Blaze Alexander is eager to get back to his Arizona home and be with his girlfriend and newborn baby. He returned to the Orioles after a few days away but still isn’t playing due to the back soreness that forced him on the injured list.

This is how it feels to be pulled in opposite directions. Wanting to become immersed in fatherhood and also having the desire to find his name in the lineup for the weekend series in the Bronx.

Alexander stopped by his locker yesterday morning and said there’s “definitely a chance” that he can be reinstated from the 10-day IL. He’s rehabbing and doing baseball activities. The club doesn’t offer a timeline, but we’re down to the final three games.

“We’re gonna run through another workout today,” he said. “Obviously with the rain the last two days, we couldn’t get on the field for defense. So yeah, I’ll get out there, move around and kind of evaluate from there.

“I know I’ve been swinging in the cage the past two days and we’ll reevaluate and go from there.”

Alexander can’t complain much about his season beyond the injuries.

He missed six weeks with a non-displaced fracture in his left hand after being hit by a 95.5 mph fastball from Royals reliever Lucas Erceg on July 12. Alexander thought he was quick pitched and yelled at Erceg as benches and bullpens emptied at Camden Yards.

Manager Craig Albernaz called it a “gut punch.” But it did cause the Orioles to recall third baseman Christian Encarnacion-Strand, who became a surprise contributor at the plate and in the field.

The back tightness has kept Alexander out of the lineup since Sept. 8. He had a pair of three-hit performances earlier in the month and is batting .303/.358/.414 in 93 games. He also received votes for Most Valuable Oriole.

The trade with Arizona on Feb. 5 turned out much better than anticipated because the Orioles got much more than a utility player.

“Early on I was just trying to fit in, get comfortable and then really found myself, my role on the team and just kind of took off from there,” he said.

“Confidence is a big thing, and when I play with confidence, I feel like I’m out there just having fun. Just being myself, not trying to be anyone different, and just going to work and leaving it all on the field really.”

*The Orioles have gotten two versions of Chris Bassitt this season.

The veteran right-hander posted a 5.27 ERA in his first 12 games before undergoing surgery to remove a bone spur from the facet joint near his lumbar spine. He finished with a 3.74 ERA in his last eight starts.

That is, if he’s really done.

Bassitt was removed yesterday after 90 pitches. Asked at his locker about the future, of course meaning in 2027, he replied, “My future is, the last game of the season I’ll be throwing.”

Relief, perhaps?

Another $18.5 million contract might not be available to Bassitt in free agency, but he sounded like he wanted to come back for a 13th major league season if he can convince his wife. Wherever he goes in the game, he’s going to be a clubhouse leader.

“He’s made that impact already this year,” Albernaz said.

“It started in spring training, and definitely for years to come. When you’re around veteran guys, whoever they are, they always point to a veteran that helped them along, either in their first or second year. That’s why it’s the best game in the world. Just the culture of helping the next guy in front of you, leaving the game in a better spot than when you got into it.

“Chris really embraces that, and our starting pitchers have embraced him as well. It’s been cool to see that culture really cultivate over the season.” 

*Pete Alonso’s home run in Game 1 gave him 41 and broke a tie with Nelson Cruz for ninth place on the franchise’s all-time single-season list.

Next up is Rafael Palmeiro with 43 in 1998.

Chris Davis is first with 53 in 2013, followed by Brady Anderson with 50 in 1996, Frank Robinson with 49 in 1966, Davis with 47 in 2015, Mark Trumbo with 47 in 2016, Jim Gentile with 46 in 1961, and Anthony Santander with 44 in 2024.

“I just want to keep kind of being a driving force of where it’s … I love competing, I love winning, and team-wise, obviously what we put out there wasn’t good enough. As a teammate and player, I want to win and I want to do whatever it talks to do that,” Alonso said.

“The amount of talent in the room is off the charts, but the performance was lackluster for us over the course of time and we will be better, and I’ll be hell bent on reflecting and providing input. And then also, from personal performance, continuously evolving because the game’s the best it’s ever been talent-wise, and pitchers just somehow keep getting exponentially better and better every year, and you’ve got to beat them to the punch.

“For me, I want to keep excelling and evolving because it’s the toughest league, you know? And I just want to be the best I can be for this team and this organization.”

Alonso became attached to the fan base in rapid fashion. He was the first player to step back onto the grass last night with cap raised after the final out. Teammates poured out of the dugout. They wanted to salute a crowd that turned out despite the losing record and chilly temperatures.

“Honestly, it’s just felt so good because whether it be fans, people here internally, teammates, it’s just a strong connection to the city because people have just made it so enjoyable, and I’ve got nothing but amazing things to say about the city, the fans,” Alonso said.

“People have welcomed my family and I. The team, fans, coaches. Everyone has rolled out the red carpet, and it’s felt special. I believe in the baseball gods, and I honestly believe that I’m here for a reason. I was always meant to be a Baltimore Oriole and I think people are very appreciative and receptive to that, and I feel just as lucky and fortunate to be here as other people have told me. So, yeah, it’s special. That’s really an understatement.”