Any team racked, wrecked and rocked by injuries becomes dependent upon come-to-the-rescue players to keep a season afloat.

The Orioles aren’t the exception.

Yesterday’s  6-4 loss to the Blue Jays left them 31-34 and tied for third place. They were 21-29 on May 20 after being swept at Tropicana Field.

They needed multiple lifts long before that stretch, with 19 different players going on the injured list. Every area of the team was affected.

Here’s a nod to three Orioles who came to the rescue:

Brandon Young

Young was viewed as rotation depth when optioned on March 7 to confirm that he wouldn’t break camp with the team. He was recalled April 6 and optioned the next day, and the only reason he came back on April 23 was because of Dean Kremer’s quad strain.

Good luck prying him from the rotation.

Young really will be a shining example of rotation depth if he’s optioned again. He’s strung together three quality starts in a row and has a 3.47 ERA in nine appearances. The Orioles are 8-1 when he’s on the mound.

The last time that the Orioles won eight of a pitcher’s first nine starts was with Chris Tillman in 2016.

Kremer threw a live bullpen session this week but must go on a rehab assignment before the Orioles reinstate him. Zach Eflin had Tommy John surgery after one start. Cade Povich is on the injured list with left elbow inflammation and the Orioles haven’t shared an update since they reassessed his situation. Trevor Rogers spent time on the IL with a bad case of the flu. Chris Bassitt exited his last start after three innings due to lower-back tightness.

Young has become a rock, which explains why he was just a stone’s throw away from another call.

I wrote before Friday’s game that opponents were batting .125 (8-for-64) against Young’s four-seam fastball. The Blue Jays had one hit against it in their 13-3 loss.

“I think just being really aggressive with it,” Young told the media in Toronto. “Maybe last year I was pretty timid with it and trying to hit locations, and now this year it’s like, ‘Hey, hit it. I’m throwing it in the zone.’”

Hey, that’s not a bad idea.

Same goes for calling him up again.

Rico Garcia

What’s left to say about this guy?

Closer Ryan Helsley is nearing a rehab assignment after another bullpen session Friday afternoon. But the Orioles have gotten by without him since his April 28 appearance that resulted in his seventh save.

Helsley remains the team leader, with Garcia behind him with four, but it isn’t just about saves. Garcia has an 0.68 ERA and 0.608 WHIP in 28 games, and opponents are batting .083. He’s succeeded in various high-leverage situations. Games can be won or lost prior to the ninth.

Garcia also eased the loss of Andrew Kittredge, who missed the first month with right shoulder inflammation. Dietrich Enns and Grant Wolfram also spent time on the IL. Yaramil Hiraldo and Colin Selby haven’t left it.

Going into yesterday, Garcia ranked among all qualified relievers in opponent average (first at .083), opponent on-base percentage (first at .172), OPS (first at .327), hits per nine innings (first at 2.39), runners per nine innings (first at 5.47), WHIP (first at 0.61) and ERA (fourth at 0.68). He should be a serious consideration for his first All-Star selection.

Blaze Alexander

Let’s go back to the Feb. 5 trade. The roster didn’t seem to have room for a utility player, and if it did, Ramón Urías’ return made sense. Instead, the Orioles acquired Alexander from the Diamondbacks for reliever Kade Strowd and two minor leaguers.

Strowd made 25 appearances with the Orioles last season and posted a 1.71 ERA. He would have come in handy this season, and many of us in the media penciled him into the bullpen, but Alexander homered yesterday after batting .365/.403/.508 in 25 games last month.

Meanwhile, Strowd finally made his 2026 debut on Friday and allowed a run with a hit and three walks in his one inning.

Alexander has played third base, second base, shortstop and all three outfield positions. The versatility is appreciated and badly needed with so many players going down with injuries.

The season began without Jordan Westburg and Jackson Holliday. It will go on through 2026 without Westburg, who had elbow reconstructive surgery.

Alexander has become much more than a bench piece.