SARASOTA—After the Orioles announced that their game on Monday night against the Boston Red Sox was canceled because of impending inclement weather, manager Craig Albernaz and his coaching staff hastily rearranged the pitching schedule.
The announcement came at 11:30 a.m., 6 ½ hours before game time, and Monday night’s starting pitcher, Kyle Bradish, and another starter, Shane Baz, were to throw live batting practice at Ed Smith Stadium.
It was the second consecutive rainout. Sunday night’s Orioles-Yankees game was canceled in the top of the third inning.
“We don’t want to push them another day especially with what happened yesterday,” Albernaz said. “It’s late in the spring so we want to make sure guys stay on schedule. It’s a fire drill, and we’re going to try to beat the rain.”
Zach Eflin, who was pitching in Sunday night’s game, threw live batting practice in the Orioles’ indoor facility when the rain came.
Chris Bassitt remains on schedule to pitch on Tuesday against Detroit at Lakeland.
Injury updates
Third baseman Jordan Westburg, who had a platelet-rich-plasma injection in his right elbow on February 19th, says his rehab is going “slow.”
Westburg has a partially torn ulnar collateral ligament.
“There’s basically nothing going on behind the scenes,” Westburg said. “Running bases, fielding ground balls, starting to swing with the bottom hand, nothing crazy.”
President of baseball operations Mike Elias said Westburg wouldn’t play before May 1st, and Westburg doesn’t know when he’ll play.
“I can kind of guess if everything goes right,” Westburg said. “There are so many little factors that have to go right. It’s still a long process. I don’t know exactly where they’ll start testing it out, how it feels.
“I’m just taking it day-by-day right now. I wish I could give you a timeline. I wish I could be somewhat certain when I could be back, but it all depends if the shot goes well.”
Westburg, who was limited to 85 games in 2025 because of lengthy stints on the injured list for a strained left hamstring and sprained right ankle, is trying to be positive.
“I’m trying to stay optimistic,” he said. “I don’t know how this goes. I never had one before … I’m still optimistic. I’m still hopeful that this will work. I’m going to stay that way until someone tells me otherwise.”
Second baseman Jackson Holliday, who had surgery to remove the hamate bone from his right wrist, told reporters he hoped to be back by early to mid-April and hopes to be playing for Triple-A Norfolk on a rehab assignment when the Tides open their season on March 27th.
Roster moves: The Orioles reassigned right-handed pitcher Enoli Paredes and infielder Willy Vasquez to minor league camp.
Paredes allowed three runs on five hits in 2 2/3 innings in three appearances. Vasquez hit .211 (4-for-19) with a home run and two RBIs in 14 games.
The Orioles’ spring training roster has 49 players, including 13 non-roster invitees and relievers Félix Bautista and Colin Selby on the 60-day injured list.
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