Santander countdown, Rickard rehashed and more

The NFL draft is over, leaving Orioles outfielder Anthony Santander alone on the clock.

Santander had to stay in the majors for the first 44 days of the season to lose his Rule 5 status and allow the Orioles to option him to the minors. No need to put him on waivers or offer him back to the Indians, who gladly would take him.

Manager Buck Showalter rattled off the date recently while talking about Santander's development. The calendar has included a circle around May 12.

Does he stay or does he go?

As Santander continued to impress in the Grapefruit League, posting a .292 average with four doubles, four home runs and a team-leading 18 RBIs and displaying marked improvements in his defense and baserunning, the significance of the date seemed to go into a slow fade. The young switch-hitter could be an asset and more chances to play would come with Mark Trumbo's quadriceps injury landing him on the disabled list.

The positive vibes stayed in Sarasota, as if assigned to extended spring training. Santander fell into a 3-for-30 slump in a span of 10 games with an at-bat. Colby Rasmus was on the disabled list with a hip injury, opening the door wider for Santander, making him more of a necessity than prospect under evaluation.

The slump loosened its grip on Santander with a 3-for-4 performance on April 26 and he hit safely in a career-high four straight games before last night while going 7-for-16 with a double, triple and three runs scored. He was batting .213/.244/.333 at the start of the Angels series in Anaheim.

Rasmus is making a slow recovery. He just started to hit down in Sarasota, which can be taken a couple of ways. He was 2-for-21 with 13 strikeouts before the injury became public.

Santander is the only outfielder on the active roster who can bat from the left side. It's possible that the Orioles could take away some at-bats by plugging Mark Trumbo into right field against right-handed pitching, despite concerns about his defense, and use Pedro Álvarez as the designated hitter.

Rasmus' eventual return, whenever it happens, could make Santander expendable after May 12. The Triple-A roster includes prospect DJ Stewart, Jaycob Brugman and veterans Alex Presley and Michael Saunders. None of them are on the 40-man roster. None of them hitting higher than .243 or having more than two home runs. Two of them - Presley and Saunders - hitting .200 or lower.

Switch-hitting center fielder Cedric Mullins is lurking at Double-A Bowie and his speed and defense keep him on the radar. He just needs to heat up, a 1-for-15 stretch before last night lowering his average to .241 with a .298 on-base percentage.

A scout from outside the organization who recently saw Mullins praised his "intangibles."

"Short but strong," he said. "Big league defender in center field. Arm is short. A switch-hitter that will hit enough and have some pop to be an extra outfielder. He hustles, plays hard and has a feel for the game."

* Joey Rickard is back down in Triple-A after the Orioles optioned him following Sunday's game, but he's destined to return if he keeps hitting as he did in April.

Rickard batted .345/.456/.473 in 16 games, accepting the challenge after the Orioles included him among their late camp cuts.

What did he want to show the club?

"Pretty much everything," he said. "Just be more consistent offensively, defensively. You've always got things to work on. Ultimately, just stay within yourself and try not to do too much and you'll be all right."

He was more than all right while going 5-for-5 in an April 20 game against Buffalo.

"I didn't hit all five hard, I'll tell you that. But that's baseball, he said.

"That five-hit game kind of reminded me to step forward, that I was doing the right things working with the hitting coaches down there and it kind of came to fruition."

* The Orioles continue to watch video of various college infielders as they prepare for the June amateur draft.

While pitching always has been the priority, whether college or high school, special emphasis must been placed on finding a shortstop or someone who could transition to other infield positions.

Too much reliance in the past on minor league free agents to plug holes. The Orioles need to find their next shortstop or third baseman in the upcoming draft. They might need a second baseman if they don't begin negotiations with Jonathan Schoop on a long-term extension.

Adrian Marin, taken in the third round in 2012, hasn't played above the Double-A level and is a career .250/.298/.339 hitter in seven season. The Orioles selected Adam Hall in the second round of the 2017 draft out of A.B. Lucas Secondary School in Ontario, Canada, but he played only two games in the Gulf Coast League before suffering an oblique injury and remains at extended spring training.

* Dylan Bundy is making his third career appearance tonight against the Angels. He's 1-0 with a 6.48 ERA and 1.080 WHIP in 8 1/3 innings, with six runs and nine hits allowed, no walks and 10 strikeouts.

His only previous start came on Aug. 7, 2017 in Anaheim, when he was charged with two runs and five hits in seven innings and collected his 10 strikeouts in a 6-2 win. Mike Trout hit a solo home run.

Trout is 3-for-4 with a double and home run against Bundy.

Left-hander Andrew Heaney has registered a 6.91 ERA and 1.535 WHIP in three starts this season, with 11 earned runs (13 total) and 18 hits in 14 1/3 innings. He's walked four batters and struck out 22. He hasn't gone more than five innings.

Heaney has made two career starts against the Orioles and allowed nine runs and 17 hits in 10 2/3 innings. He's surrendered six home runs.

Manny Machado is 3-for-6 with two home runs against Heaney.

The Orioles are 3-7 this season versus left-handed starters.