Orioles Notes: Mountcastle, Mayo
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.)
Jordan Westburg Undergoes Imaging For Potential Elbow Injury
Orioles infielder Jordan Westburg has been slowed by an oblique injury in camp and was already expected to miss the first few games of exhibition play as a result. However, it appears there’s greater concern than just a mild oblique strain. Andy Kostka of the Baltimore Banner reports that Westburg was sent for imaging on his elbow. The results have not yet been disclosed. O’s podcaster Brooks Rothschild suggested yesterday that Westburg could miss significant time due to an elbow issue.
Asked today whether Westburg was dealing with an elbow issue in addition to that oblique injury, manager Craig Albernaz told reporters (via MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko): “Right now, he’s physically unable to participate. So he’s getting evaluated by a medical team and also outside people to make sure we have a plan in place and see what’s going on with Jordan and get him going.”
Baltimore’s infield is already banged up. Second baseman Jackson Holliday suffered a hamate fracture recently and is expected to open the season on the injured list. Westburg has typically been Baltimore’s third baseman but has plenty of experience at second base and could have filled in for Holliday while Coby Mayo, Blaze Alexander or Jeremiah Jackson handled the hot corner. Now, it seems there’s a chance Westburg will instead join Holliday on the injured list.
Since his 2023 MLB debut, the now-27-year-old Westburg has been a consistently productive, well-rounded player when healthy. The “when healthy” caveat has proven critical, however. Westburg has never topped 107 games or 447 plate appearances in the majors. Since his initial call to the big leagues, he’s seen IL time for a broken hand, a pair of hamstring strains and an ankle sprain. Westburg carries a .264/.312/.456 batting line in 1027 major league plate appearances, but he’s played in only 341 games (majors and minors combined) across the past three seasons.
Baltimore has been giving former top prospect Coby Mayo plenty of reps at third base during spring training and will presumably continue to do so. Mayo has said that the focus of his early spring work is his defense at the hot corner. He was drafted as a third baseman, but scouts have long questioned whether he can handle the position, and the O’s have given him the majority of his major league work at first base. However, between the Pete Alonso signing and injuries elsewhere in the infield, it’s only logical to get Mayo some more work at third base to see if he can help out there on at least a semi-regular basis.
Mayo’s name was bandied about the rumor mill throughout the winter. Even as recently as this weekend, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic suggested that Baltimore has continued to discuss the 24-year-old in potential trade scenarios. If there’s now concern surrounding Westburg’s availability, one would imagine that will lessen any such talks (unless, speculatively speaking, Mayo is shipped out for a more established veteran infielder).
If Westburg is sidelined for any significant period of time, there are possibilities outside the organization. Old friends Ramón Urías, Jose Iglesias and Emmanuel Rivera remain unsigned, as do veteran utilitymen Jon Berti and Luis Urías (Ramón’s younger brother). None of those players could be reasonably expected to match the offense of a healthy Westburg, but any of the three would deepen the infield mix and — specifically for Urias and Berti — provide a fair bit of defensive versatility. Myriad trade possibilities abound, even beyond the obvious names still on the market. The aforementioned Alexander certainly wasn’t a frequently discussed trade candidate when the O’s sent Kade Strowd and a pair of prospects to Arizona to pry him loose.
That swap looked a bit surprising at the time but will now pay considerable dividends. Alexander can handle either second base or third base. He hit .230/.323/.383 in 74 games last year but closed out the season on a more impressive .239/.338/.415 stretch following the D-backs’ trade of Eugenio Suárez, at which point Alexander took over as the primary third baseman.
Orioles Exploring Trades Of Coby Mayo, Ryan Mountcastle
Even as Spring Training begins to get underway, the Orioles are continuing to explore trade possibilities involving Coby Mayo and Ryan Mountcastle, according to a report from Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.
That news comes in spite of recent news that second baseman Jackson Holliday has undergone hamate surgery, which is expected to sideline him for the start of the season. That news creates a path for the Orioles to roster both Mayo and Mountcastle by moving Jordan Westburg to second base in Holliday’s absence and playing Mayo at the hot corner, where he’s gotten most of his reps throughout his career. Of course, that’s a less than ideal solution given that Mayo’s lackluster defense at third base is what prompted the club to explore the option of using him in a first base/DH role in the first place. Whether Mayo ultimately winds up playing third on Opening Day or not, however, the Orioles will struggle to find roles for both Mountcastle and Mayo throughout the year given the presence of Pete Alonso at first base, Taylor Ward in left field, and the club’s desire to utilize Samuel Basallo at DH when he’s not backing up Adley Rutschman behind the plate.
