12:35pm: Interim skipper Tony Mansolino tells the Orioles beat that an MRI revealed a “mild” strain in Mullins’ hamstring (via Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com). He’s not expected to miss much time and could even be back on the first day he’s eligible to return. Cowser, meanwhile, will likely be activated during a road trip that kicks off next Tuesday. It seems he won’t be an option for the O’s beleaguered outfield while they host the White Sox this weekend.
12:10pm: The Orioles announced Friday that center fielder Cedric Mullins has been placed on the 10-day injured list (retroactive to May 29) due to a right hamstring strain. He’ll be the corresponding active roster move for the previously reported signing of Cooper Hummel, whose new deal with Baltimore is now official. The O’s transferred right-hander Cody Poteet to the 60-day injured list to clear a 40-man spot for Hummel.
Mullins’ injury is the latest setback for an Orioles club that stands as arguably the most disappointing team in Major League Baseball this year. Baltimore is just 19-36, and the loss of Mullins, his .232/.324/.448 batting line and his glove in center field won’t do them any favors.
It should be noted, however, that Mullins has had a wildly uneven season. He looked like an MVP candidate through the end of April, mashing at a .278/.412/.515 clip (171 wRC+), but he’s tanked in May. This month, Mullins has punched out in an extremely uncharacteristic 30.7% of his place appearances while posting a dreadful .179/.205/.369 batting line (57 wRC+).
On the one hand, the injury could offer him a mental reset at a time when he’s clearly been pressing in the box. Mullins chased just 22.3% of balls off the plate and swung at 42.6% of the overall pitches he saw when he was dialed in last month. Dating back to mid-May, he’s chased one-third of balls off the plate and offered at 52% of his total pitches seen.
On the other hand, any injury is unwelcome in the midst of a platform season. Mullins is a free agent at season’s end, and while a mild hamstring strain with a quick return wouldn’t materially harm his stock, it’s a worrying ding on his record at a time when he’s also floundering in the batter’s box.
The Orioles haven’t indicated how long Mullins will be sidelined. He’s joining Colton Cowser, Tyler O’Neill and Ramon Laureano on the injured list, meaning Baltimore now has an entire big league outfield unit — potentially a very good one — on the shelf. With that quartet ailing, outfield reps will fall to Heston Kjerstad, Dylan Carlson and the newly re-signed Hummel. Fortunately for the O’s, Cowser has played four minor league rehab games and is on the cusp of returning. He’s on the 60-day injured list, but today marks his 60th day on the IL. He’ll be eligible to return Saturday.
.233
.234
.232
BA last 3 years. At least you know what you have at this point.
Well it helps if you look at more than just batting average.
Batting average tells a lot, in spite of the ‘cool’ generation thinking WAR and FIP should be the only stats.
Batting average is a silly stat to judge a player by.
Progress is good old man.
It’s over for Mullins, not unlike the Orioles. Ahahahahaha!
The obp is decent though, and can still hit for power and steal bases.
well, in the context of lower BA across the league it might also be helpful to look at this other cool stat:
wRC+ across those 3 same BAs (2023 2024 and YTD 2025)
99 wRC+ .233 BA
105 wRC+ .234 BA
123 wRC+ .232 BA
Hardly as bad as the general disdain for those averages appears.
since you mention WAR (FGraphs) has him at 1.9, 2.3 and 1.2 (YTD 25) so better than a replacement player, while not the 6.0 he had in his 30/30 season but overall — an important and surprising player that didn’t have the prospect pedigree that some others had.
I suppose I have a soft spot for him with that demotion to Double A and his resurgence afterwards. That took some internal grit to not just hang up the cleats. Do I wish he was in the realm of Judge talent? Sure, but we could poke at other players before I would ever get to criticizing him as the worst of the Orioles.
Once he gets back from the IL, Orioles should make him available a rental.
Nice hat
I don’t know why, but my first thought when I saw the hat was Cedric grabbing a sword and proclaiming, “Hello, my name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die”
YC,
Best scene in that movie is when they put Andre the Giant on a horse, dressed him in a black cloak then made him pretend to be a ghost glol
Not horse pushed him in a cart* sorry I’m blazed af rn
well that explains why he has sat recently. hope he’s okay, in spurts, he’s been one of the only bright spots this season, albeit not consistent
Mullins’ career body of work is more representative of a full season of what he could do – 15 or so HR, .250, can steal 20-30 bases. He started getting impatient in May; this is indicative of the lack of direction from the Hyde/Mansolino coaching group that these things happen and are allowed to continue for weeks without correction.
His defense is still above average – he makes some flashy athletic plays but underneath has an average range and not much of an arm. Probably not what you’d call a top tier OF but a definite upgrade for several contenders, especially considering what’s available on the OF market.
The Orioles will still have some untangling to do in the OF even assuming the loss of Mullins and O’Hearn this July.
– Cowser likely to move to CF full time
– Laureano has been a badly needed pleasant surprise
– Kjerstad, another hitter who has failed to turn the corner, has at least improved in the OF this year
– O’Neill, if he ever starts to hit as advertised, is probably an Oriole for 3 years
– Carlson, a switch hitter, has shown glimmers at the plate lately
– and now Hummel who appears to be a another guy who has hit in AAA but not yet at MLB
With imminent returns of Cowser, Westburg, and O’Neill, maybe the Orioles finally realize that they’ve been wasting a roster spot on Mateo for 2+ years.
Typo: place appearances
Mullins appeared at the place where the plate is.
Did he get hurt on his ship?
Mullins will be a Giant next season. My own prediction, based on nothing.
If that’s the case I’ll probably let him go from the fantasy team.
I can offer my prediction, it’s based on both teams having orange and black as their team colors.
“Meanwhile” has to start the sentence, not come in the middle between commas.