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AL East Notes: Jansen, Yankees, LeMahieu, Webb, Mountcastle

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Kenley Jansen enjoyed ten straight years of playoff baseball before signing a two-year, $32MM free agent contract with the Red Sox during the 2022-23 offseason, and barring a late surge from Boston in the last two weeks of play, Jansen is now on pace for back-to-back without any postseason action.  As he heads into free agency this winter, it therefore isn’t surprising that Jansen is “always gonna look for winning.  Contending,” the closer told MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo.  “That’s going to be my priority…I want to be in a situation where we can contend for a title.  That’s it.”  This doesn’t necessarily mean Jansen wouldn’t consider a return to the Sox, as Jansen praised the team’s young talent and said he “had a blast wearing this uniform, playing for these fans.”

Even as he approaches his 37th birthday, Jansen has no plans to retire, suggesting that he’d like to pitch “at least until I’m 40-42.”  There isn’t much on-field evidence that Jansen is running out of steam, as he remains an effective late-game weapon with a 3.48 ERA in 51 2/3 innings and 26 saves in 30 chances for Boston in 2024.  Jansen figures to get a lot of attention in free agency this winter, and Cotillo suggests that the Yankees could look at Jansen as a potential replacement for Clay Holmes.  The Red Sox and Giants were the only teams publicly linked to Jansen’s market in his prior stint as a free agent, but Cotillo writes that New York “made a serious run at Jansen before he” joined the Red Sox.

More from around the AL East….

  • Sticking with the Yankees, DJ LeMahieu discussed his hip impingement with The Athletic’s Brendan Kuty, saying that he received a cortisone shot on Thursday to hopefully aid the healing process.  LeMahieu hasn’t played since September 3 but he believes he’ll be able to return to New York’s lineup before the season is over.  While players generally have a more optimistic view of their injuries, this does represent a more positive outlook than manager Aaron Boone’s more non-committal answer earlier this week, when the skipper said “I wouldn’t necessarily rule it [a LeMahieu return] out, but I wouldn’t count on it, either.”  In between this injury and the foot issue that cost him the first two months of action, LeMahieu has struggled to a .204/.269/.259 slash line over 228 plate appearances this season.  Even if he is healthy enough to play, LeMahieu’s lack of production might well cost him a spot on New York’s playoff roster.
  • Jacob Webb’s activation from the Orioles’ injured list could happen during the team’s current series with the Tigers, manager Brandon Hyde told MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko and other reporters.  Before a bout of elbow inflammation sent him to the 15-day IL on August 4, Webb was one of Baltimore’s more solid relievers, delivering a 3.08 ERA over 49 2/3 innings and 53 appearances out of the Orioles bullpen.  Of the many players on the Orioles’ IL, Webb seems closest to returning, though Danny Coulombe is continuing a minor league rehab assignment and might not be far off.  Jordan Westburg has resumed baseball activities and is hitting in a batting cage as he works his way back from a fractured hand.
  • Ryan Mountcastle is still in the early stages of a hitting progression, but Hyde wasn’t sure if the Orioles first baseman will be back before the regular season is over.  Mountcastle’s IL stint due to a sprained left wrist began on August 23, and he has hit .265/.305/.425 with 13 home runs in 485 PA.  As Kubatko writes, the loss of Mountcastle’s steady production has been more glaring since first base replacement Ryan O’Hearn has been caught in an ugly slump.

Orioles Notes: Rodriguez, Coulombe, Camden Yards

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It has been just over a month since the Orioles placed Grayson Rodriguez on the 15-day injured list due to a right lat/teres strain, and pitching coach Drew French provided reporters (including MLB.com’s Jake Rill) with an update on Rodriguez’s recovery process.  Rodriguez threw his first bullpen session earlier this week, and French said “we’re hopeful that we’ll get a live [batting practice session] in and a rehab assignment started pretty soon.“

This would seem to put Rodriguez on pace for the late-September return that was projected by GM Mike Elias last month, though French left some wiggle room in stating whether or not Rodriguez would return as a starting pitcher.  “We’re very hopeful to have him back in that capacity,” French said, but “obviously everything is on the table at this point, so [we] just kind of take it day-by-day and see where we’re at at the end.”

The calendar is naturally the issue, as the minor league season concludes on September 22.  The Orioles don’t want to rush Rodriguez’s throwing progression for fear of aggravating his injury or causing a setback, yet as French put it, “we know we’re coming up against it right now” in terms of having enough time for Rodriguez to build up his pitch count through minor league rehab starts.  On paper, Rodriguez could perhaps bank a minor league start and then continue his ramp-up in the majors, perhaps as a piggyback starter at first.

