Orioles’ injured list continues to grow; Stranger things when it comes to the schedule

BALTIMORE—The Orioles placed outfielder Tyler O’Neill on the 7-day concussion list. It’s retroactive to April 9^th, so he’ll be able to return on April 16^th.

O’Neill is the 12^th Oriole to go on the injured list. None has been removed from the IL so far this season.

He was the second player in as many days to go on the injured list. Catcher Adley Rutschman was added to the IL shortly before Saturday’s game with left ankle inflammation.

Ryan Mountcastle is headed to the injured list, too with a broken bone in his left foot, and the Orioles will add a player to replace him on Monday.

Perhaps Jackson Holliday, who’s been rehabbing at Triple-A Norfolk, will be the first Oriole to be activated. Holliday had surgery in February to remove the hamate bone from his right wrist. The 22-year-old second baseman is hitting just .167 in his rehab assignment, which is scheduled to end this week.

Manager Craig Albernaz will have to deliver some bad news to a player when Holliday returns.

“Delivering news to any player is hard,” Albernaz said. “It’s the toughest part of this job. You have to deliver news that you’re not on the roster, you’re going to the minor leagues. You’re going on the IL. All those instances are tough.

“With players, the way I operate, it’s just the truth. You can’t tiptoe around it. You’ve got to tell them the truth, and also you want to hear their thoughts. Where are they at right now with baseball in their development curve and how can we help support them to get back to the big leagues?

“All the players in the minor leagues, they want to be here. The players that are here that end up going down, they want to be here. It’s making sure they have all the support they need to get back here and be a productive player.”

Left-handed reliever Dietrich Enns is on the injured list with infection in his left foot. He could return on April 19^th. Enns has been working out with the team.

Enns is one of four relievers on the 15-day injured list. Right-handed reliever Andrew Kittredge has also been rehabbing at Triple-A Norfolk. Kittredge was shut down during spring training after one Grapefruit League outing with right shoulder inflammation.

Left-hander Keegan Akin hasn’t pitched this season because of a left groin strain. Akin sustained the injury warming up for the Orioles’ final Grapefruit League game in Sarasota on March 21^st and has yet to begin a rehab assignment.

Right-hander Yaramil Hiraldo has right shoulder inflammation. He’s eligible to return on April 17^th.

Outfielder/designated hitter Heston Kjerstad also hasn’t played this season because of a strained right hamstring. Kjerstad suffered the injury on March 19^th.

Four Orioles are on the 60-day injured list — Right-hander Zach Eflin, who had season-ending Tommy John surgery on Wednesday; third baseman Jordan Westburg, who has a partial team of the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow on and received a platelet-rich injections on February 20^th; and relievers Félix Bautista and Colin Selby.

Westburg’s partial tear was discovered early in spring training as he was recovering from an oblique injury.

Bautista had surgery to repair tears in his labrum and right rotator cuff last August, and the Orioles hope he’ll be able to return late this season.

Selby has right shoulder inflammation, and there’s no predicted return date.

Strange schedule

The Arizona Diamondbacks will begin a three-game series with the Orioles on Monday night. Three of the Orioles’ first six series are against National League teams — Pittsburgh, San Francisco and Arizona.

The Orioles have played two American League Central teams — Minnesota and Chicago — and an AL West opponent, Texas.

After the Diamondbacks series, the Orioles go to Cleveland for four games and to Kansas City for three.

The Orioles play 52 games against the AL East, and they won’t play any division opponent until April  24^th when they host Boston in their 26^th game of the season.

Their first game against the Yankees in on May 1^st in the Bronx, and they don’t play Tampa Bay until May 18^th.

The Orioles will play Toronto for the first time on May 28^th.

They play 16 straight games against AL East opponents from May 25^th-June 7^th (Rays, Blue Jays, at Red Sox, at Blue Jays.

After that, they don’t play another AL East opponent until another visit to Fenway Park on July 20^th. That’s 35 straight games out of division.

The Orioles’ final six games of the season are against Toronto (September 21^st-23^rd) and at Yankee Stadium (September 25^th-27^th).

Call for questions: I answer Orioles questions most weekdays. Please send yours to: Rich@BaltimoreBaseball.com