Rosenthal notes that Mayo would have more value than Mountcastle on the trade market, and that’s certainly the case. Mayo is a former top prospect who has not yet broken through at the big league level, but he posted a decent 95 wRC+ in 85 games last year, including a 109 wRC+ after the All-Star break. Mayo only just celebrated his 24th birthday in December, has six seasons of team control remaining, and is still making the league minimum salary. That should make him a very attractive potential option for clubs interested in adding some right-handed pop in a corner, though the Orioles would surely be looking for a significant return for such a well-regarded young player.
Mountcastle, on the other hand, shouldn’t cost much in trade at all. The six-year MLB veteran will celebrate his 29th birthday later this week, and while he was a career .265/.316/.450 (111 wRC+) hitter entering last year, an injury-marred 2025 campaign left him with an 81 wRC+ in just 89 games last year. He avoided being non-tendered by the Orioles somewhat surprisingly this past winter and is now set to play on a one-year deal that guarantees him $6.787MM and comes with a $7.5MM club option for the 2027 season. That club option creates some upside for an acquiring club, as it would allow them to retain Mountcastle next year if he bounces back to his career norms. Even so, Mountcastle was a below replacement level player last year and is making a salary that’s hardly insignificant. With players like Ty France and Rhys Hoskins still available in free agency for nothing but money, it would be a surprise to see a team give up significant trade capital in order to acquire Mountcastle.
That doesn’t mean there’s zero room for a deal to be made, of course. Perhaps a team like the Guardians, Rangers, or Cubs could benefit from adding some right-handed pop to their first base/DH mix. Alternatively, it’s not hard to imagine a team like the Nationals, Rockies, or White Sox with space to fill on their roster and low expectations for 2026 seeing Mountcastle as an intriguing bounceback candidate who they could give significant runway to in hopes of helping him rebuild value and flipping him either at this summer’s trade deadline or next offseason. Mayo could surely fit all of those teams as well, of course, though at a much higher asking price and with plenty of additional possible suitors. Teams like the Yankees, Red Sox, Pirates, and Marlins could all be feasible longer-term fits for Mayo, particularly if they believe him to be capable of handling third base.
Jackson Holliday To Begin Season On Injured List Following Hamate Surgery
Feb. 12: Holliday had successful surgery today to address his fractured hamate bone, according to multiple reports, including from Matt Weyrich of the Baltimore Sun. The second baseman is expected to be sidelined several weeks beyond Opening Day.
Feb. 11: Orioles second baseman Jackson Holliday will open the 2026 season on the injured list after suffering a fractured hamate bone in his right hand during live batting practice on Feb. 6, president of baseball operations Mike Elias announced to the team’s beat this morning (link via Andy Kostka of the Baltimore Banner). He’ll likely miss the first several weeks of the season.
Elias also added that infielder Jordan Westburg suffered an oblique injury three weeks ago while training but is only expected to miss the first few games of Grapefruit League play (via MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko). The team isn’t concerned about his Opening Day status at this juncture. Righty Colin Selby, meanwhile, is dealing with inflammation in his right shoulder and is expected to open the season on the injured list (per Matt Weyrich of the Baltimore Sun).
The Holliday injury is the most notable of the bunch. The former No. 1 pick and top prospect had been in line to open the season at second base after hitting .242/.314/.375 with 17 homers and 17 steals in his age-21 season with the O’s last year. Second base will now presumably fall to some combination of trade acquisition Blaze Alexander and utilityman Jeremiah Jackson. Alternatively, Baltimore could play Westburg at second base and give Coby Mayo some run at third base to begin the season.
Many fans on social media were quick to jump to the conclusion that the Holliday injury was a driving factor behind Baltimore’s acquisition of Alexander in last week’s trade with the Diamondbacks. However, the timing was a matter of happenstance; Holliday actually suffered the fracture in his hand/wrist the day after the Alexander trade was completed. Perhaps there was some modest concern about Westburg’s oblique at the time, but Holliday’s injury didn’t have any impact on that swap.
