It’s finally here, the 2024 baseball season. After months of waiting and watching every up-to-the-minute news drop, Birdland can finally be excited for the start of 2024.
New ownership is being ushered in and should be in place by July, free agent Craig Kimbrel is ready to be the closer this year and newly acquired starter Corbin Burnes is ready to anchor the front of a rotation with a lot of expectations when fully healthy.
Let’s check in on how spring training is starting, as pitchers and catchers have arrived.
The biggest news off the bat has to be Kyle Bradish. It has been reported that he has a strained UCL, which happened back in January.
The bad news is that he is expected to miss the start of the season. The good news is that he has already had a platelet-rich plasma injection and began a throwing program on Friday.
“The early returns are very encouraging, and everything is in a really good spot right now,” O’s GM Mike Elias said of Bradish. “That progression is something that’s going to take some time, and everything is pointed in the right direction and going well right now at this time, but I’m not at a point where I want to start putting a timeline on when we’re going to see him in major league action. But right now we’re prepping him for a lot of action in 2024, and we’re getting him ready for that as expeditiously and responsibly as possible, but there’s going to be some time involved.”
It’s also been reported that John Means is behind schedule not due to an injury, but the Orioles have been cautious with his recovery from Tommy John Surgery. After experiencing discomfort before the divisional playoff round, the Orioles held Means back a month in the offseason.
Means joined teammates on Friday for stretching and throwing. Though he was doing long toss, it’s encouraging to see Means taking the steps to get back and help the Orioles over the long haul.
With the possibility of Bradish and Means missing the start of the season, Cole Irvin and Tyler Wells become the front-runners to fill in the vacancies in the starting rotation, with manager Brandon Hyde saying they will have every chance to seize those spots. Bruce Zimmermann, Chayce McDermott and Cade Povich are all in camp and will also have a chance to compete to fill one of the two rotation spots.
It was also reported that closer Félix Bautista had a recent follow-up procedure to remove scar tissue after his October Tommy John Surgery.
In response to if the Orioles would add more pitching, Elias was pretty forward with his answer.
“We’re still looking,” Elias said. “I don’t know that I can prognosticate any additions. There’s obviously still people out there. We’re remaining on the phones. I do want to be clear that we’re expecting both of those guys back, so I don’t want to go crazy ringing the alarm bells there. But even if we had all of our guys perfectly healthy right at this moment, I would not be expecting them to stay perfectly healthy all season long, so you do have as much pitching depth as we can.
Samuel Basallo, MLB Pipeline’s No. 17 prospect, was diagnosed with a stress fracture over the Thanksgiving holiday. At this time, he will be reduced to DH in games. He is currently catching bullpen sessions but can not throw at this time. He should resume normal catching duties by the end of April.
The reigning AL Rookie of the Year, Gunnar Henderson, is dealing with an oblique injury to start spring training. Henderson experienced the discomfort about two weeks ago after working out at home doing baseball activities. He is expected to resume activities in two to three weeks, and his Opening Day status is not in jeopardy.
Ronald Guzmán, a converted first baseman to left-handed pitcher, has not reported due to an issue with his visa. Nathan Webb is rehabbing from Tommy John Surgery but is expected to start pitching again by late summer. He signed a two-year minor league deal during the offseason.
It was announced that the Orioles and Ryan O’Hearn agreed to a one-year, $3.5 million contract to avoid an arbitration hearing. The contract also includes a club option for next season worth $7.5 million.
Coby Mayo has been told his primary position will be third base, though he will get some work at first base as well. The Orioles do believe Mayo can be a big league third baseman, and as of now, the outfield is not part of the plan.
The Orioles have also claimed 26-year-old utility player Diego Castillo off waivers from the Philadelphia Phillies. In a corresponding move, the organization designated infielder Liván Soto for assignment. The O’s 40-man roster is full.
Castillo is on his fifth team in two months. He appeared in one game for Arizona after appearing in 96 with Pittsburgh the year before. He has slashed .205/.250/.380 for his career and can play all infield positions and has even pitched before.
We will see what the weekend brings on the news front. One thing is for sure, the 2024 season is here, and baseball is back. Make sure to stay tuned for another edition of SpringNotes.
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