BALTIMORE—Shortly before gametime on Wednesday, the expected announcement came. Outfielder Dylan Beavers was going on the 10-day injured list with a strained right oblique muscle, an injury that generally takes more than 10 days to heal.
Beavers became the 13th Oriole on the injured list, and the second in two days. Left-handed reliever Grant Wolfram went on the 15-day injured list before Tuesday night’s game with a lower back strain.
“Low grade is the term,” manager Craig Albernaz said of Beavers. “He’s feeling good, relatively speaking. It’s not like one of those ones where when you walk around you’re wincing. He’s moving around fine. Again, I don’t like timelines, so kind of encouraged with how he’s feeling today.”
Just before Tuesday’s game, Beavers’ scratch from the starting lineup was announced, and then Trevor Rogers, who had been on the IL because of a bad case of the flu, started for the Orioles.
Beavers is the 19th different player to go on the injured list. No position group has been spared. Currently, the team’s closer, Ryan Helsley, is on it with right elbow inflammation.
So are infielders Jackson Holliday and Jordan Westburg, neither of whom has played this year. Holliday is playing third base in his rehab at Triple-A Norfolk because Westburg’s return this season is uncertain. Westburg met with orthopedic surgeon Dr. Neal ElAttrache in Los Angeles earlier in the week to discuss the partial tear of his ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow.
Starters Dean Kremer (right quadriceps muscle strain) and Cade Povich (left elbow inflammation) are on the IL, too, though both are expected back. Outfielder/designated hitter Heston Kjerstad, who hasn’t played this season, either, is with Holliday at Norfolk, rehabbing his strained right hamstring.
“The next-man-up mentality is real,” Albernaz said. “All our guys will go there ready to compete, doesn’t matter who we have. First of all, they’re trying to win the game. We gotta look at things differently and do things differently.
“We’ve gotta try to do whatever and evaluate every aspect to make sure that we’re taking care of our guys and we’re doing the right thing around here, and that’s something I’m challenging the whole staff on. That’s a point of emphasis right now.”
Albernaz has used 41 players in 44 games, including players who weren’t in spring training with the Orioles — outfielder Johnathan Rodríguez and relivers Nick Raquet and Lou Trivino. He probably didn’t expect that last year’s minor league pitcher of the year, Trey Gibson, would be needed as soon as May 3rd when he debuted at Yankee Stadium.
“You feel for the guys that are hurt, but it gives opportunity to somebody else and that’s why all of our guys have to be ready to take on the challenge,” Albernaz said. “Whether it’s here with us in Baltimore or guys in Norfolk. You never know when your name’s going to be called and have an opportunity.”
Tyler Wells, who was briefly at Norfolk and recalled when Wolfram went on the IL, realizes how much injuries have affected the team.
“It is kind of alarming in a certain sense,” Wells said. “I think it’s part of the game. We go out there and we give 100 percent of our effort every single day and sometimes that takes a toll on the body. I know the medical team, the strength and conditioning staff. I know the coaching staff are trying to do everything they can to make sure it doesn’t happen. Unfortunately right now we’ve got a bit of the injury bug that’s kind of lingering.”
Many times in the last three months Albernaz has been asked if he’s been surprised by anything, and he’s always answered that nothing has. However, this run of injuries hasn’t been expected.
“This game is the most unpredictable game there is,” he said. “We play every day. That’s why we have to prepare everyone. I like to play everyone, all 13 position players. You never know when your time is going to be called, when you have to step in and be ready to go.
“You also want to make sure that the guys are being taken care of, not running them into the ground early in the year.
“That’s something I’m always mindful of. I was mindful this year, and that’s something we’re going to continue to get better at behind the scenes because something has to happen and make some adjustments. Moving forward, we’ve got to keep our guys healthy, ready to play and go out there and compete.”
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