More on McCann's toughness and pending roster decisions

The Orioles sit in first place and won’t stand pat.

They posted a 6-2 win last night over the Blue Jays after acquiring Seranthony Dominguez, Cristian Pache, Zach Eflin, Trevor Rogers, Eloy Jiménez, Gregory Soto, Austin Slater and Liván Soto, along with High-A pitcher Patrick Reilly, over the past five days.

They can’t get rebuilding out of their blood.

Speaking of blood, James McCann has avoided the injured list. He’s playable despite fractures in his nose. Of course he is. Who doubted this guy?

The Orioles recalled Triple-A Norfolk catcher Blake Hunt, but his stay could be brief.

Hunt said his Norfolk teammates couldn’t believe that McCann took a fastball to the face Monday in Game 1 of a doubleheader and kept catching, his left eye blackened and almost swollen shut.

“All the guys on the bus were talking about it,” Hunt said. “Couldn’t have handled it better. That’s a guy you want behind the plate.”

“Never seen anything like that,” said first baseman Ryan O’Hearn, who was reminded of a similar incident with catcher Mike Matheny, his future manager in Kansas City.

The Pirates’ Rich Loiselle drilled Matheny in the face in the ninth inning of a May 26, 1998 in Milwaukee. Matheny stayed upright, put his hand on his hip and waited for the athletic trainer.

“He got hit in the face, spit some teeth out and played the next day, I believe,” O’Hearn said. “But I think this tops that because (McCann) stayed in the entire game, caught the rest of the game, nose is on the side of his face. Face all swollen up. He can barely see anything. That is maybe the most manly thing I’ve ever seen and fired me up.

“Mac is a leader in the clubhouse and what he did (Monday) is just leading by example. Man, that was awesome.”

Must be a catcher’s mentality. Or is it something else?

“I think that goes beyond catcher mentality. I think that’s warrior mentality,” O’Hearn said.

“I mean, that was nasty, spitting up all that blood, nose is clearly broken. Like, not just a little bit. It’s on the side of his face. He can’t see anything pretty much, or at least it looked that way, and he just wore it like an absolute champion. Just, a warrior.”

Manager Brandon Hyde said McCann probably will need to wear a protective mask at the plate.

“He’s feeling sore, believe it or not,” Hyde said, smiling. “He’s got some fractures there in his nose. He’s cleared to play. It’s really incredible. I know I haven’t seen anything like that.”

The latest new starter, Trevor Rogers, will meet the team in Cleveland. He’s the fourth or fifth starter in this rotation.

“He’s got a good mix. Good fastball, curveball, slider, changeup. Throws a little bit of everything. He just competes,” said reliever Burch Smith, a teammate in Miami.

“He’s a great guy. He likes to work hard and he likes winning, so I think he’s gonna fit in great here. He’s a veteran guy, he’s been around a little bit. He knows how to compete and really get outs in big situations. I think he’s gonna be a great addition for us.”

The composition of the pitching staff will become clearer. Hyde couldn’t say much about it yesterday until the trade deadline passed. Cole Irvin was designated for assignment and Albert Suárez, who’s out of options, could become a long reliever.

Pitching prospects Cade Povich and Chayce McDermott are back in Triple-A Norfolk’s rotation and might be used in relief if they return. They could be spot starters. No one can offer concrete plans at this date.

“It’s all about command with both those guys.” Hyde said. “Major league starting command is just different. I think with Cade especially, you saw, the curveball, a lot of arm-side misses or misses when you’re trying to go to the floor with a breaking ball and you leave it at the thigh. When you’re trying to throw the cutter in, you leave it in the middle to (Vladimir) Guerrero the first at-bat. That’s the key to pitching at this level is you have to be able to execute pitches when you’re trying to go somewhere. And if you’re not, you miss on the right side of the plate. Hopefully, now they’re both back in Triple-A, they realize that and can understand that.

“I thought that got through with Grayson (Rodriguez). The fastball might be a little firmer, the changeup might be a little bit better, but even that doesn’t play up here if you can’t throw the ball where you want to throw it and miss where you need to miss. The hitters in this league are just way too good. You miss middle of the plate with our hitters, we’re going to let you know. But the good pitchers are able to pitch to both sides of the plate, and when they bury a breaking ball, they bury it. And young pitchers just need to learn that.”

Jackson Holliday’s return to the majors, with his official recall coming later today or Thursday in Cleveland, leads to more questions about Coby Mayo. He wasn’t traded, of course, despite the rumors that he could be a chip for a frontline starter. Ryan Mountcastle wasn’t moved, which keeps him at first base or in the designated hitter role.

Jordan Westburg likely will play more third base with Holliday at second. Ramón Urías, with a home run, RBI single and infield hit last night, probably is needed in his usual utility role.

Does Slater, with his career .342 on-base percentage in 601 major league games, replace Pache, since he's out of options and also a right-handed hitting outfielder?

“I’m letting Mike do his business right now and then we’ll see what’s going to happen over the last hour-and-a-half.” Hyde said yesterday afternoon. “When it comes to roster construction and prospects coming up and down, those are discussion that we have. I talk with you guys every day but he’s the one who’s making the calls on all that kind of stuff.”

Mayo’s call remains on hold.