Another attempt to guess along with the Orioles fell apart yesterday when their only roster move was reinstating catcher Adley Rutschman from the injured list. Nice timing, though. Rutschman’s two-run homer in the eighth inning provided a brief 5-4 lead.

They didn’t call up a fresh reliever, which probably would have removed rookie Cam Foster after his back-to-back appearances totaling 53 pitches. Tyler Wells was supposed to be down Monday and he began to warm as the game approached marathon proportions.

Games that last 12 innings tend to inflict damage to the bullpen.

The 40-man roster has an opening, which is convenient, with catcher Sam Huff designated for assignment.

Meanwhile, Leody Taveras made his 20th appearance last night, his fifth start in center field out of the last six games and his 11th out of 13.

He’s the main man in the middle.

That wasn’t the original plan.

The Orioles signed Taveras to a two-year contract on Nov. 6, their first free-agent move of the offseason. He was going to back up at every outfield position if he made the club. The job wasn’t guaranteed. They could have tried to get him through waivers.

Now, they can’t get him out of the lineup.

Taveras hit his first career grand slam Monday night, clearing the center field fence in the 12th inning, and began last night batting .341/.453/.545. His 13 RBIs ranked third on the team and led the outfielders. He finished with only 17 RBIs last season in 58 games.

Who knew that Taveras would have more RBIs than Taylor Ward, Pete Alonso and Rutschman? Then again, who expected Jeremiah Jackson to be first last night with 17?

Don’t try to make sense of it.

Taveras had a minus-0.5 bWAR last year between his 30 games with the Rangers and 28 with the Mariners. His 0.6 bWAR last night ranked third among Orioles position players after Ward (1.1) and Jackson (0.9).

Reliever Rico Garcia’s 0.8 bWAR pushed Taveras to fourth overall. Garcia finally gave up his first hit and run last night on Michael Massey’s 412-foot leadoff homer in the eighth.

FanGraphs calculated Taveras’ WAR at 0.8 to tie Ward for the lead.

This is a player who came off the bench for five of his first eight appearances. He would have brought an eight-game hitting streak into last night if he hadn’t struck out as a pinch-hitter Sunday in Cleveland.

The increased playing time coincides with Colton Cowser’s struggles at the plate and Tyler O’Neill’s concussion protocol.

Cowser wasn’t in the lineup last night against Royals left-hander Kris Bubic. He was batting .167/.255/.188 (8-for-48) with six walks and 18 strikeouts, but he made a sliding catch in right Monday night and is one of the better defensive players on a team that’s had too many hiccups in the field.

O’Neill is eligible to return but didn’t get back on the active roster yesterday. He’s going through drills and taking batting practice, and the club hasn’t confirmed whether he’ll need an injury rehab assignment. His last game was April 8.

Alonso was the designated hitter last night after Coby Mayo pinch-ran for him on Monday. Mayo made his first 2026 start at first base, adding to the list of things you didn’t expect to happen.

With Ryan Mountcastle on the 60-day injured list, Mayo has an opportunity to do more than just make sporadic starts at third base. He’s got to hit. It always circles back to that caveat.

We can take another look at his barrel rate after last night’s 439-foot, three-run homer in the second inning. It was 114.2 mph off the bat with a 32 degree launch angle. That’s what Mayo can do.

The right-handed lineup last night also included Blaze Alexander in right field, a position he hadn’t played at any level until moving there from third base Monday night. This is where O’Neill is missed.

Bubic actually is a reverse-splits guy, though it didn’t play out that way in 2025.

Johnathan Rodríguez has made three starts in right since replacing O’Neill. He entered the series 0-for-7 with three walks and four strikeouts, and his roster spot appears tenuous.

Weston Wilson got another start at third base. He could have been vulnerable to Jackson Holliday’s return from the injured list, but the former No. 1 prospect came out of last night’s game at Triple-A Norfolk with right hand discomfort after striking out in the first inning.

Wilson is out of options and would have to clear waivers before the Orioles could send him down. Rodríguez has one option.

Say this for Wilson: He’ll give you an at-bat.

Wilson drew a nine-pitch walk last night in the second inning, singled on his fourth pitch leading off the fourth inning, struck out on 12 pitches in the sixth – fouling off six in a row – and flied out on the sixth pitch he saw in the eighth.

*Here are a few other mailbag leftovers:

This one is related to the kids’ geography show, “Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?” So my question is, “Where in the World is Tyler O’Neill?”
O’Neill is in Kansas City. He was in Cleveland. He’s taking batting practice and going through drills. The Orioles wanted to check a few more boxes before reinstating him from the concussion injured list. If not today, perhaps after the off-day.

When Craig Albernaz was first introduced as manager, he mentioned several times that he would stress fundamental baseball. The Orioles run production in the first three innings is virtually non-existent so far this season. Given the speed of several players on the roster, why hasn’t there been an attempt at some “small ball” production in the opening innings, especially with opposing third baseman playing in shallow left field or in the shortstop hole?
Funny timing. Taveras tried twice to lay down a bunt last night in the second inning after the first two batters reached base. He lined out. Right before Mayo hit a three-run homer. Albernaz isn’t against small ball, and he saw a lot of it with the Guardians. He’s probably more inclined to try it for the reason you stated, but he’s also going to play to his personnel. And he will be resistant at times to giving up an out.

Did Alby play Blaze in right field Monday night because I asked about it?
Not only that, he started Alexander in right last night! Maybe the owners and union can agree on a new CBA without a shutdown if you ask nicely.

When do you think we’ll get a real update on Jordan Westburg? Saying he’s doing “baseball activities” is just above zero information.
That’s the extent of the information. He’s on a baseball activities progression. He isn’t shut down from it, which is positive news. But the Orioles don’t implement timelines for returns, so I don’t know what else can be shared. When he’s ready for a rehab assignment, they’ll let us know.

When traveling to other MLB cities, are there any cool places you like to visit that you will miss when you retire?
I don’t do much sightseeing on the road. I’m not a tourist on a work trip unless my wife comes along. I’m happy with a good fitness center and a lobby bar. I’m just a simple caveman. I was happy taking a walk across the bridge in Pittsburgh on a sunny morning after I worked out. I really miss walking around the waterfront park outside The Vinoy in St. Petersburg. Those are the thrills.

Have you talked to Taylor Ward about his approach this year? His K rate is 10 percent lower than last year and his walk rate is up a couple of percentage points. Homers are obviously way off his usual numbers, but he’s on pace for something like a million doubles. Has he made some adjustments due to hitting in the leadoff spot, or is this just April statistical noise?
A million doubles has to be the franchise record, right? I’m waiting to hear back from STATS. Ward’s swing path was more uphill last season. He’s flattened it with the Orioles and producing more line drives but not because he’s batting first or second. His goal is to have a high OPS. That’s his favorite stat, wherever he’s hitting in the order.

I don’t know what counts as the “expansion era” in baseball. Since the Marlins and Rockies were added? Since the Kansas City A’s became the Oakland A’s? I have no idea.
The period beginning in 1961, with four teams added – the new Senators, Angels, Mets and Colt .45s (later Astros.)

Can I get a challenge system in place to prove to my wife that I’m occasionally right?
This is probably a good place to stop.