Since this would all have to come amidst the Orioles’ battle for the AL East title, it wouldn’t be an ideal situation for either the team or the player.  While Baltimore is a virtual lock to reach the playoffs, winning the division and earning a first-round bye is the Orioles’ preferred method of entry.  That bit of extra break would allow the O’s to line up their ideal postseason rotation, and gauge whether or not Rodriguez is fully fit enough to be part of said rotation.

Rodriguez’s spot as a playoff starter was all but assured at the time of his injury, as the second-year right-hander has a 3.86 ERA and above-average strikeout and walk rates over 116 2/3 innings.  Corbin Burnes and Zach Eflin have playoff rotation spots booked, and any of Rodriguez, Albert Suarez, or Dean Kremer could be line for other starts depending on health, effectiveness, matchups, or however long Baltimore’s playoff run lasts.

Another pitcher’s timeline is a little clearer, as Danny Coulombe is set to start a rehab assignment this Wednesday with Triple-A Norfolk.  Coulombe went on the 60-day injured list in June after undergoing surgery to remove bone chips from his left elbow, and appears to be on pace to return to the Orioles’ relief corps before the season is over.  Coulombe has been nothing short of outstanding since joining the O’s in March 2023, becoming a trusted setup man on the strength of a 2.68 ERA in his 77 1/3 innings in a Baltimore uniform.

Seranthony Dominguez has emerged as the Orioles’ top closing candidate since he was acquired from the Phillies at the trade deadline, helping stabilize a Baltimore bullpen that has been a relative weak link in terms of its overall middle-of-the-pack performance.  Losing Coulombe for a big chunk of the year didn’t help the bullpen’s cause, but his return should help further bolster the reliever depth chart heading into October.

In other Orioles news, chairman and CEO David Rubenstein shared some details on the renovations planned for Camden Yards as part of an interview with FOX 5’s Steve Chenevey (hat tip to Matt Weyrich of the Baltimore Sun).  The process is tentatively slated to begin during the 2025-26 offseason and “take about four years before it’s completed….hopefully by the end of ’28 we will complete all the retrofit of the stadium,” Rubenstein said.  The exact range of renovations isn’t yet known, though Rubenstein suggested that the work will add a few more modern touches and amenities to Camden Yards.

Orioles Sign Terrin Vavra To Minor League Deal

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The Orioles announced this afternoon that they’ve signed infielder Terrin Vavra to a minor league deal. Vavra was designated for assignment by the Mariners last week and elected free agency shortly thereafter. Since Vavra changed organizations after September 1, he will not be eligible to participate in the postseason with the Orioles.

Vavra, 27, was a third-round pick by the Rockies back in 2018 who was dealt to the Orioles at the trade deadline in 2020 as part of the deal that sent Mychal Givens to Colorado. He made his big league debut back in 2022 and posted a solid 40-game stretch with Baltimore where he hit a roughly league average .258/.340/.337 while splitting time between second base and the outfield for the club. Entering the 2023 season, Vavra was with the club in the big leagues but hit just .245/.315/.245 in 56 trips to the plate before heading to the IL with a shoulder strain.

That shoulder problem eventually turned out to be a torn labrum, and Vavra went under the knife to address the issue in September of last year. He returned to action back in May and, although he posted a decent .243/.350/.368 in 44 games at the Triple-A level with the club’s affiliate in Norfolk, he didn’t manage to crack the club’s increasingly crowded big league roster and eventually found himself designated for assignment back in August without having made a big league appearance for the club this year. Vavra was claimed off waivers by the Mariners shortly thereafter, but did not make it into a big league game with the club and played just three games with the club’s Triple-A affiliate in Tacoma before being designated for assignment to make room for the return of infielder Luis Urias to the 40-man roster.

Vavra then elected free agency, leading him to his latest stint with the Orioles. While the 27-year-old won’t be able to play for the club in the postseason even if added to the 40-man roster at some point down the stretch, he still offers the club a familiar emergency depth option for the remainder of the regular season who can be called upon in the event more of the club’s infield options join Jordan Westburg, Ramon Urias, and Jorge Mateo on the injured list as the club remains engaged with the Yankees in a close battle for the AL East crown. The Orioles currently have Nick Maton and Livan Soto backing up their middle infield of Gunnar Henderson and Jackson Holliday while Coby Mayo and Emmanuel Rivera split time at the hot corner.

