I was just thinking about ways to help out," he said. "My sister was a senior and they're not able to go to the prom and a lot of stuff was getting canceled. They didn't get to experience graduation. It was like a virtual graduation there. They're hoping to do a walk-on in August.

"So I just wanted to give all the seniors in that class something like a gift so they can go to college with it, to help them out."

Smith said his sister didn't know about the auction until Wednesday, when he launched it on his Twitter account.

"She actually called me because she had no idea. She was like, 'What is this?'" Smith said.

"I told her I was raising money for her class before she goes off to college and the rest of her classmates. She was ecstatic. She was just so surprised."

Smith has been active during baseball's shutdown, including his successful stint as manager of the Orioles' MLB the Show video team. He also participated last month in the club's "Phone Call Friday" with Orioles Hall of Famer Don Buford and, most important, posted on social media about joining a "peaceful protest" in his hometown while continuing to speak out against racial injustice.

Smith contacted his agency after the shutdown and began tossing out some baseball-related ideas.

"I picked up a lot of stuff along the way," he said. "Since I couldn't do much in the house, I wanted to do something just to keep my mind occupied. What I'm normally accustomed to. And I wanted to give back anyway I could. Anything I could do."