Orioles’ Mailbag: Why was Dillon Tate optioned?

Every weekday, I’ll be answering at least one Orioles question. If you’d like to submit a question, send it to: Rich@BaltimoreBaseball.com. Questions may be edited for clarity, length and style.

Question: I’m not understanding why Craig Kimbrel wasn’t put on the injured list to give him a break, but instead Dillon Tate was optioned. Can you explain this? From: @BeaufortJerron

Answer: Jerron, the Orioles don’t think Craig Kimbrel’s injury was serious enough to warrant a 15-day injured list stint. Without him, they don’t have an experienced closer. If he misses a few days and comes back, that’s great. If he doesn’t respond in a few days, then they could put him on the IL. The Orioles only had three pitchers in the bullpen with options — Keegan Akin, Yennier Cano and Dillon Tate. Without Kimbrel, Cano may be the closer. Tate could profit from more regular work, and if Kimbrel does go on the injured list, then Tate could return immediately.

Question:  It seems to me that the Oriole batters are hitting the ball really hard almost every time and most of their outs are off these hard-hit balls. Is this a bias from a BIG O’s fan or do you see this as a reality? From: Eric Culman

Answer: Eric, you may be biased as a big Orioles fan, but you’re also correct factually. Through Sunday’s games, according to Baseball Savant, the Orioles are third in the major leagues in the percentage of hard-hit balls (44.9 percent), leading in barrels with 10.2 percent and second in exit velocity with 90.4 percent.