Hamate fractures are relatively common. Stars Francisco Lindor and Corbin Carroll are currently in similar boats at the moment. The resulting surgery typically sidelines players for anywhere from four to eight weeks. Hand injuries of this nature can often have a lingering impact on a player’s power output even after he’s cleared to return to the field, though every case is unique unto itself, of course. Assuming Holliday indeed hits the injured list, this will the first major league IL placement of his young career.
As for Selby, there’s less certainty on his outlook at the moment. The Orioles acquired him from the Royals in a July 2024 swap sending cash back to Kansas City. He spent the rest of that year and the majority of the 2025 season in Triple-A, but the 28-year-old righty was effective in 14 big league frames in 2025. Those 14 innings came over the life of 11 appearances and saw Selby hold opponents to five runs (3.21 ERA) on 16 hits and just two walks with 14 strikeouts. Selby also tossed 25 2/3 innings of 2.45 ERA ball at the Triple-A level, fanning 31.5% of his opponents there.
Selby’s IL placement opens up some space in the team’s Opening Day bullpen competition, which could create an easier path for lefty Grant Wolfram, righty Yaramil Hiraldo or out-of-options right-hander Rico Garcia. Right-hander Chayce McDermott, too, could find himself in that mix. He’s been a starter in the past, but Elias said today that the 27-year-old righty will be used as a reliever in the upcoming season (via Kostka). Righty Tyler Wells, meanwhile, will build up as a starter. There’s currently no clear rotation opening for him, but stretching out in camp will create some insurance for rotation injuries. Wells could open the season in a long relief role in the ‘pen or in the rotation with Triple-A Norfolk; he still has two minor league option years remaining.
Orioles Notes: Baz, Mayo, Rotation Additions
After spending four prospects and a draft pick to acquire him, the Orioles have high hopes for right-hander Shane Baz. “He hasn’t fully tapped into his ceiling yet, so we see him as a front end of the rotation starter,” president of baseball operations Mike Elias told reporters this week, including Jacob Calvin Meyer of the Baltimore Sun.
Baltimore landed Baz with a package headlined by recent first-round picks Slater de Brun and Caden Bodine. He’ll likely slot in behind Kyle Bradish and Trevor Rogers as the club’s No. 3 starter. Baz posted an ERA up near 5.00 in his final season with the Rays. Elias cited Tampa Bay’s home venue as the potential culprit. “We see a lot of underlying information in his statistics and his performance this year suggests that he had bad luck. A lot of it was driven by the ballpark that the Rays were playing in.” Tampa Bay played its home games at George M. Steinbrenner Field this past season due to hurricane damage at Tropicana Field.
Baz did have significant home/road splits in 2025. He posted a 5.90 ERA in 16 home starts, compared to a 3.86 mark in 15 appearances on the road. Baz allowed 10 more home runs at George M. Steinbrenner Field than he did away from the venue. Interestingly, Camden Yards graded out as a slightly better hitter’s park than George M. Steinbrenner Field this past season, per Statcast’s Park Factors.
The big key for Baz could be righty/lefty splits at his new home. George M. Steinbrenner Field ranked third in Park Factor for right-handed hitters this past season, while Camden Yards was 19th. The Orioles recently moved the left field fences in after having pushed them back, and they also lowered the enormous “Walltimore,” though that side of the field has still been tough on righty bats. Baz has reverse splits, allowing much more damage to same-handed hitters this past season. Righties slugged 55 points higher against Baz than lefties, while striking out far less often and walking slightly more frequently. Baz struck out lefties at a solid 28.2% rate, but punched out righties at a middling 21.7% clip.
The swing for Baz helps solidify Baltimore’s rotation, though that doesn’t mean he’ll be the last addition. Elias said the front office will “stay hard at work” to continue improving the unit. Dean Kremer is locked into a starting spot, but the depth chart gets murky from there. Tyler Wells made it back after an extended injury absence to make four starts in September. Injuries have limited him to 37 innings over the past two seasons. Young arms Cade Povich, Chayce McDermott, and Brandon Young had opportunities in 2025, but none of them delivered notable results. Swingman Albert Suarez is back with the club on a minor league deal.
