Orioles inching closer to the opener (updated)

Today marks the final time in 2020 that we can wonder whether the Orioles actually will make it to opening day without the coronavirus pandemic or any assortment of disasters and traumas again shutting down baseball.

The completion of a 60-game season remains a dicey proposition, but the 30-man roster will be turned into Major League Baseball by noon, the Orioles will hold an optional workout and they'll head to Boston for their first opener at Fenway Park since 1966.

"I think we're as ready as we can be in this short sprint of a summer camp," said manager Brandon Hyde. "I think we're in a good place."

Everyone is in first place this morning. So the Orioles have that going for them.

From what I've been hearing, the Orioles are going to carry catchers Pedro Severino and Chance Sisco on the opening day roster and place Bryan Holaday on the taxi squad for the road trips that begin the truncated season. Utility player Dilson Herrera, who has been exceptional in camp, apparently will join Holaday on the taxi squad.

Get used to a lot of movement in baseball's 2020 version.

Stevie Wilkerson's fractured left ring finger seemed to increase Herrera's chances, though Pat Valaika and Andrew Velazquez also provide much-needed versatility.

Pitcher César Valdez will be assigned to the alternate site in Prince George's Stadium in Bowie. He, too, is going to be a contributor later this summer, whether in the rotation or bullpen.

The Orioles can wait to place Herrera, Valdez and Holaday on the 40-man if they are excluded from the opening day roster. (Players on the taxi squad don't need to be on the 40-man unless they're moved to the active roster.)

Whether the lengthy absence of baseball short-circuited Chris Davis' comeback, ruining the progress he showed in spring training, won't really be a provable point if his struggles return. It could be the loss of momentum, if such an animal exists in baseball, or just the bad habits and mental blocks dragging him down.

Davis impressed in batting practice sessions at Camden Yards and at times during the exhibition games. The overall body of work is hard to grade, but encouraging signs were posted.

Hyde mentioned an at-bat Tuesday night in D.C. that resulted in an out, and a double off left-hander Sean Doolittle later in the game.

"Out in front of a couple balls," Hyde said. "A 2-0 pitch that he rolled over, I thought it was a good swing. The ball was just down. But I loved the aggressiveness 2-0, him trying to really let it eat and drive the baseball. Guy just sunk it underneath his barrel a little bit, and then goes left-on-left off Doolittle and backspins a ball just left of center field, which was a beautiful piece of hitting.

"So I think his at-bats have improved over the course of these couple weeks. He's starting to swing the bat with a little bit more aggression, starting to get in better hitter's counts. It's all about being aggressive for me with CD. It's all about being aggressive early, not letting them go strike one on him and really being ready to hit from pitch one and being on time with the fastball and putting his A swing out there all the time. And these last couple games I feel like he has put his A swing out there all the time. If he sees that, he's going to see some results."

Austin Hays is going to be a "regular" in the lineup, according to his manager and anyone with an ounce of baseball common sense, and he's likely to hold down the leadoff spot for as long as his bat and legs allow. Hanser Alberto moved up to second against Nationals left-hander Patrick Corbin and could stay there or drop down against right-handers.

The one-two punch delivered a run against Corbin in the top of the first inning on a single and double. They also had back-to-back hits in the fifth, though Hays was thrown out at third base.

"I feel comfortable up there," Alberto said. "Hays, he's a really good hitter, you know? He's always on base and the guy takes a lot of pitches. I love him as leadoff. I feel pretty comfortable hitting behind him."

The Orioles are picked at the bottom among the 30 teams by multiple outlets. They don't care. The "anything can happen in a 60-game season" declaration rings loud no matter the social distancing. It's heard in both clubhouses at Camden Yards and during media Zoom sessions.

"I think we are more mature," Alberto said. "We now can handle stuff better and I think our mentality is different right now. I think we learned from last year and we are more together. I think our chemistry is better, so that gives us more confidence.

"I think we will be successful and we have a pretty good team, just like last year, with more experience now."

"I think we have a really good group of guys," Hyde said. "I think we have guys that love to play, I think we have guys that have energy, I think we're a little more vocal this year, I think guys are getting a little more comfortable. Some guys that were here last year that were just trying to hang on, I feel like they're a little bit more comfortable in their own skin and they feel like they're big leaguers, so I think that's a little bit easier.

"It's never easy, but I think they feel like they have a little bit more of a voice now. A guy like Pedro Severino is really stepping up in a lot of ways. Really established himself last year. I think Rio Ruiz is more comfortable, Alberto always brings huge energy. And then playing next to a guy like (José) Iglesias that has played on really good teams with really good players and has a lot of energy himself, it can be contagious.

"I just like the personality of our club and I think that is a carryover from last year, from what our clubhouse was like. I think guys are more comfortable with that and I do give a lot of credit to our coaching staff."

"I think we've got the confidence," Ruiz said. "A lot of us have the swagger that baseball talks about and I think we're ready to go."

But how far?

And how much does it matter to a rebuilding club that hasn't lost its way in terms of the plan laid out to achieve and sustain success?

Take the wins but don't veer off the carefully designed course.

Hyde likes the potential of his offense, though he can't ignore the impact of Trey Mancini's absence.

"Trey's an enormous loss," Hyde said. "Trey Mancini is one of the better middle-of-the-order hitters in the American League. So obviously that's a huge void.

"Jonathan Villar ignited us offensively, won some games for us last year just with his bat and his legs, and that's going be tough to replace, also. But I think that our guys can improve and have improved."

The intrasquads and exhibitions enabled the team to get accustomed to the empty stands, piped-in crowd noise and other oddities that no longer should be startling or disconcerting. It may cease being a daily topic.

Left back at camp with the rolled innings and batters out of turn.

"I think that the intrasquads that we had against each other were really crucial for us to kind of adjust to that and I think we've done a really good job with that," Ruiz said. "Obviously it's a big talk in the clubhouse and how different it is without fans, but we've got the crowd noise through the PA system taken care of. I don't know if all clubs will be doing it, but definitely hearing all that is a lot more comforting, so to speak.

"But when you get in there, you've got a guy on the mound, you're trying to do your job. That's the mentality. Everything else you don't really pay attention to."

Update: According to MLB's transactions page, the Orioles placed pitchers John Means, Hunter Harvey and Dillon Tate on the 10-day injured list. Means is the surprise because Hyde indicated yesterday that the left-hander could start next week against the Marlins.

Perhaps he meant the July 30 game at Camden Yards.

Outfielder Dwight Smith Jr. was activated from the injured list, which could explain why Herrera didn't make the roster, per a source.

Catcher Austin Wynns was optioned to the alternate camp.

Also, I've heard the pitcher David Hess made the club. Multiple spots opened up on the staff.