Hyde on Cowser: "It's a big loss" (plus some Orioles pregame notes)

The freshness and boundless optimism of a new season haven’t kept another series of injuries from striking the Orioles.

They can run and dive, but they can’t hide.

The latest blow arrived this morning with outfielder Colton Cowser going on the 10-day injured list with a fractured left thumb. Manager Brandon Hyde expects Cowser to miss a minimum of six-to-eight weeks.

This isn’t how the Orioles wanted to begin their home Opening Day.

“It’s a big loss,” Hyde said. “This is a guy who was second in Rookie of the Year last year. … It’s going to be at least a couple months and gives other guys opportunity. It’s not gonna be the last injury we have this season. We’re gonna have things pop up and that’s why you create depth, and it gives other guys opportunities. But it’s a blow because Colton’s a really good player.”

Cowser batted .364 with a 1.030 OPS in 16 spring training games and was 2-for-16 with a home run in Toronto after diving into first base yesterday in the seventh inning. Cowser was ruled out, with the call upheld upon review, and Gary Sánchez pinch-hit for him in the ninth.

The thumb was bent back upon impact with the bag, and Cowser immediately lifted his hand while rolling over and pleading for a challenge.

“Everybody in that room knows the risk you take when you go head first, but it’s also an instinctual baseball play, and he’s doing everything he can,” Hyde said. “I thought he was safe, too. He’s trying to beat the guy to the bag and he’s hustling. It’s just kind of a freak, unfortunate thing."

"It’s a crazy situation where a guy’s just playing the game hard, doesn’t get rewarded for it, especially with the thumb that got the full  brunt of it,” said center fielder Cedric Mullins. “Injuries happen. We know it’s the worst part of this game. We continue to move forward."

Cowser hit leadoff in all four games. The thumb is on the same hand that Cowser fractured in Game 2 of the Wild Card Series.

“It’s a long season and this is a marathon,” Hyde said. “You want to get off to a good start, you try to stay as healthy as possible, but injuries happen around the league and you just need to keep going. This game’s not going to stop and the schedule’s not going to stop.”

The past two days have seen the Orioles select reliever Matt Bowman’s contract and recall outfielder Dylan Carlson. Their depth will be tested again. They lost three starting pitchers to reconstructive elbow surgeries last June, and the roll call of players missing time in the second half included Grayson Rodriguez, Danny Coulombe, Jordan Westburg, Ryan Mountcastle, Jorge Mateo and Ramón Urías.

Albert Suárez went on the injured list Sunday with right shoulder inflammation. Gunnar Henderson is eligible for reinstatement on Thursday. Rodriguez started a throwing progression over the weekend. Reliever Andrew Kittredge will miss at least a couple months after undergoing left knee surgery. Tyler Wells, Trevor Rogers and Chayce McDermott also are on the IL.

“Just going through that whirlwind of injuries last year, for it to be this early, it has some positives to it because we know we’ll get guys back early, as well," Mullins said. "But yeah, it’s never a good thing to see a guy go down.”

“It’s not good, but we’d rather have him at the end of the year, you know?” said first baseman Ryan O’Hearn.

“Obviously, it sucks. Cowser’s a big part of this team. And especially this early, you don’t want to see him go down. But we’ve got to find a way to keep rolling.”

The lineup will reflect the current health turmoil. Heston Kjerstad looked like he’d start once in the first six games, but he’s playing today against Red Sox left-hander Sean Newcomb.

“Kjerstad is going to get more of an opportunity now,” Hyde said. “We bring Dylan Carlson here, who had a heck of a spring training for us. He was hitting in the middle of the order for the Cardinals, a playoff team a few years ago. The last two or three weeks of camp, this guy probably took our best at-bats, or at least one of them, from both sides of the plate. He can play three spots in the outfield.

“That’s why when (Mike) Elias and his team build a roster, you build for depth and you understand that these kinds of things might happen. Hopefully, we can fill Colton’s void.”

The roster didn’t have room for the switch-hitting Carlson in camp, where he slashed .321/.500/.571 (9-for-28) with a double, two home runs and nine RBIs in 18 games.

“I felt like I had a good spring, put myself in a good position to be in the mix whenever an opportunity presented itself, so I’m looking forward to it,” he said. “Hopefully, take advantage and help this team win some ballgames.”

Carlson said he didn’t know about Cowser’s injury until receiving a phone call last night. He was 3-for-7 with a home run for Triple-A Norfolk.

“That’s the nature of this game,” he said. “You’ve got to stay ready regardless of where you’re at.”

Westburg sat out yesterday’s game but is leading off this afternoon.

“Westy feels way better today, so that’s positive,” Hyde said.

“He didn’t play the last couple games of spring, he hadn’t played a back-to-back. He’s just dealing with some kind of minor things that we’re resting him with and all of a sudden he plays three days on turf, and he’s pretty banged up.”

Hyde didn’t have a timetable for Suárez’s return from the shoulder inflammation.

“The last start of spring, we started giving him some treatment on it,” Hyde said. “He had a tough time getting loose. He was feeling much better, a tough time getting loose in the bullpen, so we’re being cautious with it and he’s getting treatment on it. … Hopefully, it’s not too long.”

Henderson, recovered from his strained right intercostal, should be in Thursday’s lineup as the Orioles close out their series against the Red Sox. He hit a three-run homer yesterday with Norfolk.

“He looked really good,” Carlson said. “He took some really good swings yesterday and hit a home run. Obviously, he’s a special talent. You give that guy some reps, get him out there, yeah, he’s going to do some pretty cool things.”

* The Orioles consulted with Major League Baseball and moved up the start time 30 minutes today due to the threat of inclement weather. The sun came out during batting practice.

“Hopefully we’re gonna get this game in,” Hyde said.

“The home opener is such a special day. Our guys are really excited to play in front of the home fans. Coming off the road last night, it was great to see all the Orioles banners. Just kind of walking around, they see the excitement in the city. So our guys are just as excited and hopefully we put on a good show for them today.”

* Mullins, Westburg and Adley Rutschman hit multiple home runs against the Blue Jays, the first time in Orioles history that three different hitters did it in an opening series of the season, according to STATS.

* The Orioles had 10 home runs and 23 singles, the first time they finished with 10 or more homers and 20 or more singles in their first four games of a season. They’re the first team to do so since the Dodgers in 2019.