Orioles first baseman/designated hitter Ryan Mountcastle was lifted from the eighth inning of today’s Grapefruit League contest after being plunked on the right hand, but the team has already announced that initial x-rays came back negative. Mountcastle will presumably be considered day-to-day for the time being.
A fracture or any sort of notable injury would only have piled on to what’s been an injury-marred camp for the Orioles this spring in Sarasota. Baltimore has already lost Jordan Westburg (partial UCL tear), Jackson Holliday (hamate fracture) and Andrew Kittredge (shoulder inflammation).
The offseason signing of Pete Alonso pushed Mountcastle out of an everyday role in Baltimore, but he’s still in the mix for DH reps and occasional time at first base. Injuries to Westburg and Holliday have thrust Coby Mayo (third base) and trade acquisition Blaze Alexander (second base) into likely starting jobs. Those injuries create more opportunity for both Mountcastle and catcher/first baseman Samuel Basallo at the DH spot.
Of course, that assumes Mountcastle breaks camp with the club at all. He didn’t seem like a lock to be tendered a contract coming off an injury-ruined season in 2025, but the O’s passed on their chance to cut him loose. After tendering him a contract, they agreed to a one-year deal worth $6.72MM — a contract that includes a 2027 club option that gave the O’s control over what would’ve been Mountcastle’s first free agent season.
The O’s shopped Mountcastle throughout the offseason and have continued to discuss him during spring trade scenarios. The injuries elsewhere on the roster perhaps make a Mountcastle trade a bit less likely, but an injury of his own would have all but eliminated the possibility. With today’s clean bill of health, it seems like an eventual move could at least plausibly be on the table. MLBTR’s Anthony Franco took a look at some logical landing spots for Mountcastle just last week.
The early spate of injuries has already prompted the Orioles to pump the brakes on a potential trade of the aforementioned Mayo. He’s seen his name kicked around the rumor circuit for the better part of 18 months, but Mayo now appears poised to open the season at the hot corner. Kyle Goon of the Baltimore Banner takes a look at the wild ride Mayo has been on over the past year, being asked to change positions multiple times and slowly feeling as though his standing in the organization was slipping.
Mayo played shortstop prior to being drafted, was quickly moved to third base, and was told following the 2025 season that he should prepare strictly as a first baseman — the position he played down the stretch with regularity last year. He then watched the Orioles sign Alonso to a five-year contract, retain Mountcastle in arbitration and effectively ensure that Basallo would be on the roster moving forward by signing him to an eight-year extension.
“I think you just have to remember that there’s a plan out there for you, no matter if it was with the Orioles or with another team,” Mayo said of the tumultuous run he’s had over the past year-plus. “I’m gonna always do what I can to help myself out and get better. There’s nothing to gain out of sulking and being upset about moves a team has made. Going into the spring, who knew that we were gonna have two guys go down in a weeklong span? Like, we had no idea.”
New O’s skipper Craig Albernaz tells Goon that he’s “more than comfortable” opening the year with Mayo as his primary third baseman. In all likelihood, that’ll be the plan. Mayo has made three errors back at the hot corner but has hit well enough to overshadow those concerns for the time being. He was out of the lineup today, but Mayo is 13-for-26 with three doubles, a homer and only one strikeout in 28 spring plate appearances. He also hasn’t taken a walk, leading to an oddball line with his OBP checking in south of his batting average: .500/.464/.731. (Mayo has two sacrifice flies on the spring, hence the OBP discrepancy.)
Goon?
The Baltimore Banner’s reporter’s name is Kyle Goon.
Fitting that he’s a beat writer, amirite?
More fitting if he worked for this government regime.
Any government regime.
Seek help
@roob don’t know if your kidding, makes me absolutely laugh when people use the term regime to describe a president they don’t like. Look around the world if you want to find an actual regime
Tom Wilson 😉
Trade mountcastle to the Braves please and thank you
Why?
DH I would assume.
Mounty is kind of a bum though.
Mayo is rake’n this spring.
It’s his year.
Hopefully Mayo continues to hit and has himself a year worthy of the prospect status he had. If he does and he can at least be passable at third, maybe Westy to second and experiment Holliday in the outfield? I don’t want to give up on Westburg despite his inability this far to stay healthy because the talent is there when he is available. But if Mayo does make strides, all of a sudden you have a lot of young potential bats trying to get crammed into the lineup and not enough spots to consistently accommodate them. It would probably take an Adley trade so that the DH spot is freed up with Basallo as the everyday catcher.
Regardless, we’ve not reached that point yet so time will tell. Heck Kjerstad is looking good too and I’ve been saying he needs a change of scenery to succeed since the outfield is already super crowded. Lots of roster crunch with some talented guys, good problems to have though.
