Orioles' Grayson Rodriguez: Could face hitters this week
Rotowire
Rodriguez (lat) could face hitters at some point this week during the Orioles' road trip, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.
Rodriguez began throwing off a mound last week and should be able to take the next step in his recovery soon. The right-hander has been sidelined since early August with a right lat strain and will surely need a rehab start or two before rejoining the Orioles' rotation, so he's probably looking at a late-September return even if all goes well.
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Orioles' Ryan Mountcastle: Uncertain timeline for return
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Manager Brandon Hyde relayed Monday that he wasn't sure when Mountcastle (wrist) would return from the 10-day injured list, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.
Mountcastle sprained his left wrist Aug. 22 against Houston while sliding into second base. He was placed on the 10-day injured list four days later, but it wasn't until Friday that he started swinging a bat by hitting off a tee. The Orioles are in a tight race in the AL East with the Yankees, but they have a comfortable lead in the AL Wild Card, so there could be caution in bringing Mountcastle back into the fold to avoid aggravating his wrist injury. From the end of the All-Star break to his placement on the IL, Mountcastle had a slash line of .259/.296/.370 with one home run and 18 RBI across 115 plate appearances.
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Orioles' Jordan Westburg: Fields grounders Monday
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Westburg (hand) was spotted fielding grounders while the Orioles were warming up prior to Monday's game against the Red Sox, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.
Westburg still remains without a clear timeline to return from the 10-day injured list, but the fact that he traveled with the team to Boston and took part in some baseball activities Monday while no longer sporting a cast on his fractured right hand can be taken as a positive sign. The young infielder has been on the shelf since Aug. 1 with the injury, so he'll likely require a rehab assignment at Double-A Bowie or Triple-A Norfolk before he makes his return from the IL.
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Orioles' Coby Mayo: Rare start Monday
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Mayo will start at third base and bat eighth in Monday's game versus the Red Sox, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.
It's just his third start in eight games since being recalled from Triple-A Norfolk in the wake of the Ramon Urias (ankle) injury, although he did enter as a pinch-hitter each of the last two days. Mayo is only 2-for-25 with 15 strikeouts so far at the major-league level.
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Orioles' Cedric Mullins: Moving up to two hole Monday
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Mullins will start in center field and bat second in Monday's game in Boston, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.
Mullins hadn't previously batted higher than fifth all season and that came back in April. The center fielder is 10-for-24 with a couple home runs so far in September and the Orioles want to see if he can spark them from higher in the batting order with his hot bat. Typical No. 2 hitter Adley Rutschman will hit fifth Monday.
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Orioles' Jackson Holliday: Exiting lineup Monday
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Holliday is not in the lineup for Monday's game in Boston, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.
After getting off to a fast start initially upon his promotion from Triple-A Norfolk on July 31, Holliday has stumbled to a .139/.208/.200 batting line with a 34.7 percent strikeout rate over his last 20 games. Livan Soto will start at second base and bat ninth for the Orioles on Monday.
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Orioles' Heston Kjerstad: Starts up rehab at High-A
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Kjerstad (concussion) began a rehab assignment with High-A Aberdeen on Saturday and has gone 2-for-5 with a walk and a run over his first two contests with the affiliate.
Kjerstad served as Aberdeen's designated hitter Saturday, then played five innings in right field Sunday. He'll likely remain in the minors during the upcoming week as he looks to regain his timing at the plate while he's been sidelined since late July while recovering from a concussion. Once Kjerstad is activated from the 10-day injured list, the Orioles may not have regular playing time available for him at the big-league level, so he could be optioned to Triple-A Norfolk.
Orioles' Gunnar Henderson: Racks up three hits in loss
Rotowire
Henderson went 3-for-4 with a stolen base in Sunday's 2-0 loss to the Rays.
Henderson played well, but only one other Oriole (Cedric Mullins) produced any hits in the contest. This was Henderson's fourth multi-hit effort over seven games in September -- he's 12-for-28 (.429) with three home runs and seven RBI in that span. The shortstop is up to a .282/.367/.540 slash line with 36 homers, 85 RBI, 108 runs scored and 18 steals through 142 games this season. Henderson's recent success has come since he was moved back to the top of the order versus right-handed pitchers.
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Orioles' Corbin Burnes: Tough-luck loser in quality start
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Burnes (13-8) took the loss Sunday against the Rays, allowing two earned runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out three in six innings.
Burnes scattered five singles throughout the first five frames, holding the Rays scoreless until Jonny DeLuca launched a two-run home run in the sixth, which turned out to be the only runs scored in the low-scoring affair. It wasn't Burnes' most dominant outing, but he managed to notch his 20th quality start of the season and his first since Aug. 10. On the season, the 29-year-old sports a 3.18 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 157:43 K:BB in 175 innings (29 starts). He will look to get back in the win column his next time out, scheduled for next weekend in Detroit.
Orioles' Danny Coulombe: Beginning rehab Wednesday
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Coulombe (elbow) will start his rehab assignment with Triple-A Norfolk on Wednesday according to pitching coach Drew French, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.
Coulombe threw a live batting practice session Tuesday and is now ready for game action. Considering he's been out since mid-June after undergoing surgery to remove bone chips from his left elbow, it'll likely take a handful of rehab appearances before Coulombe is ready to return to the majors. He remains on track to be activated prior to the end of the regular season.
Orioles' Cedric Mullins: Provides lone run in loss
Rotowire
Mullins went 1-for-2 with a solo home run in Saturday's 7-1 loss to the Rays.
Mullins remains dialed in at the plate -- he's 10-for-24 (.417) over his last eight games, adding two homers, six RBI and two stolen bases in that span. His long ball Saturday was the Orioles' lone extra-base hit in the contest. The outfielder is up to a .232/.301/.405 slash line with 15 homers, 47 RBI, 59 runs scored and 26 steals through 130 contests. His OPS is over .700 for the first time since April 30.
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Orioles' Zach Eflin: Allows two homers in loss
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Eflin (10-8) took the loss against the Rays on Saturday, allowing three runs on eight hits and one walk with four strikeouts over 5.2 innings.
Eflin coughed up two solo homers and was lifted at 91 pitches after allowing a run on three hits in the sixth inning. It was the 30-year-old's first loss with the Orioles and ended a streak of five consecutive quality-start victories since he debuted with the club July 29. On the season, he owns a 3.65 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 125:17 K:BB across 148 innings and lines up to face the Tigers next week.
Vavra signed a minor-league contract with the Orioles on Saturday, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.
Vavra elected to become a free agent after being DFA'd by the Mariners on Aug. 31, and he'll now return to the organization that he's spent his entire major-league career with. The 27-year-old has slashed .239/.342/.358 across 191 plate appearances at Triple-A and will likely remain in the minors for the rest of the year.
Henderson went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Friday's 2-0 win over the Rays.
Henderson had half of the Orioles' hits in the low-scoring contest. After batting .234 with five homers over 28 games in August, Henderson has made noise with three long balls over the first five games in September. The star shortstop is up to a .282/.368/.543 slash line with 36 homers, 85 RBI, 108 runs scored, 17 stolen bases, 25 doubles and six triples through 140 contests this season.
