SARASOTA, Fla. – The morning workouts on the back fields at Orioles spring training included more rounds of infield drills and some movement among players.

Blaze Alexander took ground balls at second base yesterday but joined Gunnar Henderson at shortstop today. Luis Vázquez also made the same switch.

Jeremiah Jackson stayed at second base, and most interesting, Coby Mayo spent another morning at third. Mayo hasn’t returned to first, where the Orioles moved him last summer.

Jackson Holliday will begin the season on the injured list after having his right hamate bone removed on Thursday, which could shift Jordan Westburg to second base – assuming his oblique injury has healed. He’s supposed to miss only a few exhibition games.

Mayo could get some starts at third in place of Westburg. The Orioles quite obviously are preparing him for the possibility by getting him reacclimated to his old position. And he’d likely need to move around anyway if he’s on the roster Opening Day.

Pete Alonso and Ryan Mountcastle were alone at first base in early drills.

Weston Wilson also worked out again at third this morning in his bid to head north in a utility role.

Kyle Bradish, Tyler Wells, Keegan Akin and Yennier Cano are scheduled to throw live batting practice on the stadium field. Bradish and Wells will get two ups.

The first exhibition game is Friday against the Yankees in Sarasota, and Albernaz isn’t ready to share his starting pitcher with the media.

I asked Albernaz whether Cade Povich and Brandon Young could jump into the bullpen competition if they don’t make the Opening Day rotation, or is it more beneficial to continue their development as starters in Triple-A.

“It’s ongoing conversation,” Albernaz replied.

“I think everything’s on the table right now. It’s early. Their development in their process of their potential, what they could be, is a big factor. And that’s something where, at this point in time, we’re still having conversations about them being starters. They’re getting built up as starters. That’s what we want them to focus on at this point in camp, and who knows as camp goes on?”

Albernaz didn’t shoot down the idea of the team carrying a third catcher.

“I am a catching guy. I will have six catchers on the roster. To me the catchers, they’re the foundation of everything. I’ll take six guys,” he quipped.

“Everything’s on the table. We’ll see how camp goes and kind of see how everything falls out, but yeah, I think three, four, five. We’ll see what happens.”

At least he didn’t say “six, seven.”

Albernaz raised his eyebrows when told that Tyler O’Neill looked slimmer. He doesn’t really have a basis of comparison because he spent 2025 as Guardians associate manager.

“What?” Albernaz asked.

“Just like a lot of these guys, it’s the first time I’ve actually seen them up close and personal, not across the way on the field and the dugout. TO’s jacked. Wearing a sleeveless shirt yesterday? Yeah, he can.

“He takes care of his body. Just like any player, as you get wear and tear on and you play this game, there’s always adjustments to either your diet, your mobility work, just like hitting and pitching.

“Just like any player, he’s making adjustments and he looks really good out there. Moving well in the outfield yesterday, He looks really good in the box swinging it. I expect Tyler, and I think himself, he’s gonna have a big year this year.”

Albernaz added that he isn’t managing O’Neill’s workload to keep him healthy.

“I think that’s where I’m trying to learn him, he’s trying to learn me,” Albernaz said. “He knows his body better than anyone else, so it’s gonna be constant conversations with all of our players. And Tyler in this case, and also kind of on the medical staff and training room staff, how he’s feeling. So it depends on how he’s feeling and we go from there.”

Latin tunes are filling the air today with catcher Samuel Basallo taking his turn as deejay.

This is how it works:

One player chooses the workout music, which Bradish did on Day 1, and he passes the responsibility to a chosen teammate to create a domino effect.

Pete Alonso was in charge yesterday, which led to artists like Stone Temple Pilots, 3 Doors Down, Creed, Nickelback, Goo Goo Dolls and Three Days Grace.

“The only thing I ask is clean music. Try to make it clean music,” Albernaz said.

“I heard there was a little bit of a hiccup one day early. We weren’t out here yet. So we made the adjustment. Yeah, dealer’s choice out there.

“I think it’s just, you get inside of who the player is, right? And it’s cool to see like, is it gonna be the genre of music that that player loves or is he gonna appeal to the masses? Or it’s gonna be both. He’s gonna have a bunch of different playlists and setlists. That’s the beauty of it.”

And if Albernaz was given the responsibility?

“I don’t know if I could find clean stuff,” he replied. “If it was passed to me, it would be a hodgepodge of old school hip-hop and house music.”