Baltimore’s busy offseason has mostly focused on the hitting side, but the club was linked to Michael King before he returned to San Diego, along with current free agents Framber Valdez, Ranger Suarez, and Tatsuya Imai. The Orioles have also been connected to Freddy Peralta, Edward Cabrera, and MacKenzie Gore in the trade market. Free agents like Valdez and Suarez are now a bit more intriguing for the Orioles following the Baz trade. Both pitchers rejected qualifying offers, so teams will have to forfeit their third-highest draft pick to sign them. As Jake Rill of MLB.com points out, Baltimore would’ve ceded the No. 46 overall selection prior to the Baz deal. Now that the team has sent their Competitive Balance Round A pick (33rd overall) to Tampa Bay, the penalty for signing a Valdez or a Suarez would be the 83rd pick, softening the blow of losing draft compensation.
The Orioles made one of the biggest splashes of the offseason when they brought in Pete Alonso on a massive five-year deal. The move could potentially block Coby Mayo, though Elias expressed optimism about finding at-bats for the former top prospect. “There is still a lot of playing time available for [Mayo] on a team that has Pete Alonso now,” Elias said. “We have first base reps, we have designated hitter reps, and the exploration of other positions — whether it’s third or something in the corner outfield.”
Mayo was originally drafted as a third baseman. He spent ample time at both corner infield spots in the minors, though the majority of his big-league experience has come at first base. Mayo appeared in 70 games at first base this past season, compared to just three games at the hot corner. The 24-year-old hasn’t played the outfield as a professional.
After being overmatched in his brief 2024 debut, Mayo continued to struggle for the first few months of this past season. He turned it on in September, slashing .301/.393/.548 across 24 games to close the season. Nearly half of Mayo’s 11 home runs came over the final month of the campaign. The young slugger continued to strike out at a near-30% rate, but showed flashes of the power potential that helped move him up Baltimore’s system. The Orioles have Jordan Westburg penciled in at third base and several young options in the outfield. The club could find part-time work for Mayo if they’re determined to get him at-bats, but it would likely need to come at multiple positions.
Photo courtesy of Sergio Estrada, Imagn Images
Orioles Notes: Eflin, Bradish, Wells, Mountcastle
The Orioles announced this morning that right-hander Zach Eflin underwent a lumbar microdiscectomy procedure. The season-ending back surgery was announced last week, and this morning’s procedure went as expected, per the team. Eflin is hopeful of having a “normal” offseason after about 12 weeks, but recovery from this type of procedure can take anywhere from four to eight months. Every instance is different, of course, and there’s no real way to tell just how long Eflin will be down until he begins the rehab process.
This was a disaster season for the 31-year-old Eflin, who’s been limited to 14 starts and 71 1/3 innings by a lat strain and this back issue — an injury he revealed has bothered him on and off for several years. He posted a dismal 5.93 ERA when on the field — miles away from the 3.54 mark he posted in 343 innings for the Rays and Orioles during the first two seasons of his current three-year, $40MM contract (2023-24).
Eflin said last week that he was very open to a return to the Orioles. Whether the team pursue that option remains to be seen, but the O’s will clearly be in the market for arms this offseason. Eflin is a free agent, as is righty Tomoyuki Sugano. Fellow right-hander Charlie Morton was traded to the Tigers (and is a free agent at season’s end, too). Grayson Rodriguez won’t pitch this season after undergoing a debridement procedure in his elbow. The O’s have Trevor Rogers, Dean Kremer, Cade Povich and Brandon Young all controlled through next year. Righties Tyler Wells and Kyle Bradish can hopefully contribute down the stretch after they wrap up their rehab from last year’s UCL procedures, but a return to full health and prior levels of performance can’t simply be assumed.
Bradish, according to Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com, is expected to make one final rehab start before he returns from what will end up being about a 14-month absence due to Tommy John surgery. He’s made five minor league starts and pitched to a 4.67 ERA with a 28.6% strikeout rate and 7.8% walk rate in 17 1/3 innings thus far. Wells, who had internal brace surgery around the same time as Bradish had his own operation, has made four rehab starts and pitched 13 innings of 2.03 ERA ball with nearly identical strikeout and walk rates to those of his teammate (28.3%, 7.5%). Bradish is controlled three more years beyond the current season. Wells is controlled for two more years.