AL East Notes: Bichette, Kjerstad, Hendriks

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Bo Bichette is scheduled to begin a Triple-A rehab assignment beginning on Tuesday, the Blue Jays told reporters (including Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi and Arden Zwelling).  Bichette has been on the injured list since suffering a right calf strain on July 19, which was the third calf-related issue for Bichette within about a month’s time.  It wasn’t clear at the time of the placement if Bichette would be able to return before the season was over or if the Jays might just shut him down, but it looks like the shortstop should be able to make it back for at least a bit more action before the 2024 campaign wraps.

While the Jays are well out of contention, returning to the field should provide some peace of mind for Bichette about his health as he wraps up the worst season of his six-year career.  The two-time All-Star hit only .222/.275/.320 over 331 plate appearances, delivering a 69 wRC+ that was far below his previous career mark of 127.  Bichette’s turn from star to replacement-level player was one of many reasons behind the Jays’ rough season, and it has raised fresh speculation about Bichette’s long-term future in Toronto, or even if he’ll still be a Blue Jay by next Opening Day.  These questions obviously won’t be answered in the small sample size of however many MLB games Bichette is able to play in September, but returning to the Jays lineup and hitting like his old self would allow him to take something positive from an otherwise lost year.

Other updates from around the AL East…

  • The Orioles announced that Heston Kjerstad will start a rehab assignment at the team’s A-ball affiliate in Aberdeen beginning tomorrow.  Kjerstad has been on the concussion-related injury list since August 1, marking his second stint on the concussion-IL since he was hit in the head by a Clay Holmes pitch on July 12.  The good news is that Kjerstad has cleared concussion protocol and now looks ready to return to action.  Now in his second MLB season, the former top prospect has continued to show glimpses of his potential with a .261/.370/.420 slash line in 81 plate appearances with Baltimore this season, and a healthy Kjerstad could provide a nice boost for the O’s heading into the playoffs.
  • Liam Hendriks was slated to throw back-to-back outings as part of his ongoing minor rehab assignment, though the Red Sox and the reliever have pulled back on the idea since Hendriks is feeling some slight discomfort.  “There was a little bit of an issue [in the elbow], but nothing that can’t be worked out,” Hendriks told the Boston Globe’s Julian McWilliams and other reporters.  “I think I need to limit my own throwing….The muscle groups right there aren’t quite built up to withstand that just yet.  I need to kind of ease them in a little bit better.”  Hendriks and manager Alex Cora downplayed the setback, and the hope is that Hendriks will be able to make it back to the Red Sox roster before the season is over.  Hendriks hasn’t pitched in the majors since June 2023, as a Tommy John surgery in August of that year has put his career on hold.

Orioles Outright David Banuelos

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September 5: Banuelos cleared waivers and accepted an outright back to Norfolk, the Orioles announced.

September 2: The Orioles announced this morning that they’ve selected the contract of infielder/outfielder Nick Maton. To make room for Maton on the club’s 40-man and active rosters, catcher David Banuelos has been designated for assignment.

Maton, 27, is back on the Orioles’ active roster for the second time this year. He made a two-inning cameo on defense at second base earlier this year but did not step up to the plate before being designated for assignment and outrighted off the 40-man roster back in June. The versatile fielder has been playing for the club’s Triple-A affiliate in Norfolk ever since, and his season there has gone quite well. In 86 games at the level this season, Maton has raked to the tune of a .261/.368/.477 slash line with a 13.2% walk rate and 16 homers in 340 trips to the plate. In addition to that strong showing at the plate, Maton has flashed his versatility by splitting time between all four infield spots as well as both outfielder corners.

Now in his fourth season in the majors, Maton enjoyed success in a part-time role with the Phillies during the first two seasons of his career as he slashed a solid .254/.330/.434 in 216 trips to the plate across a combined 86 games in those years. Maton went on to be traded to the Tigers as part of the Gregory Soto trade during the 2022-23 offseason, but his time in Detroit left much to be desired. In 93 games with the Tigers last year, Maton hit a paltry .173/.288/.305 across 293 plate appearances, a rough performance that led the infielder to be designated for assignment over the winter and eventually swapped to Baltimore in a cash deal back in February.

