Elias on September expansion, Diaz, Rutschman and more

The constant glimpses into the future, where many of the Orioles maintain their gaze for as long as the days allow, isn't just for the 2022 season and beyond. It isn't just about where the finish line to the rebuild might be placed.

There's the task of figuring out which players to call up in September and in what increments with rosters expanding only to 28.

Executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias tackled that subject yesterday while sitting in the dugout during batting practice, indicating that most of the players will come from the 40-man roster. But there could be some exceptions.

Reliever Hunter Harvey should return next week after tonight's rehab appearance with Triple- Norfolk. Zac Lowther has rehab starts with Single-A Aberdeen tonight and Double-A Bowie on Thursday before resuming his role in Norfolk's rotation, a September appearance in Baltimore possible. Reliever Isaac Mattson is on the seven-day injured list with a sore shoulder, but eventually could return to the Orioles. Left-hander Bruce Zimmermann probably will not due to a sprained ankle, its timing as bad as the team's record.

Starters Dean Kremer and Alexander Wells need to get rolling with the Tides. Mike Baumann could make his debut, with club officials determining later whether he's starter material or perhaps a late-inning bullpen arm, as a scout at Camden Yards suggested yesterday.

Outfielder Ryan McKenna, who homered twice last night for Norfolk, seems like a lock to play for the Orioles by September. Kelvin Gutiérrez could resurface if the Orioles need another infielder. Infielders Rylan Bannon and Jahmai Jones are trying to debut in the majors and return to them, respectively.

There are others, of course. That's just a sampling of possibilities.

"Rylan Bannon is soaring," Elias said, praising an infielder who hit nine home runs in eight games with Norfolk before last night. "I think he's had a lot of bad luck this season. We have batted ball data that can paint a picture with that and the stats should be better than what you've seen, and now he's starting to get the results this past week, and that's something that's kind of way more on the radar screen than it was a month ago. And other guys have cooled off. But we've got players on the 40-man that I think we want to see and can help us or deserve extended auditions or extended major league experience throughout September.

"And now the September roster rules are different. It's going to be two extra guys that you can cycle through with options, but it's not call up your entire 40-man like it's been in the past, so we'll have to navigate that, especially with our ever-present need for pitching. That's going to weigh in, too. So I can't say with any certainty what's coming there, but we're keeping our eye on particularly those guys who are on the 40-man roster, and even a couple who aren't I think will join this team in September if not sooner."

Yusniel Diaz was expected to occupy an outfield spot this summer, but he couldn't avoid the injured list again and his development path had another bend.

"Well, the injuries certainly haven't helped, but honestly, it hasn't really gotten off the ground, even going back to spring training and the alt site," Elias said. "It just hasn't been characteristic of what we've seen from the past, so it's been really hard to work with him to get him going offensively because of the injuries, so I think that's compounded it, and you just can't really get the momentum going and the work that we're trying to do with him on the hitting side there. It has not been on the success side of the leger in 2021 so far. And he still has a ton of talent. I've always been a fan of his talent, as I've said, and we've got to keep pushing with him."

Catcher Adley Rutschman probably has to wait until 2022. He collected two more hits last night, starting at first base for the Tides, and is batting .417 with a 1.016 OPS.

"We're very pleased," Elias said. "He's had a great first full season and I hope he finishes healthy and strong. He just got to Triple-A, he's off to a good start, but we'll see. It's early. I just want him to keep doing what he's been doing and keep doing it against Triple-A pitching. He's going to see more kind of present major league pitchers there than he did at Double-A. Veterans are there and things of that nature and we'll see where it goes.

"He's catching a different staff. He's got more spotlight and pressure on him. He's going to have to continue to handle that. So we'll see. I just want him to accrue the experience. Hopefully, he keeps doing what he's doing and if he goes through struggles he learns from them. Playing in Triple-A is important. I think we've seen that here with some guys in this organization that didn't get the full Triple-A experience that caused some more oscillation than you want to see. So, I think he's going to get a lot out of this and it's been fun having him there. I think the Triple-A team likes having him there. And we're very, very pleased to have a talent of his caliber in the Baltimore organization. I think it's really cool. I hope it continues to go well. We like watching him every day."

Grayson Rodriguez should be joining Norfolk before the season ends. He should be throwing to Rutschman at Camden Yards in 2022.

Just don't expect them to instantly turn the Orioles into beasts in the American League East.

"I don't know if any one or two players is going to dramatically improve our record," Elias said. "I mean, look, these guys are two of the very best prospects in the game. They both had immense success in Double-A. Adley's getting a taste of Triple-A. I think that's coming for Grayson at some point. We're having discussions on when it makes sense to do that in his case. But when you're a top 10 prospect in the league and you're an elite performer at Double-A, things start to get pretty real at that point. So fingers crossed with health for everyone, including those two, but they're certainly on the radar screen for 2022 in a big way.

"I can't be more thrilled to have both of them in our organization."

Chris Davis officially left it with his retirement announcement on Aug. 12.

"I think that having a resolution to the situation is good. It's good for him, it's good for us," Elias said.

"He had a significant injury, on top of the struggles that he's had since being on this most recent contract, and it hasn't gone well and it's been something that has weighed on everybody and hung over the roster, and I'm glad that we came to a conclusion that made sense for everybody and allows us to move forward, keep building for the future, and allows him to not have to address a very difficult rehab in the situation that he was at and kind of be able to retire on his terms. So, I think it's a very positive thing for this organization that that is resolved."

The Orioles have lost 16 games in a row and can match the 2017 Mariners' streak tonight. They're five away from the team record. But Elias and manager Brandon Hyde sort through the season and pluck the good from the pile.

"We've had a mixed bag and some very good developments," Elias said.

"I don't think anyone saw the Cedric Mullins season going like this, looking like one of the better players in the sport both offensively and defensively. He's an up-the-middle position player, he's young, he's homegrown. It's tremendously exciting. I think it's hard to understate the importance of that.

"Ryan Mountcastle's somebody that everyone in the industry had hopes for as a young hitter. Was looking very promising in the minor leagues. To have him come up last year and then go through what was a pretty concerning extended slump and adjustment period, and hopefully it's seeming like he's kind of made some permanent adjustments in coming out of it. And looking the way he's looking at age 24 has been great.

"I don't think any of us knew what to expect with Trey (Mancini) coming back from his awful year last year with his cancer diagnosis and his chemotherapy. That was a huge blow to us and him, but here we are. I think he's exceeded everyone's expectations in regard to demonstrating his health and return to play. Those have been some great things.

"John Means, it's been up and down, but overall I think you feel better about who he is than you did two years ago and wondering whether 2020 was a flash in the pan. We feel great about him. But there's been some other things that have been steps back and that happens and that's part of the challenge of this. But overall, the large picture of us accumulating talent, cleaning up the situation that we inherited and getting things on track with a clear path ahead of this toward getting back in the fight in this division is going very well and it's on track despite some of the player setbacks that happened this year, despite the horrible stretch that we're in right now. So, that makes me feel good, but every little failure we self-reflect about, we try to improve. That's what we do, and we'll keep grinding."