Elsewhere on the roster, Ryan Mountcastle is facing some roster uncertainty of his own. The longtime Baltimore first baseman missed more than two months with a hamstring injury, and he returned to a very different roster. The O’s sold off veterans Morton, Cedric Mullins, Ryan O’Hearn, Ramon Laureano, Seranthony Dominguez and Gregory Soto at the trade deadline. Prospects Coby Mayo and Samuel Basallo are now getting legitimate auditions to show they can be long-term contributors at Camden Yards.
The presence of both Mayo and Basallo has and will continue to cut into Mountcastle’s playing time. The 28-year-old Mountcastle chatted with Andy Kostka of the Baltimore Banner about his reduced role, stating that he took it in stride and will be eager to help Mayo or Basallo with any questions or insight they might seek down the stretch. “Whatever they need, whatever I can do to help, I’m willing to do it,” Mountcastle said.
Interim manager Tony Mansolino told Kostka that he’ll try his best to be “creative” and get at-bats for Mayo, Basallo, Mountcastle and catcher Adley Rutschman to the extent possible. Basallo will be backing up Rutschman behind the plate but also factor in at first base and designated hitter — Mountcastle’s two positions.
From a bigger-picture standpoint, it’s increasingly fair to wonder about Mountcastile’s future outlook with the team. He’s eligible for arbitration for the final time this winter and will get a raise north of $7MM. He’ll be a free agent after the 2026 season. The O’s, as previously mentioned, are going to need to invest in the rotation this winter and, in Mayo and Basallo, now have younger pre-arbitration options to step in at first base and DH. It’s easy enough to see Mountcastle being traded or, depending on how he finishes, perhaps even non-tendered.
Mountcastle struggled tremendously prior to landing on the injured list, hitting just .246/.280/.348 in exactly 200 plate appearances before his injury. He’s had limited playing time but looked excellent upon his return. He hit .387/.486/.806 in nine rehab games (31 plate appearances) and, since returning, is 8-for-29 with two homers, a double, a pair of walks and a hit-by-pitch. He’s slashing .276/.333/.517 in his first 33 plate appearances back on the big league roster and has even stolen a pair of bases (despite stealing just three in each of the past two seasons).
So far, anyway, the hamstring looks to be rehabilitated, and Mountcastle looks far better than he did early on. It bears reminding that from 2021-24, Mountcastle was a key factor in a terrific Baltimore lineup, hitting .260/.312/.447 with 86 home runs, 102 doubles and five triples. He’s a right-handed hitter who’s beat up left-handed pitching throughout his career and turned in slightly better-than-average results versus righties. He’s also a sound defensive first baseman. With a 2026 salary likely in the vicinity of $8MM, Mountcastle could be a nice short-term pickup for a team looking for a stopgap option at first base — if the Orioles elect to go with their up-and-coming bats at the position.
Orioles Place Ryan Mountcastle On 10-Day IL, Recall Coby Mayo
The Orioles announced four roster moves Saturday, including the news that first baseman Ryan Mountcastle has been placed on the 10-day injured list due to a right hamstring strain. Top infield prospect Coby Mayo has been called up from Triple-A Norfolk, and outfielder Jordyn Adams is also heading up from Triple-A after his contract was selected to Baltimore’s active roster. To create space on the 40-man roster, catcher Chadwick Tromp was designated for assignment.
Mountcastle stole home for what ended up as the winning run in the Orioles’ 2-1 win over the White Sox yesterday, but the first baseman left the game a couple of innings later due to what was described just as discomfort in his hamstring. The severity of the strain isn’t yet known, as interim manager Tony Mansolino told reporters (including Matt Weyrich of the Baltimore Sun) that Mountcastle would be undergoing an MRI today.
Like much of the Orioles roster, Mountcastle has gotten off to a rough start in 2025, with just a .246/.280/.348 slash line to show for 200 plate appearances. It is a huge dropoff from the generally solid (112 wRC+) production Mountcastle posted over his first five seasons as a regular in the O’s lineup. Mountcastle has traditionally hit with enough power to overcome subpar walk and strikeout totals, but while his barrel and barrel rates are at his career norms, his Isolated Power is only .102 (far below his .185 career number prior to 2025).