Even in spite of those offensive struggles last year, Maton’s previous success in Philadelphia at the big league level and his strong minor league numbers with the Orioles this year provide some reason for optimism that he can be an effective bench bat for the club. A return to form would make Maton a valuable piece for the Orioles down the stretch, particularly as the club weathers the losses of Jorge Mateo, Jordan Westburg, and Ramon Urias to the injured list around the infield. Mateo is done for the year after undergoing elbow surgery last week, and while there’s optimism that both Westburg and Urias will return to action before the end of the season neither has a specific timetable for return to this point. That leaves Maton as the club’s primary backup on the infield behind youngsters Gunnar Henderson at shortstop, Jackson Holliday at second base, and Coby Mayo at third, though Emmanuel Rivera could also chip in at the hot corner on occasion.

As for Banuelos, the catcher was selected to the big league roster just yesterday to replace the injured Urias on the club’s roster. He did not ultimately make it into yesterday’s game before being designated for assignment, and he figures to head back to the minors with just one big league plate appearance under his belt from when he pinch hit for Colton Cowser back in April during his last cup of coffee at the big league level. In 22 games at the Triple-A level this year, Banuelos sports a .225/.361/.352 slash line across 86 trips to the plate.

Orioles Outright Forrest Wall

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The Orioles announced this afternoon that outfielder Forrest Wall cleared waivers and was sent outright to Triple-A Norfolk. He does not have the requisite service time nor the previous career outright that would allow him to elect free agency.

Baltimore claimed Wall off waivers from the Marlins last week. They designated him for assignment within a few days. Wall has not played for the Orioles. He has 31 big league games under his belt, split between the Braves and Miami within the past two years. Wall has an impressive .311/.380/.422 slash in that limited time. His Triple-A track record is more modest, as he’s a .269/.355/.387 hitter through 369 games at that level.

The 28-year-old generally gets on base at a decent clip. He doesn’t hit for much power, though, and he’s not regarded as a great defensive outfielder. That’s despite fantastic speed that translates on the bases. Wall has four seasons with at least 35 stolen bases in the minors. He topped the 50-steal threshold in both 2022 and ’23, though he’s 20-28 in that regard between MLB and Triple-A this year. The O’s will keep Wall in Norfolk for the stretch run and could reselect his contract if they want to add a designated pinch-runner. He’d qualify for minor league free agency next offseason if Baltimore doesn’t call him back up.

Orioles Release Jean Segura, Outright Nick Vespi

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Amidst an already busy day of Orioles transactions, the O’s announced two more moves, as infielder Jean Segura has been released from his minor league contract and left-hander Nick Vespi was outrighted to Triple-A Norfolk.

Segura signed his minors deal in August, and hit only .137/.250/.196 over 60 plate appearances in 14 games with Norfolk.  This marked Segura’s first game action of any kind since his last game as a member of the Marlins on July 31, 2023.  The Marlins traded Segura to the Guardians the next day as part of the deadline deal that brought Josh Bell to the Miami, and since Segura was only included in the trade as salary offset, Cleveland immediately released the veteran infielder.

MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko (via X) notes that Segura asked to be released and the Orioles granted the request, which could be interpreted in a few ways.  It could be that Segura wanted to pursue other opportunities if Baltimore wasn’t going to add him to the MLB roster, or it might be a hint that Segura might be considering retirement.  Because Segura didn’t play any winter ball and there wasn’t any indication that he was seeking out another playing contract in the year since the Guardians released him, his deal with the O’s could be viewed as one final attempt at reviving his playing career.

The two-year, $17MM free agent contract Segura signed with the Marlins in the 2022-23 offseason expires at the end of this season, which could also provide something of a clean break for the official end of his playing career.  It remains to be seen if Segura is indeed thinking about calling it a career, but if so, his rough results with Miami in 2023 shouldn’t obscure an otherwise very solid 12-season run in the majors that included a pair of All-Star nods.

Baltimore designated Vespi for assignment last week, and he’ll now head to Triple-A after he cleared waivers and was removed from the Orioles’ 40-man roster.  This was the first time Vespi has been outrighted, and he doesn’t have enough MLB service time to reject an outright assignment in favor of free agency.

Vespi will instead head to Norfolk, which is a familiar path for a pitcher who has often been shuttled back and forth between the majors and minors since he made his big league debut in 2022.  Vespi has looked pretty solid with a 3.88 ERA in his 53 1/3 career innings in the Show, but his lack of strikeout ability has made him somewhat of a back-of-the-bullpen arm in the Orioles’ eyes.  Vespi has already been promoted and optioned to Triple-A the maximum five times this season.

