All eyes are focused on Opening Day, and reports are coming out at lighting speed.
Whether they come from a news source, a beat writer or a sports app, everyone who is gearing up for baseball season is ready to see what will separate their team from the others.
What we will provide in series is information that might not make the top report or things that won’t garner as much attention.
So, let’s start off with the first Battery Six-Pack for the Baltimore Orioles this season.
1.) Dean Kremer break out year?
Spring training for pitchers is something of confusion.
While stats do matter, most pitchers are working on new things. So, when you see Dean Kremer with an ERA of 7.27 across five games, you might be a bit worried.
But there’s no need to fear, as Kremer has been working on location of all of his pitches and adjustments to grips and mechanics, as mentioned above.
What is key here is that Kremer, now 29 years old, was the first Orioles pitcher to reach the fifth inning in a Grapefruit League game this spring.
Kremer is on the right track to be the supporting third or fourth member of the rotation, who will be asked for just a bit more in taking the next step.
2.) Spring is Fruit season
One of the great things about spring training is the opportunity to watch top prospects show their talent against big leaguers.
This year, Orioles No. 30 ranked prospect, right-hander Zach Fruit, was turning heads.
In two games, Fruit pitched six innings and carried a 1.50 ERA and 0.83 WHIP while striking out nine batters. With a fastball that hit 100.3 mph this spring, Fruit burst onto the scene last season while with High-A Aberdeen with a 3.03 ERA.
The IronBirds pitched a combined no-hitter with Fruit starting the game and tossing 4.2 innings of ball to begin the night.
With a power fastball and an improved slider, Fruit has added a changeup and a cut fastball that he has been using as his out pitch. This is a prospect to keep an eye on going forward.
3.) Superstar injury updates
Gunnar Henderson and Grayson Rodriguez have been two of the biggest names to be struck by the injury bug this spring.
Henderson has been hitting in the cage and practicing defensive drills while recently starting live batting practice but hasn’t seen game action since leaving February 27 with an intercostal injury.
Henderson will miss the start of the season and go on the injured list for a minimum of seven days. Orioles GM Mike Elias told the media that this is more of a days, not weeks thing.
Rodriguez, who is dealing with a sore elbow and triceps, received a cortisone shot and started to play catch this past Tuesday, March 18, as he began his throwing progression. He has now thrown multiple days with no reported setbacks at this time.
He will need to have a spring-training-type restart before he returns to action for the team. Also starting the season on the IL, Rodriguez has been shut down since March 5 and is expected to miss at least the first couple weeks of the season.
4.) Honeycutt dazzles in Spring Breakout
The Orioles’ No. 5 overall prospect, outfielder Vance Honeycutt, was named to the All-Spring Breakout Second Team.
The former 2024 first-round pick hit an inside-the-park home run in Sarasota during the 2025 Spring Breakout Game. Appearing in three games this spring, Honeycutt is 1-for-3 with that homer and two RBIs.
The former North Carolina star is on the rise with fellow top five prospect, outfielder Enrique Bradfield Jr. (O’s No. 3 prospect), and could be a key part of the future outfield in Baltimore.
5.) Yennier Cano improves arsenal
Yennier Cano established himself as an All-Star in 2023 and pushed himself last season when friend and fellow All-Star Félix Bautista was out following Tommy John Surgery.
Cano has a heavy sinker and deceptive changeup that has helped him find success as a set-up man. With Bautista returning this year, the dynamic duo looks to be intact, with both ready to do what they can in their respective roles to help the team win.
For Cano, that means finding a way to implement a new pitch. Adding a cutter to his arsenal, Cano is able to attack lefties on the inner part of the plate.
The Rock has appeared in six games this spring, compiling a 1-0 record and two holds across six innings of work. He has a 1.50 ERA, 0.83 WHIP and has held opponents to a .167 average.
Now in his third year with the O’s, Cano finished fourth and second the last two seasons in holds.
6.) Gibby returns to The Nest
Veteran right-handed starter Kyle Gibson has returned to the Baltimore Orioles in a move that was announced over the weekend.
Gibson, who turned 37 in October, has started 30-plus games in each of the last six full seasons (started 12 games during the 2020 COVID-shortened season).
A savvy veteran and innings-eater, Gibson returns to the Orioles after spending last season with the St. Louis Cardinals.
While his ERA will hover around four, Gibby will give you quality innings and remain durable. He is one of seven pitchers to have at least 30 starts in each of the last four seasons.
The deal is a major league deal and manager Brandon Hyde did say that Gibson would need to go through a full spring training type of ramp up before joining the team.
“He’s going to have to go through pretty much a whole spring training type of ramp-up, so it’s going to be a while,” O’s manager Brandon Hyde said of Gibson. “He’s not going to be ready for a long time. As you saw last year, it takes a lot of starters. We used a lot of starters last year. So, just adding another rotation piece, we felt like, is important.”
While Gibson and his wife Elizabeth enjoyed their time in Baltimore two years ago, the effect he had on the clubhouse and the team was a big factor in his return.
That wraps up this edition of Battery Six-Pack, so it’s time to shut the cooler until next week.
Be sure to stock the ice and keep the beer cold, as we will be back next week with another piece of tidbits from around Birdland.
What are your thoughts on the news around O’s camp this week? Let us know in the comments below! Make sure to follow The Baltimore Battery on Facebook, X, Bluesky and TikTok, and use the hashtag #baltimorebattery when sharing our content!
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