Does Jeremiah Jackson replace Ramón Urías in utility role?

Ramón Urías appeared in 506 games with the Orioles over parts of six seasons. He played every position in the infield. Both of his managers praised his versatility and those stretches when he seemed like the only hot hitter in the lineup.

The trade deadline got him, too. Though under team control through 2026, Urías was dealt to the Astros for Class A pitcher Twine Palmer.

The roster priorities begin with pitching, both the rotation and bullpen, but the Orioles probably will check on infielders who can replicate Urías’ glove work. Jorge Mateo has a $5.5 million option in his contract that they could decline. Luis Vázquez has a great defensive reputation at shortstop but is 9-for-62 in the majors. His biggest contribution came on the mound with four scoreless relief appearances over 4 1/3 innings.

Jeremiah Jackson was head and shoulders above the other two, which got his foot in the door for 2026. He batted .276/.328/.447 with 10 doubles, two triples, five home runs and 21 RBIs in 48 games, but he doesn’t really fit the utility profile because his starts came at third base and in right field. He’s also made starts at shortstop and second base and in left and center field in the minors, but the Orioles don’t envision that kind of movement from him.

If the Orioles can’t make room on the roster for Jackson and a super-utility player, they could bank of the versatility of other infielders for coverage. Interim manager Tony Mansolino didn’t think that Jackson had to play shortstop in order to break camp with the team. They have backups, including Jackson Holliday, who handled the position while Gunnar Henderson was on the injured list.

“I think Holliday is probably the guy,” Mansolino said, choosing him over Jordan Westburg. “I know he played those opening days in Toronto. It feels like five seasons ago, but it was this year. I think now he’s way more prepared to flip over and play a day or two at shortstop than he has ever been, just because the game has slowed down for him in a lot of ways.

“Strangely, when we do put him over there, he seems to have like a little more comfort in a weird way at short. I think Jackson can do it. I don’t think it is a prerequisite for the utility guy here to have to play shortstop. It would be nice, but I think with Jackson’s ability to handle it, it makes it a little bit easier for Jeremiah not to have to.”

We are way too early into the offseason for mock rosters, but we can make some assumptions, like Adley Rutschman and Samuel Basallo catching, Holliday, Westburg, Henderson and Mayo in the infield, and Colton Cowser, Dylan Beavers and Tyler O’Neill in the outfield. That brings the position player total to nine out of 13.

Jackson would make 10. Alex Jackson as a third catcher would make 11. The decision to tender a contract to Ryan Mountcastle and not trade him would make 12.

Oh sure, we could play with the pitching, too. We could put Kyle Bradish, Trevor Rogers, Tyler Wells and Dean Kremer in the rotation and Keegan Akin in the bullpen, assuming the left-hander is tendered a contract. That’s only five out of 13.

Grayson Rodriguez is expected to be ready for spring training after his elbow debridement procedure. Cade Povich is a maybe after making 22 appearances, including 20 starts. The rotation could run out of room. Same goes for Brandon Young after his 12 starts. Kade Strowd looked like he passed the audition, but Yennier Cano is a non-tender candidate.

Albert Suárez is in the ‘pen if he recovers from his forearm flexor strain and the Orioles tender him a contract. Dietrich Enns joins him if the Orioles exercise his $3 million option.

Attempts to improve the pitching depth will be made again before spring training. The constant trips to the injured list proved again that it’s imperative. Seasons collapse without it.

“I think that is the nature of pitching nowadays,” president of baseball operations/general manager Mike Elias said during his season-ending press conference. “I don’t know if I learned that (in 2025), but it’s definitely a reminder. That’s why you have depth.

“I do think what we experienced in the beginning part of the year, that would have been hard to plan for. I mean, it would have taken a lot of overkill to plan on losing all that depth. But we do need to put together a better overall pitching staff going into next season to go against stuff like that, but also raise the ceiling of the team, too.”