This IL stint could be viewed as a potential reset for Mountcastle’s season in this context, and his absence gives Mayo another shot at establishing himself at the MLB level. Mayo has been called up for a few limited stints in the majors over the last two seasons, and has hit only .094/.186/.094 over 59 PA against big league pitching. Even these extreme struggles can be written off as a small sample size, though Mayo’s domination of Triple-A pitching has also fallen off this year, as he has a modest .226/.318/.452 slash over 195 PA in Norfolk.
It is obviously far too soon to write off a player who has gone from being a fourth-round pick in the 2020 draft to a fixture on top-100 prospect lists. Mayo hasn’t gotten much playing time with Baltimore due to the team’s crowded infield, yet perhaps in monkey’s paw fashion, some opportunity has now arisen due to the Orioles’ disastrous start and the swath of injuries that have taken out most of the everyday lineup.
Mountcastle joins Jordan Westburg, Colton Cowser, Cedric Mullins, Tyler O’Neill, Gary Sanchez, and Ramon Laureano on the long list of Orioles position players on the IL. Between this group and several pitchers also sidelined, the Orioles haven’t been able to make up the depth in stumbling to a 20-36 record.
Westburg and Cowser are both on Triple-A rehab assignments and could be back in relatively short order. With Mullins hitting the IL yesterday, however, the Orioles will shore up their outfield by adding Adams, who inked a minor league contract with the team over the offseason.
Adams has hit only .212/.316/.345 in 136 PA at Triple-A this season, and his big league track record consists of a .176/.205/.216 slash line in 78 PA with the Angels over the 2023-24 seasons. A former first-rounder who received some top-100 attention during his time in the Halos’ farm system, Adams can play all three outfield positions, and is a decent bench option to have on hand until Cowser returns.
Tromp was also a minor league signing in April, and he was selected to the MLB roster earlier this week due to concerns that Adley Rutschman might have required a stint on the seven-day concussion-related IL. Since Rutschman ended up needing just a couple of days off and Maverick Handley is on hand as the backup catcher, Tromp will now head to DFA limbo after making two in-game appearances during his brief time on Baltimore’s roster.
Tromp has seen at least a little action in each of the last six MLB seasons, appearing in 63 total games with the Giants, Braves, and Orioles from 2020-25. Tromp is out of minor league options, and thus the O’s had to designate him and expose him to the waiver wire before trying to send him down to Triple-A. If Tromp clears waivers, he can reject an outright assignment to Triple-A because he has previously been outrighted in his career. It remains to be seen if Tromp may choose to move on from the Orioles given the crowded depth chart of Rutschman, Handley, and Sanchez, as Tromp may prefer to join a team that has more of a clear path to big league playing time.
Orioles Recall Coby Mayo
3:27pm: The Orioles have officially announced Mayo’s promotion. As noted by Kubatko, Urias was in fact placed on the 10-day injured list with what the Orioles have termed a “mild” hamstring strain. Manager Brandon Hyde told reporters (including Kubatko) that the club expects Urias’s trip to the IL to be a short one, and then he’ll resume a running progression after resting for a couple of days.
1:00pm: The Orioles are bringing infield prospect Coby Mayo back up to the majors. Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com reported that Mayo was on his way to join the team. Matt Weyrich of The Baltimore Sun confirmed that Mayo would indeed be recalled to the active roster.
Mayo, 23, is one of the best prospects in baseball but he has struggled to find playing time in a crowded Baltimore infield. He made his major league debut last year but was optioned back to the minors multiple times and only got 46 plate appearances over 17 games.
He came into camp this year with a shot at earning an Opening Day job but was optioned to the minors in mid-March. Mayo is only really a viable option at the corners. Ryan Mountcastle and Ryan O’Hearn have been sharing first base and the designated hitter spot.
Shortstop Gunnar Henderson started the season on the IL but the club decided to go with a rotation of Jordan Westburg, Jackson Holliday, Jorge Mateo and Ramón Urías to cover the three infield spots to the left of first base. Henderson was off the IL after missing just seven games. That left Westburg and Urías sharing third while Holliday and Mateo shared second.
