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Ryan Mountcastle received an MRI this morning on his injured right hamstring and the Orioles are waiting for the results before offering an update and measuring their level of encouragement that his absence will be brief.
Mountcastle stole home last night in the sixth inning and was removed in the eighth.
“Don’t know the severity just yet,” said interim manager Tony Mansolino. “Hopeful is probably the better word. Just hopeful that it’s not too bad, but we’ll probably find out more later today or tomorrow.”
Mansolino isn’t sure how Mountcastle sustained the injury, but the double steal seemed to be a part of it.
“I just saw him in the hallway, we were meeting on something earlier, so I haven’t asked him,” Mansolino said. “He might have told somebody last night that he was maybe getting up from the slide. He might have felt something. So it’s just unsure.”
Coby Mayo was recalled from Triple-A Norfolk for the second time this season and is the designated hitter. He was recalled May 3 and optioned six days later.
“I definitely see him playing some first base,” Mansolino said.
Mayo said he expects more usage at first while he’s here, but he continues to work out and start at both corners.
“I think both positions I played equally the last year or so,” he said. “I know that it’s kind of wherever they need me kind of thing. Before, obviously Urie (Ramón Urías) went down and Westy (Jordan Westburg) and now, obviously, Mounty, but I’m here to do what I can and help the team out.”
Mayo, 23, didn’t know why he was scratched from last night’s lineup at Norfolk until finding out later about Mountcastle’s injury. The Orioles made another call to their No. 2 prospect, and the 17th in baseball per MLB Pipeline. His previous exposure hasn’t produced the desired results, with five hits in 53 at-bats.
“You should come up here and have the same mentality,” he said. “At the end of the day, it’s still baseball. I think when you care too much and do too much is when sometimes you put a little bit too much pressure on yourself. So I think you kind of have to have that not-care mentality, go out there and just play the game that you love and you played your whole life.”
The Orioles aren’t promising an extended opportunity for Mayo. They didn’t want to shuttle him, but injuries keep forcing their hand.
“I think any player will tell you it’s definitely more comfortable when you’re playing every day, but obviously those things are out of your control,” he said. “You kind of have to come in here and make the opportunities worth it when you get those, and that’s what I’m trying to do.”
Tyler O’Neill, Ramón Laureano and Gary Sánchez took early batting practice before the tarp was unrolled. Laureano is recovering from a left ankle sprain and could be reinstated shortly.
“I hope so, yeah, but we’ve got to be smart with him,” Mansolino said. “It’s a veteran player who knows his body and understands what he needs to do to get ready to help us win a major league game. As you guys can see, the outfield situation, having Laureano, T.O., Colton, all those guys down, it’s not helping us. But we’ve got good players in the building and hopefully they can help us win another game.”
O’Neill will fly to Seattle with the club and keep doing baseball activities, including full batting practice and defensive work, before going on a rehab assignment. He’s on the 10-day injured list with a left shoulder impingement.
“I just had a little bit of downtime, starting baseball activities a few days ago, so everything’s been going good and according to plan this time,” he said. “Feeling a lot better. Pain’s pretty much gone now so it’s just a matter of buildup. I just want to make sure I’m building volume and intensity in practice before I hit another rehab assignment.”
O’Neill believes that the neck injury he sustained earlier led to the shoulder pain.
“I mean, I would say so,” he said. “Just what I felt, in my experience. Medical opinions may vary off that. I definitely think they’re related. I’m thankful for the time that I’ve taken this time to make sure I’m in a good spot coming forward. Just a lot less pain now. … I’m just in a good spot overall and I feel like I’m a lot better than I was a few weeks ago.”
Jordyn Adams had his contract selected this morning to give the Orioles an extra outfielder, and especially a backup in center. He appeared in 17 games with the Angels in 2023 and 11 in 2024 and went a combined 13-for-74 (.176). He’s batting .212 with a .661 OPS in 39 games with Norfolk.
“There’s a scenario here where if we get a lead late in the game, we might see him pop in there somewhere,” Mansolino said.
“I came in signing with the O’s ready to step in whenever I’m needed,” said Adams, who could be the 46th player used this season. “Obviously, that’s now and I’m ready to go.
“I guess it’s kind of natural to feel comfortable with anybody that believes in you, so I’m excited to have that call and I’m ready to step in wherever I’m needed.”
Adams described his season as “up and down.”
“That’s baseball,” he said, “but I feel like I’m feeling well in the box, I’m feeling well on the field, so that’s the best thing you can ask for as a player instead of chasing results.”
Mountcastle gives the Orioles 12 players on the injured list.
“It’s sure added up this year,” O’Neill said. “A lot of our key players have been hurt and it sucks, but it’s part of the game, things happen. It’s 162-game season for a reason. Hopefully, we all get back healthy soon enough and have a strong finish to the year.”
“There’s no sympathy in this game,” Mansolino said. “It’s kind of a hard line to draw. I promise you, as many games as we’ve won here in Baltimore the last two years, the other 29 teams do not feel sorry for us. … I’m not looking for sympathy, really, from anybody, because we’re not getting it. But whoever we have, we’ve got to go, give our best effort and try to win the game.”
Albert Suárez threw on flat ground again today in a lighter session that reduced the distance from 105 to 90 feet. He’s on the 60-day injured list with a right subscapularis strain, and the goal is to return after the break, when his body feels completely back to normal.
“Feeling good,” he said. “I think the rehab is doing great, and I think the whole process is where it needs to be.”
Suárez said he underwent a follow-up MRI two weeks ago.
“It was good, nothing to worry about,” he said. “I think the muscle is completely healed, so now it’s just a matter of time with the throwing program and getting back in shape with my arm.”
Left-hander Cionel Pérez cleared waivers and was outrighted to Norfolk, per baseball journalist Francys Romero.
For the Orioles
Jackson Holliday 2B
Adley Rutschman C
Gunnar Henderson SS
Ryan O’Hearn 1B
Ramón Urías 3B
Coby Mayo DH
Heston Kjerstad RF
Dylan Carlson LF
Jorge Mateo CF
Dean Kremer RHP
For the White Sox
Mike Tauchman LF
Miguel Vargas 1B
Andrew Benintendi DH
Luis Robert Jr. CF
Joshua Palacios LF
Lenyn Sosa 2B
Josh Rojas 3B
Korey Lee C
Vinny Capra SS
Davis Martin RHP
