The oblique soreness that Dylan Beavers felt while hitting in the cage Tuesday afternoon put him on the injured list and created an opportunity for other players in the outfield.

That’s how these things usually work. One man’s pain is another man’s gain.

Teammates don’t root for it to happen this way, but it’s a fact of life, and especially with the Orioles. Coby Mayo and Blaze Alexander are playing more third base because Jordan Westburg has a partial tear in the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow. Alexander and Jeremiah Jackson are playing more second base because Jackson Holliday broke his right hamate bone while swinging a bat in February, before the official report date for spring training.

Anthony Nunez was optioned in camp but made the Opening Day roster because Keegan Akin slipped while warming in the bullpen for the last exhibition game in Florida and strained his groin. Brandon Young, Cade Povich and Trey Gibson have made starts because Zach Eflin blew out his elbow and needed Tommy John surgery, Dean Kremer strained his quadriceps while working out between starts, and Trevor Rogers was felled by the flu.

Rico Garcia switched from high-leverage set-up man to temporary closer because Ryan Helsley has a sore elbow. The Orioles added Josh Walker as a temporary fourth left-hander in the bullpen because Grant Wolfram strained his lower back, which reduced the southpaw number back to three.

In typical Orioles fashion, Povich had his opportunity pulled out from under him because of elbow soreness that has improved.

Don’t say out loud that this team can’t catch a break or a bone might snap.

I asked manager Craig Albernaz at the beginning of Tuesday’s media session whether he was confident that Samuel Basallo would stay in the lineup after being a late scratch the previous day, and whether Basallo had to get through batting practice first.

Albernaz grinned and paused, making me question my decision to ask the question.

“I’m pretty confident he’s staying in the lineup,” Albernaz said. “Hopefully, that workout isn’t too intense where he comes out of the lineup.”

It wasn’t, but the team later announced Wolfram’s injury, and after that announced that Beavers was scratched from the lineup. Makes me wonder if Albernaz was thinking, “Basallo isn’t the problem here, oh clueless one. Just wait.”

The Orioles recalled catcher Maverick Handley from Double-A Chesapeake because he was on the taxi squad, but another roster move should be coming after the off-day. Beavers isn’t eligible to return until May 22 and that’s ambitious with an oblique.

Albernaz provided an update yesterday, saying that “low grade is the term.”

“He’s feeling good, relatively speaking,” Albernaz added. “It’s not like one of those ones where when you walk around you’re wincing. He’s moving around fine. Again, I don’t like timelines, so kind of encouraged with how he’s feeling today.”

I hate to sound cynical but I’ve never witnessed a speedy return from an oblique or intercostal strain. There’s a first time for everything.

Beavers is the 19th different player to go  on the IL and it currently holds 13. Many of the injuries are freakish in nature, like Ryan Mountcastle fracturing a bone in his foot while running from first to second base on a double. The Akin groin strain that had him achin’, the Kremer quad strain, Dietrich Enns’ mysterious foot infection, Tyler O’Neill fainting and hitting his head, which put him on the seven-day concussion list.

Beavers wasn’t doing anything unusual. He’s taken countless swings in the cages, participated in countless batting practice rounds. Why did one hurt him?

“I wouldn’t say it’s amazing because I think that every team has its moments, but obviously right now it is kind of alarming in a certain sense,” said reliever Tyler Wells, who underwent a second ligament-reconstructive surgery on his right elbow in 2024.

“I think, you know, it’s part of the game. We go out there and we’re giving 100 percent of our effort every single day, and sometimes that takes a toll on the body. So I know that the medical team and the strength and conditioning staff, and I know all the coaching staff themselves are trying to do everything that they can to make sure that it doesn’t happen. Unfortunately, right now we’ve just got a bit of that injury bug that’s just kind of lingering.”

Albernaz must wonder whether the ballpark is built on an ancient burial ground. He must wonder whether there’s fine print in his contract that he missed, warning him about the waves of inexplicable injuries and the challenge of managing a team through them.

It comes with the Baltimore gig.

Crab cakes, football and Orioles IL stints. It’s what we do.

“It doesn’t make it any easier, but I think our guys, the next man up mentality is real,” Albernaz said. “I think all of our guys who go out there are ready to compete. It doesn’t matter who we have. We’re still going out there trying to win the game. But for us, we’ve got to look at things differently, do things differently. We’ve got to try to do whatever and evaluate every aspect to make sure that we’re taking care of our guys and we’re doing the right thing around here. And that’s something where I’m challenging the whole staff on, so that’s a point of emphasis right now.

“But yeah, all of our guys getting hurt, it stinks, it sucks. You feel for the guys that are hurt, but also, it gives opportunities to somebody else, and that’s why all of our guys have to be ready at any point in time to take on the challenge. Whether that be here with us in Baltimore or guys in Norfolk and so on. You never know when you’re names gonna be called and have an opportunity. You’ve got to be ready for it.”

The Orioles really put it to the test. The injury bug has become an infestation again.

This is a team that used a franchise-record 70 players last season and is up to 41 in 2026. The constant roster shuffling takes away aces, breaks hearts, picks apart a club that expects to contend.

“It’s one of those things where this game is the most unpredictable game there is,” Albernaz said. “We play every day, and that’s why we have to prepare everyone, and that’s why kind of going into it, I like to play everyone, like all 13 position players, because you never know when your time’s going to be called where you have to step in and be ready to go. And also, you want to try to make sure that the guys are being taken care of, not run into the ground early in the year. So that’s something that I’m always mindful of, was mindful of this year. And that’s something where we’re gonna continue to get better at behind the scenes, because something has to happen and make some adjustments. But also, moving forward, all of our guys have to be ready to play and go out there and compete and win.”

That’s exactly what happened yesterday. The Orioles clinched a series win over a team that pummeled them in a four-game series in the Bronx. The one hit allowed marked their fewest since Aug. 15, 2025 in Houston when Young flirted with perfection, and their fewest at Camden Yards since July 21, 2019 against the Red Sox. They held the Yankees to one hit for the first time since Sept. 28, 2006.

The offense perked up, ending a streak of three runs or fewer scored in six straight games. The pitching was magnificent, beginning with Kyle Bradish. Plays were made in the field. It felt like a complete win.

“I think that’s what we’re capable of,” Albernaz said. “We’ve shown it. We’ve shown we can play a game like this. So for our guys, it’s just anchoring to it, being consistent with it, and being diligent with our work.”

“It always feels good taking a series from a division opponent, especially the Yankees,” Bradish said, “but that was a good bounce-back.”