Hyde and Wilkerson talk about today's roster move

The removal of infielder Rio Ruiz from the active and 40-man rosters, described today by Orioles manager Brandon Hyde as "extremely difficult," presents an opportunity for Stevie Wilkerson to get regular at-bats at second base.

Wilkerson's versatility enables the Orioles to plug him into a variety of positions, but he's likely to get the bulk of the starts at second depending on matchups and his production. Pat Valaika is the other option.

"Both of those guys can play different spots also, but I'd like to give Stevie a little bit of a look," Hyde said on his Zoom call. "It's a guy that's grinded for a while. Both him and Pat have some time in the big leagues and play different places, but I think they'll both share it. Maybe against more right-handed heavy pitchers, Stevie's going to get more of an opportunity probably, lefties maybe Pat. We'll see how it goes.

"I'll probably play the hot hand. Whoever's swinging the bat the best and playing the best, I'll be putting him in the lineup."

Wilkerson said the chance to play second is "comforting."

"I'm excited to get out there at second base tonight," he said. "Obviously, that's what I played the most throughout my career, but I'm just excited for any opportunity that I have on the diamond. I don't really care what position it's at. Hopefully, I can just fill in wherever and play wherever fits this club best."

The Orioles designated Ruiz for assignment this afternoon after he batted .167/.250/.300 in 101 plate appearances. He has two minor league options, but is headed for the waiver wire.

Hyde met with Ruiz earlier today.

"Extremely difficult," Hyde said. "Somebody who's been here for the better part of three years. A guy that everybody really likes a lot. He's a clubhouse favorite, he's a coaches' favorite. He's easy to like, easy to coach.

"You get to know somebody not only on a professional level, but a personal level when you're (around) players as much as we are, so it's an extremely difficult day to say goodbye. He's going to go through the waiver process and whatever's best for him, I hope it works out, whether it's with us or another club."

The results of the second base experiment seemed to please Hyde. Ruiz made three outstanding plays on opening day in Boston. But he just didn't hit.

"It was everything I could ask for defensively. I thought it went really well," Hyde said.

"Not easy to do, pick up a position at the end of spring training, do it with a great attitude, work his tail off every single day to get acclimated to the position and I thought he did great. Turned double plays when he had opportunity, made all the routine plays, made some nice plays, as well. He did everything and more than I could have expected."

Wilkerson was re-signed as a minor league free agent after missing the 2020 season with a fractured ring finger on his left hand, the result of a diving catch in a July exhibition game in Philadelphia. He's been on a tear with Norfolk, batting .357/.438/.476 (15-for-42) with two doubles and a home run in 12 games.

"I love the energy that Stevie brings, both on the field and off the field in the clubhouse," Hyde said. "He is extremely well-liked by everybody here. It's easy to like him because he plays so hard and he has a great personality. He's funny, players are drawn to him. He just brings a ton of personality to our club and he's off to a really good start in Norfolk.

"He brings flexibility for us from a roster standpoint, being able to play him in different spots, being able to move him around the field, and he's swinging the bat well right now. Hopefully he can give us a little boost offensively, and excited to see Stevie today."

Wilkerson labored in spring training, going 6-for-34 (.176) with three walks and 13 strikeouts after a long layoff.

"He lost a year of at-bats last year," Hyde said, adding the Wilkerson had a chance to make the club in 2020. "He had a really nice secondary spring training 2.0. He was playing extremely well and unfortunately broke his finger there at the end, right before the season, which ended his season. So he lost a year of at-bats.

"Tried to give him a ton of at-bats in spring training. You could see he was a little bit behind at that point, just because it had been a long time. But he went to Norfolk and was leading off and taking great at-bats there, so hopefully he can continue that and give us a little spark offensively."

Norfolk manager Gary Kendall passed along the promotion news to Wilkerson, who was at Cure Coffeehouse, one of his favorite spots.

"It feels great," Wilkerson said. "I was really excited just to see everyone's faces again today. Walking into Camden, I never take it for granted, so it's certainly nice to be back.

"The fire was burning the whole time. It was tough to depart the way I did last year and for a little while there watching all the games and everything, it was tough to swallow, but the fire was burning and I kept hope alive and it's nice for things to come full circle and to be back here with the club."

Today's promotion also demonstrates again that the Orioles are tracking the numbers and checking the reports, with a willingness to recall or select the contracts of pitchers and position players.

"It's nice to know that the opportunity to get rewarded is there if you perform," Wilkerson said. "I think a lot of guys will probably get inspired by moves like this on our team and other teams, and if you put your best foot forward there's a chance that good things can happen."

Mike Baumann's next start is Thursday night at Single-A Delmarva. He tossed two scoreless innings with three walks and two strikeouts in his 2021 debut.

The Orioles gradually will work him into Norfolk's rotation.