O’Hearn eager to face Orioles; Suárez, Handley, Wells glad to be back

SAN DIEGO—As the Orioles were preparing to take batting practice before Monday’s game, a former teammate dropped by to greet some old friends. Ryan O’Hearn, who’s batting cleanup as the San Diego Padres’ first baseman, said hello and received a warm welcome.

It was just over a month ago that O’Hearn and Ramón Laureano were traded from the Orioles  to the Padres for six minor leaguers.

“I’m enjoying it, it’s been good,” O’Hearn said. “It’s good guys that welcomed me in. It’s a good team. Been having fun, getting after it. Obviously, I miss the boys over there, I miss you guys, but it’s been a good move for me and I’m enjoying my time here.”

The Padres begin play trailing the Los Angeles Dodgers by two games in the National League West. The Orioles have lost eight of 10 and have the second worst record in the American League.

“I think it’s gonna be weird. It’s gonna be fun, though,” O’Hearn said.  Obviously, I’ve got a ton of respect for those guys. I’ve watched [Kyle] Bradish go through his whole rehab process. Be who he was, the ace. And then I just watched his last start and he looks pretty damn good still.

“So it’s gonna be a challenge, but it will be fun to compete against him. I obviously love them as people and I hope the best for them in their careers, but for the next three days I’m trying to beat them. So it will be a fun challenge.”

Since O’Hearn was traded on July 31^st, a quarter of the team is new.

“I think in a way that makes it easier,” O’Hearn said. “Some of them I spent some time with in spring training, but I don’t know them all that well, so I think it makes it a little bit less weird playing against them versus if it was the exact same team except for me. But I think it’s definitely a little weird.”

Suárez, Wells and Handley back

Albert Suárez was activated from the 60-day injured list. Tyler Wells will come off the 60-day IL to start Tuesday’s game against the Padres, and Maverick Handley will be the Orioles’ third catcher. Handley had been on the concussion injured list and on the injured list with a sprained right wrist.

Suárez, who had a rotator cuff injury, hasn’t pitched since March 28^th. He didn’t think it would take this long to return.

“I didn’t. I was like, ‘it’ll probably take a couple of months,’ but it was a little worse than what we thought,” Suárez said. “It took a little bit of time. I’m glad I’m healthy and ready to go now.”

Interim manager Tony Mansolino can use Suárez in the bullpen as a short or long relief or as a spot starter.

“With Big Al, I think we do want to protect some of the length that he’s built up, given that we got two guys in the rotation that are coming off extensive Tommy John rehabs,” Mansolino said. “We need to keep some type of build-up on him, but if we need him to throw one inning to win a game, we’ll do that, too.”

Wells hasn’t started a major league game since April 12^th, 2024. He had elbow surgery last June.

“Even though tomorrow is going to be pretty special in that way, there’s still a job to do,” he said. “And you know, I don’t know when that time will be, it could be a couple days after, it could be right after, it could be before, I have no idea. But sometimes I just kind of take a step back, it just kind of hits you all at once.”

Handley was part of a cavalcade of injuries to Oriole catchers. In 15 days, Handley, Adley Rutschman, Chadwick Tromp and Gary Sánchez each went on the injured list. Rutschman is on the IL for the second time, with a strained right oblique, and Sánchez remains out with a sprained right knee.

“I think somebody put a hex on us, that’s what I was thinking,” Handley said. “It was kind of hard for me to process. I was really just trying to control my symptoms from my concussion but, yeah, what a crazy little period that was, huh?”

When will Mateo return?

Mansolino said that utility player Jorge Mateo, whom he thought would return on Monday, could return this weekend. Mateo is on the 60-day injured list with a strained left hamstring.

“If all goes well, yeah. He’s going through his rehab assignment, so there’s an expiration on that at some point,” Mansolino said.

“As he starts to feel better and feel better at the plate and his body feels good, legs feel good, then he would be the obvious choice to come here and help us out, given currently how we’re kind of constructed.”

Note: Mansolino said that right-hander Colin Selby, who’s on the 15-day injured list with a strained left hamstring, could return in the middle of this month.