The injury updates on the Orioles range from the latest on rehab assignments to continuing whatever progressions are assigned to a player. No timelines, please.

Infielder Jordan Westburg, for example, is on a baseball activities progression after receiving a platelet-rich plasma injection in his right elbow in spring training. Long forgotten is the oblique soreness.

Media was able to talk to Westburg about the partial tear of the ulnar collateral ligament and his past injuries. He said in February that it “wears on you mentally.” Reliever Colin Selby, also on the 60-day injured list, is on a throwing progression and talked to the media earlier about the improvements in his right shoulder. First baseman Ryan Mountcastle, another member of the 60-day IL club, expressed his disappointment and couldn’t explain how he fractured the fourth metatarsal in his left foot while running out a double.

The break caused the stumble, not the other way around, and that’s got to leave a man questioning his luck.  

Reliever Keegan Akin is on a rehab assignment with Triple-A Norfolk for a left groin strain, which he talked about prior to leaving the club. Relievers Andrew Kittredge and Dietrich Enns did the same regarding their right shoulder inflammation and left foot infection, respectively.

And then, we have outfielder Heston Kjerstad, who was expected to be optioned to Norfolk before Opening Day but instead went on the 10-day injured list with a right hamstring strain suffered while running out a ground ball on March 19.

We don’t have a grade on the strain but Kjerstad failed to build on a hot start in camp. He was shut down last summer for unspecified reasons and kept scalding the ball early in spring training, which made for a nice story, but he stopped hitting and was 8-for-41 (.195) with two doubles and two home runs before the injury.

Kjerstad was in Baltimore for the Opening Day festivities before flying back down to Florida. He hasn’t been accessible to media. He’s in Sarasota for his running and baseball activities progressions. Maybe he can start playing again next month.

The second-overall pick in the 2020 draft almost feels forgotten with everything else going on with the team.

This remains an important year for Kjerstad, who’s 27 and down to his last minor league option. I’ve had a few scouts from other organizations ask about his makeup, in case he becomes available. No issues there. Health is the only thing holding him back, including the concussion in 2024, when he seemed to be breaking out.

The plan before the hamstring strain was to send Kjerstad back to Norfolk, since he hadn’t played after July 25, and hope that he forced a promotion. Though he’s a left-handed hitter, perhaps he would have gotten the call after Tyler O’Neill went on the seven-day concussion list. Or he’d find another way onto the roster.

It isn’t too late, but Kjerstad needs at-bats. He can’t get them on the IL and during progressions.

*Let’s expand on a couple of STATS notes that I shared yesterday.

I wrote that Leody Taveras registered a .524 on-base percentage in his 11 starts heading into last night, the fifth-best mark by an Orioles player in his first 11 starts with the team. Frank Robinson is first with .592.

Who’s next? Ray Knight at .587 in 1987, followed by Ramón Hernández at .568 and Javy López at .538.

Jeremiah Jackson was one of five Orioles with at least 60 hits and 10 home runs through his first 250 plate appearances over the last 50 years. Trey Mancini had 75 hits and 17 home runs to rank first. Jackson was next with 67 hits to go with 10 homers.

Who’s next? Larry Sheets had 62 hits and 11 homers from 1984-85, Nolan Reimold had 62 hits and 10 homers in 2009 and Dan Graham had 60 hits and 12 homers in 1980.

Kyle Bradish is the fastest Orioles pitcher to record 400 strikeouts, doing it in 71 games. Tom Phoebus is second at 74 games.

Who’s next? Erik Bedard reached the milestone in 83 games, Daniel Cabrera in 85 and Wei-Yin Chen in 88.

*Here are some mailbag leftovers.

Have you ever seen a player picked off twice in the same game before last night?
This is a fresh leftover. It happened to Gunnar Henderson last night, and that’s a first for me. I just assumed that Alan Wiggins fell for the hidden ball trick a couple of times. I contacted STATS, whose research goes back to 1974, and all they could find was, yes, Wiggins on Aug. 30, 1985 when Seattle’s Mark Langston got him twice at first base. Everything about last night’s game was weird. The Royals were outhitting the Orioles 11-1 with two outs in the ninth inning and led 1-0 on a solo home run. The traffic had nothing to do with the score. The Orioles drew three walks in the ninth and almost came up empty, but Samuel Basallo’s 103.7 mph RBI single to left-center field tied the game. The other hit was Taylor Ward’s double in the first after Henderson walked and was picked off. That’ll teach the Royals to strand 13 runners through the eighth. Anthony Nunez walked a batter in the 10th after a pitch clock violation, and the Orioles turned an 8-5-6 double play on a fly ball to center, a throw to third that bounced off Weston Wilson, and Wilson’s recovery and throw to Henderson covering the bag to cut down Lane Thomas trying to advance. Cray cray. Dylan Beavers gave the Orioles a lead in the 11th, Basallo did it in the 12th, again to the opposite field at 104 mph, and Leody Taveras hit his first career grand slam. The bases were Leoded (h/t Dan Solomon.)

How much pitching can we get for Jackson Holliday?
The Orioles would be selling low with Holliday on the injured list and working to establish himself in the majors and play consistently like the former No. 1 prospect in baseball and a first-overall draft pick. He hasn’t come close to reaching his ceiling. Believe me, teams would happily negotiate a trade if they thought the Orioles might part with him.