Though Mayo expressed some frustration with getting optioned, he has continued mashing in the minors. He already has six home runs and has been drawing walks at a 12.6% pace. He has a .252/.346/.523 line and 130 wRC+ for the year. Dating back to the start of 2023, he has 1,147 minor league plate appearances with a .287/.390/.570 line and 149 wRC+.
Though he has been doing everything in his power to push for a promotion, the O’s seemed content to wait. Yesterday, general manager Mike Elias spoke on the situation, per Jake Rill of MLB.com. “He’s going to be a big part of this team,” Elias said, though he added that Mayo needed the “right opportunity” or the “right pathway”.
It seems that injuries have finally created that pathway. Westburg landed on the 10-day injured list earlier this week due to a left hamstring strain. Urías was scratched from last night’s game due to right hamstring tightness, leaving Emmanuel Rivera to play third base. With Mayo’s reported recall, perhaps Urías will land on the injured list. Presumably, Mayo will take over at the regular third baseman, with Rivera serving a bench role.
Perhaps that means this will only be a brief promotion. Mayo only hit .098/.196/.098 in his debut last year. If he struggles again this time, he could end up optioned back to Norfolk when Westburg and Urías get healthy, though it’s also possible that he hits enough to stick around. Mountcastle is having an awful year, so perhaps there’s a scenario where his playing time goes to Mayo even with Westburg and Urías on the roster.
Time will tell how that plays out, which will impact Mayo’s future contractual status. He came into this year with 43 days of major league service time, putting him 129 shy of the one-year mark. There are still 148 days remaining in the regular season, meaning Mayo can get over the one-year line if he’s up the rest of the way. That would put him on track to qualify for arbitration after 2027 and free agency after 2030. However, getting optioned back down to the minors later in the year could prevent him from getting over the one-year line and could push those timelines.
Photo courtesy of Nathan Ray Seebeck, Imagn Images
Orioles Reportedly Open To Offers On Ryan Mountcastle
The Orioles are letting rival clubs know that first baseman Ryan Mountcastle is available in trade talks, according to a report from Bob Nightengale of USA Today. There’s no indication that Baltimore is particularly close to moving Mountcastle, and now that the regular season has begun it wouldn’t be a surprise if talks were largely tabled until closer to the trade deadline.
Mountcastle, 28, was a first-round pick by the Orioles back in 2015 and a consensus top-100 prospect prior to his big league debut in 2020. The slugger received down-ballot Rookie of the Year votes in both 2020 and ’21 as he hit a combined .270/.324/.488 with 38 homers and 28 doubles in 179 games across the two seasons. That explosive start to Mountcastle’s MLB career didn’t last, however, as he’s not slugged 30 homers in a season since 2021 and saw his everyday playing time in Baltimore erode somewhat following the breakout season Ryan O’Hearn enjoyed in 2023. Since the start of the 2022 campaign, Mountcastle has looked the part of a solid if unspectacular regular. He’s slashed .262/.312/.431 with 53 homers and 80 doubles in 387 games while playing generally adequate defense at first base.
Overall, Mountcastle is clearly a valuable player but one that looks like an increasingly questionable fit on the Orioles’ roster. As previously mentioned, O’Hearn has come into his own since breaking out in Baltimore during the 2023 season, and his .276/.329/.449 slash line in 257 games with the Orioles indicates that he’s actually outproduced Mountcastle on a rate basis in that time. If O’Hearn was the only player competing with Mountcastle for time at the hot corner, perhaps that wouldn’t be worth exploring a trade over. After all, the right-handed hitting Mountcastle serves as a strong complement for the lefty-swinging O’Hearn, who has been heavily platooned throughout his career and does not hit well against fellow southpaws.
Mountcastle’s long-term fit in Baltimore is further complicated by the presence of Coby Mayo. The Orioles’ top prospect is a consensus top-30 talent in the sport, and he’s clearly ready for a proper big league audition even after struggling badly in a 17-game cup of coffee last year given his career .276/.373/.536 slash line at Triple-A. Much like Mountcastle himself, the 23-year-old Mayo profiles best as a first baseman at the big league level despite coming up through the minors as a third baseman. There simply isn’t enough room for all of Mountcastle, Mayo, and O’Hearn in the club’s first base plans, and while occasional time at DH or in the corner outfield spots could help the club better allocate playing time those spots are already crowded by the presence of Colton Cowser, Tyler O’Neill, and Heston Kjerstad not to mention Ramon Laureano.
