Elias impressed with Akin, Kremer and Diaz

There was a tremendous amount of fan excitement for Keegan Akin's arrival in the majors, followed by their impatience at the gap between his first day with the club and first trip to the mound.

Ryan Mountcastle's stay at the alternate camp site in Bowie was accompanied by daily inquiries about the organization's timetable for him. How long until the Orioles gained an extra year of control. How long until his defense in left field was deemed acceptable and he could increase his walk total without becoming passive at the plate.

How long until he replaced Dwight Smith Jr., which basically took two steps. Promoting Mountcastle on Friday and designating Smith the following afternoon.

So who's next?

Executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias anticipates Akin returning later this summer, but there also could be another debut.

"Any of the guys who are at Bowie right now that are upper level - Double-A, Triple-A guys - they all have a chance of getting called up this year, just depending on circumstances and the roster and maybe how the trade deadline goes," Elias said yesterday during his Zoom conference call with the media.

"I think any of those guys who played in Bowie last year or played a good chunk in Bowie last year or higher need to be ready, and the rest of the crew, it's more likely a player development experience for them. But those guys at the upper levels, they're all on our radar screen.

"I would expect and our plans are to have Keegan Akin back up here this year. I don't know what his role will be. I think that will depend on the makeup of our pitching staff whenever he's up. It could be a mixture of roles. But we still view him as a starting prospect long term. And (Dean) Kremer's knocking on the door, too. I think ordinarily he would be in Triple-A right now. He didn't pitch much at Triple-A last year. It's kind of a shame he's missing out on that. But he's throwing well at the alternate site.

"He had a really minor groin thing that slowed him down and he's still kind of building back up, but I just saw him yesterday and he threw four innings, I want to say, and looked good, so we could see him, but we'll just have to see how things go."

This, to me, is really about how much space, if any, is created on the roster at the trade deadline. Deal a starter or two - Alex Cobb might be enticing to some contenders - and Akin could be slotted into the rotation with Kremer. Moving one or more relievers could lead the Orioles to stick Akin in the bullpen, even if it's temporary.

If no trades are consummated, Akin still should be with the Orioles again before the final game is played. The 2020 season was supposed to provide the transition from Triple-A to the majors. The minors were squashed, but the idea didn't die.

Akin is going to come back.

Outfielder Yusniel Diaz hasn't played above the Double-A level and it's going to be harder for him to leave the Bowie camp. He was supposed to start out with Norfolk and arrive later this summer.

"He looks really good, both offensively and defensively down there at the alternate site," Elias said. "He's got a great work ethic, the attitude and energy have been really good every day. Just like Mountcastle did, he's seeing a lot of really tough pitching, but the performance has been there.

"He's really close. He'd be a guy who would be in Triple-A for the first time right now. He would have been there last year had he not strained his leg at the end of the season and it's a shame that he's not getting that experience, but he's really close.

"He's not on our 40-man roster yet, so that is something of a consideration when you look at a guy like him, but this guy is really close. And I continue to be excited about him and I kind of feel he's flying under the radar right now, which is kind of a good thing."

An outfield of Mountcastle in left, Austin Hays in center after he recovers from his rib injury, and Anthony Santander in right seems a little crowded for Diaz. And Cedric Mullins is taking full advantage of his opportunity while Hays is gone.

The Orioles will figure it out or they'll put Diaz's debut on hold until 2021. At least he's impressing the right people.