Have you heard any comments around the clubhouse about the way Samuel Basallo presents his glove when setting up for pitches? It seems really odd – upside down or back-handed compared to other catchers.
I haven’t heard anyone talk about it. I also haven’t asked or eavesdropped on private conversations. Pitchers have complimented Basallo’s work behind the plate. They also know that he’s 21 and learning how to run a game. I’d think that any issues with mitt presentation would be addressed.

The industry has come to assume that Mike Elias will never select a pitcher in the first round of the MLB draft for the Orioles, but how much stock do you put in that assumption in 2026 or going forward? I ask because the other day, Jim Callis started off his prediction about the Orioles’ pick with: “Well, we know this is not going to be a pitcher.”
You’ve got to consider that early in Elias’ tenure there wasn’t a pitcher worthy of such a high pick. They took Michigan State left-hander Joseph Dzierwa with the 58th overall pick last year. They’re getting closer. I think “never” is a stretch, but yes, the industry is leaning on Elias’ track record of taking position players in the first round. It will beat the same drum until he changes his tune.

If they sell again at the deadline, are you seeing a deeper rebuild or just another sell off of expiring contracts with the promise of contention next year?
Elias didn’t only trade away expiring contracts last summer, but to answer your question, and it’s a good one, I don’t think he’d go back to those dark rebuild days. They have money to spend on some of the top free agents. They have a core to build around. They didn’t sign Pete Alonso for five years and $155 million to plop him into the middle of a rebuild. And I don’t think ownership would make massive changes to the front office, which addresses another popular question in the mailbag. I could be wrong. I thought gas prices couldn’t get any higher and I had to hock my wedding ring just to top off the tank. But David Rubenstein isn’t shy about expressing his support for Mike Elias and how the group can offer support financially. But pitchers have to pitch better. Hitters have to hit better. Fielders have to field better. It’s quite simple.

What analytics are used to back hitting Johnathan Rodríguez cleanup and how do we immediately discard those analytics?
Rodríguez is part of the right-handed lineup in those rare instances when the Orioles face a lefty starter. He’s got some pop, hitting 29 homers in Triple-A in 2024, and he’s got a career .285/.363/.490 line in nine minor league seasons. And … that’s all I’ve got.

Who is your Orioles MVP against the Dodgers in the 2026 World Series?
There’s only one right answer: Rico Garcia.

Colton Cowser played mostly left last season, and then center field after Cedric Mullins was traded. He started this season in center field but now plays right field mostly. Any idea why the O’s put him in right field and not left field?
Taylor Ward is settled in left, where he’s played since 2023. Cowser’s arm strength works in right. Road ballparks also can be a factor when choosing which corners fit Cowser and Dylan Beavers.

On a scale of 1 to 10, with a 1 equaling Bob Ross painting landscape and a 10 equaling Ralph Kramden sending Alice to the Moon, how upset is Craig Albernaz with the recent errors related to PFPs?
Much closer to 10. Albernaz talked about it with the media after Sunday’s loss, which included a fifth error committed by an Orioles pitcher when Trevor Rogers missed first base. The total would be six except a scoring change removed an error from Shane Baz. “Yeah, 100 percent, very disappointing,” Albernaz said. “That’s something we still have to clean up and get better at. We’re still going to practice it all the time, because we have to, obviously.”

If it weren’t for his vastly reduced swing speed, I would probably not ask this. How early is too early to be worried about Pete Alonso’s lack of production and his high swing-and-miss rate?
I’m gonna keep trusting his track record. I’ll also share Pat’s response to you, when he pointed out that Alonso’s swing speed is 73.6 instead of 75.2, 72nd percentile instead of 91st, which isn’t too alarming. It hasn’t absolutely cratered. Alonso’s exit velocity is in the 97th percentile and hard hit in the 93rd. He had three multi-hit games in a span of six – Alonso, not Pat – and I was in Cleveland Thursday for his RBI double off the right field wall in the ninth inning. He struck out four times Saturday, and he’s frustrated by his slow start, but everyone seems confident that he’s gonna hit.

Coby Mayo has a barrel rate of 0.0 percent, literally has not registered a barrel on the season. His xSLG is third percentile. How many pitchers currently in the Orioles’ bullpen do you think could produce better offensive numbers?
None. The barrel rate stat can give the impression that Mayo hasn’t hit a ball hard, which is false. One example is Mayo lining a double to left field at 111.1 mph in Wednesday’s game against Arizona. He hit another ball 109. But launch angle was missing from the equation. We can agree that Mayo needs to start hitting to hold onto his spot when some injured players begin filtering back onto the roster.

The Braves have “Battery Atlanta” as the all-encompassing day/night experience when going to a Braves game. Are there more renovations coming to Camden Yards and its surroundings to simulate a “Battery Atlanta” experience?
I haven’t heard those words since the ownership change. Where would a “Battery Baltimore” fit in the area around Camden Yards? Demolish the Inner Harbor? It never made sense to me, though my areas of expertise have boundaries. Just keep filling the ballpark with bars.  

I’m curious why the Orioles have actively chosen to play Blaze Alexander in center field after Leody Taveras has been added to the lineup. Is he incapable of playing a corner outfield?
Alexander had never played right until moving there last night from third base and never made a start in left. He’s an infielder who has shown that he can handle center. Taveras is much more experienced in right, though center is his primary position. It’s just putting guys where they have the best chance to succeed, unless a game spins out of control, like last night.

Why is it called “shipping” if it goes by truck and “cargo” if it goes by ship?
This seems like a good place to stop.