Orioles Sign Adrian Houser To Minors Contract

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The Orioles announced yesterday that right-hander Adrian Houser was signed to a minor league contract.  Houser had been in the Cubs organization on a minors deal but he was released yesterday, paving the way for the righty to quickly latch on with a new team.

Because Houser joined the O’s before the September 1 cutoff date, he is eligible to be added to a playoff roster.  However, the veteran hasn’t done much this season that would seemingly merit postseason action, as Houser has a 5.84 ERA over 69 1/3 innings with the Mets as well as a subpar 10.4% walk rate and a 14.6% strikeout rate that is among the lowest in baseball.

While Houser pitched better after being moved out of New York’s rotation and into a long relief role, the Mets opted to release him at the end of July, and the Cubs didn’t feel compelled to call Houser up during his few weeks at Triple-A Iowa.  Houser was used as a starter again in Iowa and had a 3.86 ERA and 6.6% walk rate in 18 2/3 frames, but still with a 15.8K%.

Strikeouts have never been Houser’s game, as he has relied on grounders and soft contact to find success over his eight MLB seasons.  Batted-ball luck tended to weigh heavier on Houser’s bottom-line results given the nature of his approach on the mound, but he had overall decent results in seven seasons with the Brewers before he was traded to the Mets last December.

The Orioles have been hammered by rotation injuries all season, and their attempts to bolster the staff at the deadline went awry when Trevor Rogers struggled so much that he was optioned to Triple-A.  Zach Eflin was another pre-deadline pickup who was sidelined by injury, but returned from the IL today to give the O’s a rotation of Eflin, Corbin Burnes, Dean Kremer, Albert Suarez, and Cade Povich.

Houser adds some experienced rotation depth to that mix, and since Kremer left yesterday’s game with a forearm contusion, Houser might get a call to the majors sooner rather than later.  Baltimore might also look to use Houser in the bullpen, as a solid long man could bolster the pitching staff in another manner, and perhaps lead to something of a piggyback situation with Houser and another starter.

Houser is still owed around $840K of his $5.05MM salary for 2024.  The Orioles would be paying only the prorated portion of a MLB minimum salary if he joins their active roster, with the Mets covering the remainder of the owed salary.

Blue Jays Claim Dillon Tate

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The Blue Jays announced this afternoon that they’ve claimed right-hander Dillon Tate off waivers from the Orioles and optioned him to Triple-A. Right-hander Paolo Espino was designated for assignment to make room for Tate on the 40-man roster.

Tate, 30, was taken by the Rangers as the fourth overall pick in the 2015 draft and was a part of two blockbuster trades before he made his MLB debut. First, he was swapped from Texas to the Bronx in the deal that made Carlos Beltran a Ranger in 2016, and then two years later he was dealt from the Yankees to the Orioles at the 2018 trade deadline as part of the package that sent Zack Britton to New York. Once he joined his third organization, Tate made his big league debut in fairly short order when he debuted with Baltimore during the 2019 season. That first season in the majors did not go especially well, as he pitched to a lackluster 6.43 ERA in 21 innings of work.

After struggling to start his big league career, Tate managed to settle in over the next few years to become a reliable member of the club’s bullpen. From 2020 to 2022, the right-hander pitched to a solid 3.65 ERA with a 3.88 FIP in 141 appearances, becoming a stable middle relief option for Baltimore. That includes a particularly strong performance during the 2022 season, when the Orioles surged back over .500 for the first time since the 2016 season. That year, Tate was excellent with a 3.05 ERA and 3.28 FIP in 73 2/3 innings of work. While he struck out just 20.5% of opponents that year, he made up for that with a walk rate of just 5.5% and an elite 57.4% groundball rate.

Unfortunately, things went off the rails for Tate following that excellent 2022 season. Elbow and forearm issues wiped out the right-hander’s 2023 season in its entirety, and when he returned earlier this year he didn’t appear to be the same pitcher he was in 2022. In 33 1/3 innings with the big league club this year, Tate struggled to a 4.59 ERA and saw his strikeout rate drop to just 15.5% while his groundball rate dropped to a diminished (but still excellent) 50.9% figure. Those lackluster results and shaky peripherals were enough to convince the club to designate Tate for assignment just a few days ago, and now he’ll look to get back on track with the Orioles’ division rival Blue Jays. If Tate’s time in Toronto goes well, they’ll have the opportunity to retain the right-hander for the 2025 season via arbitration.