With such a deep group of corner outfield and DH options already, it seems likely that a trade opening up time at first base represents Mayo’s best path to regular playing time in Baltimore outside of an injury at the big league level. Of the club’s other two first base options, Mountcastle makes the most sense to shop given the fact that Mayo is a fellow right-handed hitter, meaning he would serve as a strong complement to O’Hearn the same way Mountcastle has over the past two seasons. Mayo would not be able to slide into O’Hearn’s role alongside Mountcastle anywhere near as easily, with the two right-handed hitters likely proving somewhat redundant even if O’Hearn was no longer in the mix.
If Mountcastle is indeed on the trade block, he’d be an attractive addition for plenty of teams. The 28-year-old is controlled through the end of the 2026 season, and while he’s largely limited defensively to first base and DH he should still be an intriguing potential addition for clubs in need of right-handed thump in the lineup. A heavily left-handed lineup like that of the Tigers could surely benefit from the presence of a player like Mountcastle, especially if Spencer Torkelson can’t maintain his hot start and remains a question mark this year. The Diamondbacks, Twins, Giants, and Padres are among the other clubs for whom Mountcastle could be an upgrade, though with four months until the trade deadline there’s still plenty of time for the needs of clubs all around the league to change and impact Mountcastle’s market if the Orioles are set on moving him.
Orioles Option Coby Mayo To Minor League Camp
The Orioles announced this afternoon that they’ve optioned top infield prospect Coby Mayo to minor league camp. He’ll open the season at Triple-A Norfolk. Baltimore also reassigned non-roster invitees Samuel Basallo, Daz Cameron, Nick Gordon, Corbin Martin, Levi Stoudt and Thaddeus Ward to minor league camp.
Mayo, 23, has played parts of two seasons in Triple-A. He’s a .279/.376/.543 hitter in 151 career games at that level. He expressed some disappointment with the move. “It obviously sucks because you feel like you’ve proven everything you’ve needed to (in the minors),” he told reporters (including Andy Kostka of The Baltimore Banner). “Sometimes it doesn’t feel like it’s quite enough. Obviously, you go back there and if you have success, it’s ‘oh he’s supposed to have success because he’s already proven it,’ and if he doesn’t have success, it’s ‘well obviously he’s fallen off.’ It’s kind of a lose-lose going to Norfolk.”
Manager Brandon Hyde said the move is a testament to Baltimore’s infield depth. “Good teams option players that they like,” Hyde said (via Jacob Calvin Meyer of The Baltimore Banner). “More reps at Triple-A, we feel like that’s what he needs right now.”
While it’s understandable that Mayo feels he doesn’t have much more to show against minor league pitching, the Orioles weren’t likely to carry him on the Opening Day roster. He appeared in 17 major league games last season, hitting .098 while striking out 22 times in 46 plate appearances. He had a similarly poor camp, batting .190 with 13 strikeouts and no homers over 46 trips to the dish.
Mayo drilled 22 homers in 89 Triple-A contests last year. He has huge power and draws plenty of walks. There’ll be a lot of strikeouts, but Mayo has a shot to hit in the middle of the lineup at his peak. The O’s aren’t going to want him sitting on the MLB bench. Ramón Urías and (once healthy) Jorge Mateo are better fits for utility roles. Mayo isn’t going to play over Jordan Westburg at third base. The O’s have Ryan Mountcastle, Ryan O’Hearn and backup catcher Gary Sánchez lined up for the majority of reps between first base and designated hitter. Mayo could theoretically push Mountcastle for playing time at first base, but the latter is an established above-average hitter who is having a monster spring.
The infield depth has made Mayo the subject of some trade speculation, but it’s rare for teams to deal away prospects of that caliber. He still has two option years remaining (including this one), so there’s no pressing roster consideration. O’Hearn and Sánchez will be free agents next offseason. Mountcastle has two seasons of arbitration control remaining. There should be a clearer path for Mayo (and Basallo) to break camp in 2026. For now, it’ll probably require injuries to players above him on the depth chart to get everyday reps in the big leagues.