The roster is still churning after a busy Saturday

There are two games remaining in spring training. But even with so little time remaining, the Orioles roster is still in flux, as the activity on Saturday proved.

The starting second baseman, Yolmer Sánchez, was designated for assignment and a pitcher not in the organization was acquired by trade, as the club added Adam Plutko from Cleveland for cash considerations.

As for what we know or think we know to this point:

* John Means and Matt Harvey will start the first two games, with the rest of the rotation to be announced.

* Pat Valaika and Ramón Urías will get the starts at second base to begin the season, O's executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias said last night.

* Plutko is expected to begin the year in the bullpen.

* One or both of the Rule 5 pitchers still could make it and the team appears ready to begin the season with 14 pitchers.

Elias noted the concern over covering innings as one key reason to add Plutko. In 60 games last year, O's pitchers threw 518 2/3 innings. In 162 games in 2019, they threw 1,443.

"I think we're concerned about pitching innings," Elias said via Zoom after Saturday's game. "I think every organization in baseball is concerned about pitching innings, coming off a short season and going into a full season. Nobody knows what to make of that and adding to that we have considerations about our young pitchers. Some of these guys are unproven. They may not perform. Their pitch counts may run up early. Others may be pitching well, but need spells during the year to keep their innings totals down. We're kind of going into an unknown season. We want to put ourselves in a position to protect our young starters, to not overtax our bullpen and our young relievers.

"So it's going to be all hands on deck. Guys who are on the 40-man roster now, every one of those guys is going to get pitching action. There are players that are not on the 40-man roster now, but are in the organization, and I guarantee you, they will come up and pitch when they are called on. We saw guys in the game tonight on minor league deals that I fully expect to contribute at various points this year."

The new O's right-hander went 2-2 with a 4.88 ERA last year for Cleveland in 10 games with four starts. He had a WHIP of 1.337, allowing 9.8 hits per nine and 1.6 homers with a 2.3 walk rate and 4.9 strikeout rate.

In six games out of the bullpen last year. Plutko pitched to an ERA of 1.54 over 11 2/3 innings. He had an ERA of 7.31 in those four starts. The 29-year-old Plutko, drafted by Cleveland in the 11th round in 2013, was not on the Indians playoff roster.

According to FanGraphs.com, he had not thrown a cutter before 2020. Then it became his second most-used pitch. He threw his fastball 50 percent with an average velocity of 91 mph. He threw his cutter 30 percent, his curveball 12 percent, his changeup 5 percent and slider 3 percent.

Plutko did generate a whiff rate (swings divided by swings and misses) of 27.5 on his cutter and 25.0 on his four-seam fastball. He also showed elite curveball spin rates. The major league average spin rate on a curve last year was 2,532 RPMs. Plutko's curve was at 2,943 RPMs and in the top 7 percent in baseball.

Plutko had quite a career pitching at UCLA and was on their national championship team as a junior in 2013 when he was named the College World Series Most Outstanding Player. That year, he was 10-3 with a 2.25 ERA. His seven postseason wins are the most in school history and his playoff ERA is 0.94.

On June 2, 2018, he pitched a nine-inning no-hitter for Triple-A Columbus in a game at Syracuse.

At second base: The Orioles could use Valaika or Urías at second base. There are others in the organization, including Jahmai Jones, that could eventually get a look. They could add from outside the organization.

The three players in question, the one let go and two that remain have varying levels of major league experience and batting stats.

In 2,459 career plate appearances, Sánchez has hit .245/.300/.360/.660. In his last two full years of 2018 and 2019, his OPS was .678 and .638.

In 583 career plate appearances, Valaika has hit .230/.271/.420/.691. But his .791 OPS last year in 150 plate appearances ranked fifth-best on the Orioles.

In 27 career plate appearances, all last season with the Orioles, Urias hit .360/.407/.560/.967, as he went 9-for-25 at-bat in his first major league season. The 26-year-old Urías posted a .771 OPS in 298 minor league games and a mark of .863 in 622 games in the Mexican League.

Latest shot at predicting a 14-man pitching staff:

Starters: Means, Harvey, Dean Kremer, Bruce Zimmermann, Jorge López.

Long men: Plutko, Wade LeBlanc, Tyler Wells.

Guy that can pitch anywhere, anytime: César Valdez.

Left-handed relief: Paul Fry and Tanner Scott.

Right-handed relief: Shawn Armstrong, Dillon Tate and either Travis Lakins Sr. or Cole Sulser with the other optioned out.

Adley drives in Gunnar.

Let's see some Squidward GIFs. pic.twitter.com/xPzJeHRJxV

-- Baltimore Orioles 😷 (@Orioles) March 28, 2021