I don’t really object to moving Westburg around if Mayo shows he’s capable of better defense and swings a bigger stick than Westburg, but I don’t see Holliday moving to the OF with the growing surplus of talent out there the O’s are growing. You already have Cowser (who’s probably better in LF than CF), Beavers appears to have the potential of playing any of the three OF positions, and Kjerstad who wants a full-time job and his bat could be coming back. Then you’ve got Bradfield who just flashed big time talent at the WBC and Honeycutt who’s glove already appears MLB-ready and his bit might have been reborn this offseason.
I agree, and I’ll also say you can get creative to an extent to where you play everyone. However, what do you do if you have a healthy Westy/Holliday in addition to a productive Mayo? Gunnar is locked down at short (hopefully we can keep him long term) and Alonso at first. Cowser/Beavers/Bradfield/Kjerstad are the potential longer term guys in the outfield beyond Ward and O’Neill. That DH spot becomes pretty oversaturated. And I do think Adley gets moved at some point.
Lots of questions, you just hope the players answer those questions themselves.
In no world will Mayo ever be a better defender at third than Westburg. Actually, in no world would Mayo ever be a better defender than Westburg at any position.
I believe Westburg is more valuable than Mayo – if he can stay healthy and on the field and in the lineup. When he’s out there the team just seems to hit a stride. He will never have the power that Mayo has but he’s definitely the better defender, base runner and hitter out of the two.
It’s great to see Mayo starting to look more comfortable and locked in at the plate, but I’m cautious to flat out suggest that this will be a breakout season for him until we get several weeks into the regular season. Once the season kicks off and he’s facing better starters and within a more competitive environment, let’s see how things go.
And thats the rub for me, Mayo is most definitely far less proven than Westy beyond any shadow of doubt, offensively and defensively. But at some point Westy has to prove capable of staying available to play. In 3 years he’s at most played 107 games He’s definitely talented and capable but also 27. Can you expect him to be healthy from here on out? I wish I could say yes because of his talent.
Mayo on the other hand is a few years younger and unproven both offensively and defensively, though the offense is starting to look like its coming around. Eventually you’re going to have to choose between one or the other as I don’t see the two existing on the same roster at the same time right now, at least not with some other positions already filled.
Rely on Mayo and end up with egg on your face, big disgrace
Never a problem having too many players. Let it ride. It’ll all work out. Too many variables to assume health/production through 162 games. (Lots of players last year would have had the bench if there were another healthy guy).
Too me, all of those former consensus top 30 ranked prospects, will be as they were, if given the AB’s. Those first 3 drafts under Elias were monsters, but the next 3… different level of players. Point being, the first wave of players, the ones now all up, are the cream, and I don’t see a need to move any of them. Trading Heston/Mayo would be selling low, I believe (maybe it’s Orange tinted glasses, but so be it).
I hope the core stays, but they won’t. Maybe we sign one of them. Gunnar or nobody, imo. (Sammy already locked up, so that’s one core player).
Who plays where and when…can’t wait to see!
I’m super jazzed about the minor league pitching though. There are some Live arms coming!
At least the O’s have solid depth behind these guys that got injured. That’s impressive. Also, these injuries aren’t too serious and these guys should be back for the bulk of the season.
Where’s the Natty Bo?
They may replace MAYO with either Miracle Whip or Spin Blend.
So isn’t this a good problem to have? A surplus of good+ infielders who should hit? I like Mountcastle, always have, but Alonso is just a better option. Sure, there may be a glut at 1st base and may be not the best options at 3rd…but I’ll take it.
It’s too bad the size of one’s contract dictates where they play. Really happy the O’s signed Pete but he’s a terrible first baseman – probably the 4th best defensively after Mayo, Basallo and Mounty. – and if Westburg comes back – Pete should be the full time DH w Mayo and Basallo sharing first. Won’t happen – but that’s their best defense.
In the meantime corner D is going to be rough but could deliver 80 homers.
Let’s all remember that Mountcastle has had just two above average years defensively at 1B – one that was just above average and one that you’d have to consider to at least be very good. Last year was just below average…I didn’t notice a difference between 2023 and 2025 defensive versions of Mountcastle even though he was slightly minus in 2023.
Even if Alonso is mediocre there, are we really going to think about displacing his 30 HR, 100 RBI for a guy who slugged .367 last year to save five defensive runs in a season? Plus, moving him to DH sits other bats that are better than Mountcastle’s or are tracking to be soon (especially since Mountcastle declines each year).
I also have no faith that Westburg is ever going to be healthy enough to be a dependable everyday player (see: Reimold, Hammonds, Segui). Before last year’s annual injury I would have said he should be extended first. Now I feel that the Orioles should have/get another option.
I’ll take the far superior offensive production versus a few runs saved on defense. It’ll be annoying when the errors happen especially when a couple may be crucial. (Exception – when Mark Reynolds played 3B – sheesh)