Orioles put Cowser on concussion injured list, O’Neill on IL for 3rd time; Mountcastle returns; Allen signed

BALTIMORE—The Orioles made multiple roster moves ahead of Friday’s game against the Athletics, placing outfielder Tyler O’Neill on the 10-day injured list for the third time this season, this time with right wrist inflammation, and outfielder Colton Cowser on the 7-day concussion injury list.

O’Neill’s move is retroactive to Wednesday while Cowser’s is retroactive to Thursday.

First baseman Ryan Mountcastle also returned to the team after a lengthy stay on the injured list because of a right hamstring injury, and the Orioles signed outfielder Greg Allen.

Cowser suffered the concussion catching a line drive from Philadelphia’s Harrison Bader in the sixth inning of Wednesday’s game. He missed more than two months after fracturing his left thumb on March 30th in Toronto. Cowser has had a disappointing season on offense, hitting only .213 with 9 home runs and 22 RBIs.

“It was a nice play. He made a lot of nice plays on that road trip,” interim manager Tony Mansolino said. “Felt OK after the game, then symptoms started to show up … Very mild in nature is the hope right now. No timeline on him, but I would probably hope, speculate that it would be any more than the minimum.”

O’Neill, who hit his wrist on the wall at Citizens Bank Park, had an MRI on Thursday, and Mansolino said the Orioles were “still sorting through opinions on that.

“Not quite sure what to think about it yet. Hoping, cautiously optimistic that it’s not significant … that it’s more of a minimum thing for us. We will see where that goes in the next few days.”

O’Neill has played only 43 games due to IL stints for neck and left shoulder injuries.

Mountcastle was activated from the 60-day injured list, and outfielder Jordyn Adams was recalled from Triple-A Norfolk.

Mountcastle sustained a strained right hamstring on May 30th while stealing home. He was hitting .246 with two home runs and 15 RBIs and a .628 OPS.

In nine rehab games at Norfolk, Mountcastle was hitting .387 with three home runs and 10 RBIs. He’s batting fifth and is the designated hitter in Friday night’s lineup. Mansolino said Coby Mayo will get most of the starts at first base because the Orioles want to develop him.

“It feels really good just to see all the guys, too, catch up, and excited to be back,” Mountcastle said. “I put in a lot of work during rehab to get better physically, mentally.”

The Orioles signed outfielder Greg Allen and lost infielder/outfielder Vidal Bruján on a waiver claim to Atlanta.

Allen, who was managed by Mansolino at Triple-A Columbus in 2019, has played with Cleveland, San Diego, Pittsburgh and the New York Yankees. He last played in the majors with the Yankees in 2023. His lifetime average is .231 in seven seasons.

He hit .270 with six home runs and 32 RBIs and a .795 OPS in 61 games for Triple-A Iowa in the Chicago Cubs’ organization before opting out of his minor league contract. Allen is batting eighth and playing center.

Bruján had a hit in his only at-bat with the Orioles on Wednesday. He’d been claimed off waivers from the Cubs on Sunday.

Adams is hitless in three at-bats in two brief stints with the Orioles this season.

Notes: Catcher Maverick Handley, who’s on the 10-day injured list with a sprained right wrist, will begin a rehab assignment with Norfolk. … The Orioles released pitcher Kyle Brnovich from Norfolk and pitcher Preston Johnson from Double-A Chesapeake.

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