As for Espino, the 37-year-old righty has spent the 2024 season with the Blue Jays after signing a minor league deal with the club back in December. He’s pitched 8 2/3 innings for the club to brutal results with an 8.31 ERA and 9.06 FIP across three appearances, and his 5.18 ERA in 17 starts at the Triple-A level hasn’t been much better. The veteran hurler sports a 5.12 ERA and 5.06 FIP in 265 2/3 career innings of work spread across parts of six seasons since he made his big league debut back in 2017, and figures to return to Triple-A with Toronto to continue eating innings in the likely event that he clears waivers.

Orioles Recall Coby Mayo, Activate Zach Eflin

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11:48am: The Orioles have officially announced the return of both Eflin and Mayo, and have placed Urias on the 10-day IL with a right ankle sprain. Additionally, the club selected the contract of catcher David Banuelos from Triple-A and designated outfielder Forrest Wall for assignment to make room for him on the 40-man roster. Banuelos has spent most of the season at Triple-A after being outrighted to the minors back in April, while Wall was claimed off waivers from the Marlins just a few days ago but will now return to the waiver wire.

7:38am: Rosters expand from 26 to 28 today, meaning every team in baseball will get to call up an additional pitcher and an additional hitter as they begin play today. There’s little mystery about who those players will be for the Orioles, as manager Brandon Hyde told reporters (including Brandon Weyrich of the Baltimore Sun) that right-hander Zach Eflin will be activated from the 15-day Injured List to start today’s game against the Rockies this afternoon. Earlier in the day, Weyrich reported that top infield prospect Coby Mayo was poised to join the club as their additional hitter when rosters expanded today.

It will be the second taste of big league action for Mayo, 22. The youngster got his feet wet in the majors earlier this month with a brief cup of coffee that lasted only seven games and 20 at-bats, and he hit just .059 without an extra-base hit in that brief stint at the big league level before being optioned back to the minors. His sensational .293/.369/.574 slash line at the Triple-A level this season has left him with nothing more to prove in the minor leagues, however, so Mayo now figures to get a more extended opportunity to prove himself in the big leagues as fellow rookie Jackson Holliday has. Holliday struggled badly in his first ten games in the majors back in April but has looked better since returning to the majors the day after the trade deadline with a .218/.275/.426 slash line that’s good for a roughly league average 98 wRC+.

As for Eflin, the veteran right-hander came over to Baltimore in a trade with the Rays prior to the deadline. After posting strong enough numbers last year to finish sixth in the AL Cy Young award race, the right-hander took a step back with Tampa last year, posting a pedestrian 4.09 ERA in 19 starts despite a solid 3.68 FIP. Things changed when Eflin got to Baltimore, however, and in four starts after the swap the righty looked nothing short of excellent with a 2.13 ERA and a 24.5% strikeout rate in 25 2/3 innings of work. Eflin has been sidelined in recent weeks by a bout of shoulder inflammation, but it seems now he’s healthy enough to return to action. The Orioles are surely counting on the righty to help keep afloat a beleaguered rotation that also lost Grayson Rodriguez to the injured list in the month of August.

While Mayo and Eflin were both expected to be the club’s extra players following roster expansion, it’s possible after last night’s game that two more spots on the roster could open up today as both right-hander Dean Kremer and infielder Ramon Urias exited due to injuries yesterday. Kremer was struck by a comebacker in the fourth inning yesterday and exited with a right forearm contusion, with Manny Randhawa of MLB.com among those to relay the news that Kremer’s initial x-rays came back negative. As noted by Danielle Allentuck of the Baltimore Banner, both he and Urias, who who suffered a sprained ankle after also narrowly avoiding injury when struck in the face by a pitch earlier in the game, figure to be evaluated further today to see if either player will require a stint on the injured list.

The planned returns of Eflin and Mayo to the roster coincidentally figure to cover for the losses of Kremer in the rotation and Urias at third base in the short term, but if either player requires a stint on the injured list the team will likely need to deep into its depth in order to fill out the roster. Deadline addition Trevor Rogers is on the 40-man roster and could return to the rotation is Kremer misses time, though he was optioned after posting a disastrous 7.11 ERA in his first four starts as an Oriole. On the positional side, meanwhile, non-roster veterans like J.D. Davis or Jean Segura could provide infield depth for the club if Urias ends up going on the shelf.

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