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SEATTLE—The Orioles still have 11 players on the injured list. This season, they’ve had 18 on the IL, tied with the Chicago White Sox for second most, trailing only the Los Angeles Dodgers’ 20.
Three players — infielder Jordan Westburg, catcher Gary Sánchez and outfielder Ramón Laureano — are in the midst of rehab assignments at Triple-A Norfolk. Another, outfielder, Tyler O’Neill could begin a rehab assignment this weekend.
Westburg, Sánchez and Laureano each homered on Thursday night.
That means it’s possible that within the next week, the Orioles could have the injured list pared down significantly. That’s something that makes the current six-game winning streak look even more promising.
A week ago, that list was getting smaller, but last Friday and Saturday, outfielder Cedric Mullins and first baseman Ryan Mountcastle both went on the 10-day injured list with strained right hamstrings.
Interim manager Tony Mansolino said the prognosis is good for Mullins. He’s running, and it’s possible he’ll play sometime next week. Mountcastle’s injury is more serious, and he’ll be out for a while.
If Laureano, Mullins, O’Neill, Sánchez and Westburg are all removed from the IL, that would leave only Mountcastle and several pitchers with long-term injuries — Kyle Bradish, Grayson Rodriguez, Albert Suárez and Tyler Wells in addition to right-hander Cody Poteet, all of whom are on the 60-day IL. Poteet would be heading back to the minor leagues if he were healthy.
The Orioles have been helped by two players who recently came off off the injured list — outfielder Colton Cowser and reliever Andrew Kittredge.
Cowser hadn’t played since March 30th when he fractured his left thumb diving into first base in Toronto until starting on Tuesday and Wednesday. Cowser was 2-for-6 in the first two games of the series before a planned rest day. He was used as a defensive replacement for Heston Kjerstad in right field in the seventh inning of Thursday’s game against the Seattle Mariners.
Kittredge, who pitched a spotless eighth in Thursday’s 4-3 win over the Mariners, has a 1.59 ERA in six games.
“I think we’re starting to have a good feel for him,” Mansolino said of Kittredge. “We know this guy’s good and we know his track record. He was a big acquisition for us in the offseason. Anytime you have a guy come off the IL and a guy that misses spring training, I think you ought to be smart into how you want to weave him into the games.”
Cowser is counted on to play an important role now that he’s back.
“With Cowser, he misses two months,” Mansolino said. “It’s a plan he was going to sit today. It’s two games, and you don’t want to wear him out and cause other issues. We’re going to be smart with it. With Kitt, we’re probably exiting that stage.”
Sacramento coming up
The Orioles will play at the two temporary homes of American League teams in the next two weeks. This weekend, they’ll play three games at Sutter Health Park, the temporary home of the Athletics, who ended their run in Oakland last season.
The A’s are heading to Las Vegas in 2028, and the plan is for them to play in Sacramento for the next three seasons.
Baseball is played at Sutter nearly every day. The Athletics share their current home with the Sacramento River Cats, the Triple-A team for the San Francisco Giants.
Despite improvements, it’s still a minor league ballpark. The clubhouses are both located in center field, meaning long walks for pitchers exiting the game and a long, shameful trudge if a manager is ejected.
From June 16th-19th, the Orioles play at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, the temporary home for the Rays, whose longtime ballpark, Tropicana Field, was damaged by Hurricane Milton and deemed unplayable this season.
The Orioles play Grapefruit League games against the New York Yankees in Tampa, and should be familiar with that park. They’ll play the Rays again immediately after the All-Star break from July 18th-20th.
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