Yesterday marked the first official day of spring training, as pitchers and catchers reported for the Baltimore Orioles.
With physicals taking place, some light throwing and early morning workouts, it was the beginning of what many fans in Birdland have been waiting for.
With day two underway, we will see pitchers and catchers start throwing regimens and begin to stretch out to make their regular season debuts.
One of the first things that was noticed today was the numbers assigned to recently-acquired players. These were adorned over their lockers, and we will now be able to identify these new players.
- Tyler O’Neill – #9
- Ramón Laureano – #12
- Dylan Carlson – #15
- Tomoyuki Sugano – #19
- Andrew Kittredge – #39
- Charlie Morton – #50
- Gary Sánchez – #99
Sugano, the former NPB Central League MVP, is getting his visa and should be in Sarasota by this weekend, at the latest. Also, Zach Eflin’s wife just gave birth to a baby boy, so he is with family and will be arriving to camp a few days late, with good reason.
Also noticeable on the second day of camp was the position players who showed up early. Those players include:
- Gunnar Henderson
- Ryan Mountcastle
- Jorge Mateo
- Terrin Vavra
- Coby Mayo
- Enrique Bradfield Jr.
- Nick Gordon
- Jackson Holliday
- Heston Kjerstad
- Dylan Beavers
- Colton Cowser
- Jordon Westburg
- Cedric Mullins
One of the biggest stories coming out of last season was that of right-hander Grayson Rodriguez. After a lat/teres strain ended his season, many were left wondering how he progressed and how it affected his offseason program.
Rodriguez told reporters that he was cleared the week after the season ended and said he feels good physically and had a normal offseason. He believes the team’s rotation is strong enough to compete in the AL East and has the confidence to take the next step in becoming ace.
“I think that’s something I’m ready for,” Rodriguez said.
Tyler Wells was seen throwing on flat ground and said everything is going well with his recovery. There is no timeline for his return, though the Orioles hope it’s post break.
“It’s a day-to-day process for me right now,” Wells said. “I don’t have any timeline or anything like that. I’m just trying to focus on what I can take care of in my day-to-day stuff and make sure I’m recovering well, that I’m working out, eating right, things like that.”
Another player recovering from Tommy John Surgery is right-hander Kyle Bradish. He was seen playing catch but was unavailable to the media at this time.
All-Star closer Félix Bautista is also 16 months removed from his own Tommy John procedure. The Mountain will be brought along slowly and will ramp up during spring training. He says he feels great and should be ready for Opening Day.
On the other hand, left-hander Trevor Rogers and utility man Jorge Mateo will likely start the season on the IL. Rogers dislocated his knee cap in January, throwing on a turf field, and Mateo is still recovering from elbow surgery.
“Landed wrong and, unfortunately, it dislocated,” Rogers said. “But thankfully, it wasn’t a complete dislocation, just dislocated for a brief second and went back into place. So, it could have been a lot worse.”
Mateo said the brace on his surgically-repaired left elbow was removed about three months ago. The O’s speedster is currently taking one-handed swings as a part of his recovery.
Orioles manager Brandon Hyde, in his seventh season now with the organization, endorsed the careful approach in Mateo’s recovery.
“We want Mateo to be ready when he’s ready and not try to push anything, but he’s making great progress,” Hyde said. “He’s following the progression well, and he might miss a little bit of time. But, we want him to be fully healthy when he comes back.”
Outfielder Heston Kjerstad arrived early to camp, and according to Hyde, he will be getting a lot of at-bats this spring.
“He’s put up huge Triple-A numbers, and there’s opportunity now,” Hyde said. “There’s a little bit more opportunity than in the past. We’ll give him every opportunity.”
Kjerstad slashed .314/.417/.529/.964 through the first half of last season. After taking a sinker off the head, Silent J missed time due to a concussion and finished the season going 9-for-48 (.188 avg), playing in a total of 39 games in 2024.
Jackson Holliday showed up to camp early as well and looked noticeably different. He still has his baby face, but according to multiple reporters and coaches, he is “jacked” after putting on muscle over the winter.
“He still looks really young, but physically, his strength is impressive, how he can drive the baseball,” Hyde said. “He’s in great shape right now.”
Additionally, O’s GM Mike Elias is happy with the current roster construction but will keep checking on possible upgrades for the team.
The first day of camp usually brings a lot of information with notable injuries, possible roster makeup and finding out timelines of returns and addressing rumors.
We will be back at it tomorrow and bring forth key information and updates to bring you closer to the team. Let’s see what day three brings forth tomorrow, as SpringNotes continues.
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