-1745819772711.png){kind=logo}
Tony Mansolino walked into the auxiliary clubhouse that serves as the media interview room at Camden Yards, sat behind a table covered in a black cloth, pushing back the microphone as he always does, and waited for the first question.
A reporter asked for an injury update.
This could have happened just about any day, pregame or postgame, during the 2025 season. The scene is so old, MASN should air it in black and white.
Mansolino usually reacts to an inquiry but at times will beat the media to the health punch, as he did Saturday while standing outside the clubhouse. The Orioles were using the usual space for their 2,131 celebration guests, but the drill stayed the same.
“I’ve got your guys’ favorite,” Mansolino said. “I’ve got injury updates to start.”
What followed were Tyler O’Neill’s latest rehab assignments and positive reports on Samuel Basallo’s right hand and Dean Kremer’s right forearm. Get the news out of the way before the floor opens to reporters.
The Orioles begin a three-game series against the Pirates tonight at Camden Yards, a brief respite from teams in a playoff race before they fly to Toronto. They went 5-1 against the Padres and Dodgers, improving to 9-6 vs. the National League West. Unfortunately for them, they’re 9-19 against the American League Central and 4-8 vs. the NL Central.
Basallo is expected to catch after leaving Saturday’s game with right hand discomfort, which happens when a ball slams into it. The Orioles will skip Kremer’s turn in the rotation after he exited Friday with right forearm discomfort, but they think he can avoid the injured list.
Tomoyuki Sugano came out of Sunday’s game after being hit on the right foot by a sharp one-hopper, a kick save failing to rescue the rest of his start. X-rays were negative, a popular phrase over the weekend, but the Orioles hadn’t determined his status.
Guess what? Mansolino will be asked about it later today. Maybe he goes first. Maybe he waits. But it’s happening.
Twenty-eight different Orioles have gone on the IL, second-most in the majors after the White Sox’s 31. The Dodgers have done it with 27 and the Athletics, Red Sox and Astros with 26.
The 28 for the Orioles are four more than in 2021, when they lost 110 games.
The Orioles have used the injured list 36 times this summer, also second-most in the majors behind the White Sox’s 38. That’s four more than in 2021 and 14 more than in 2024.
O’Neill made his third stop, this time with inflammation in his right wrist. The neck and shoulder ailments came earlier. Zach Eflin had a lat strain, followed by two lower-back injuries. Adley Rutschman strained both obliques. Wrist and knee sprains shelved Gary Sánchez. For Jordan Westburg, it was his hamstring and ankle.
A last-place finish, if that’s the outcome, won’t rest solely on battered bodies. But it’s unquestionably a major factor.
The Orioles whittled the IL to 10 players and soon will rejoice in the plunge to single digits. O’Neill began his injury rehab assignment Sunday with Double-A Chesapeake and is joining Triple-A Norfolk. Reliever Scott Blewett has pitched twice with the Tides on his assignment. Reliever Colin Selby is expected to begin his assignment later this week.
Sánchez is supposed to spend a few more days with the Orioles and go on his assignment. The expanded September roster usually holds a third catcher, but Rutschman’s right oblique strain has left the Orioles with Basallo and Alex Jackson.
Mansolino thinks Rutschman will be reinstated later this month, which challenges the club to make a roster decision unless it wants to carry four catchers Jackson is out of minor league options. Sánchez signed a one-year, $8.5 million deal in December and will reenter free agency, which likely removes him from their 2026 plans.
Westburg should return later this month from a right ankle sprain. He ran sprints in the outfield a few days ago while wearing a Ravens helmet. Maybe he could have stopped Josh Allen in the fourth quarter, but let’s stay on topic.
Mansolino tested Westburg’s lateral movement while hitting ground balls. Some discomfort remains when Westburg plants his foot to throw.
The other four players on the IL aren’t walking through that door. Closer Félix Bautista had surgery to repair his labrum and rotator cuff. Eflin, a pending free agent, underwent lumbar microdiscectomy surgery. Grayson Rodriguez, who hasn’t pitched in a major league game since July 2024, had a debridement procedure on his elbow. Rookie Brandon Young’s hamstring strain also forced him on the 60-day IL.
* The Orioles announced yesterday that Kyle Bradish, Tyler Wells and Cade Povich will start against the Pirates. Bradish made his last appearance on Sept. 1 in San Diego. He’s allowed four runs and struck out 15 batters in 10 innings since returning from elbow reconstructive surgery.
Bradish made his only career start against the Pirates on May 12, 2023 and allowed an unearned run and three hits in six innings. Tommy Pham is 1-for-12 against him. Andrew McCutchen has struck out in all three at-bats.
The Pirates are starting rookie right-hander Mike Burrows, who’s appeared in 19 games, with 16 starts, and posted a 4.08 ERA in 81 2/3 innings. He allowed only one run over nine innings in his last two starts, followed by two relief appearances with only one run in five innings.
