DUNEDIN, Fla. – Dean Kremer is ready for Opening Day. Not to take the ball for the first game in Boston. He doesn’t expect that to happen. But to break camp and pitch in games that truly matter.

Kremer worked a spring-high five innings this afternoon against the Blue Jays and did more throwing in the bullpen after reaching 67 pitches. Two of the three hits were solo home runs.

“I feel like I’m built up enough to kind of eat some innings,” he said.

Bo Bichette homered on a sweeper with one out in the first inning. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. looped a single into right-center, but Brandon Belt struck out on a changeup and catcher Anthony Bemboom threw out Guerrero trying to steal for the double play.

Kremer walked Matt Chapman among the three fly ball outs in a 19-pitch second inning. Then came the cruising part of his start, retiring the side in order on five pitches in the third and eight in the fourth.

DUNEDIN, Fla. – Veteran reliever Mychal Givens has slipped out of lock status.

Givens hasn’t pitched since Thursday due to a sore left knee, which manager Brandon Hyde revealed this morning. Givens has made only four appearances with the Orioles this spring, allowing an unearned run in four innings and striking out seven batters.

“Hoping he gets on the back field in a couple days,” Hyde said.

Asked whether the knee could impact Givens’ availability on Opening Day, Hyde said, “Hopefully not.”

“It just got sore,” Hyde said, “and so we’re taking some precautionary measure against it, taking it easy with him, and hopefully he’ll be able to break with us.”

CLEARWATER, Fla. – The lower-back discomfort is behind DL Hall.

So are the bullpen sessions in Sarasota and the simulated game that prepared him for today’s exhibition debut at BayCare Ballpark.

Manager Brandon Hyde wanted to give Hall two innings this afternoon against the Phillies, but the club’s No. 2 pitching prospect was done after 1 2/3. He retired the side in order in the sixth but allowed three runs (one earned) and three hits with a walk in the seventh. Hall threw 43 pitches, 28 for strikes.

“Just good to toe the rubber again,” he said, “so can’t complain.”

Hall struck out Brandon Marsh on a 94.1 mph fastball and Edmundo Sosa on an 81.1 mph curveball in the sixth and used his changeup to retire Josh Harrison on a fly ball. His fastball topped out at 95.8 mph.

SARASOTA, Fla. – Each morning brings a little reflection on the previous day’s events and whether we’ve gotten closer to figuring out the 26-man roster on Opening Day.

Each morning comes a full cup of coffee and that familiar empty feeling.

I thought we might be making some progress on DL Hall’s status. Specifically, whether he could begin the season in the bullpen rather than building up his innings in Triple-A Norfolk’s rotation.

“We could go a lot of different directions when the season breaks. You don’t want to close the door on anything with him,” said manager Brandon Hyde.

“We do think he’s still a rotation candidate. … But we could also put him in the ‘pen and be like a bulk-inning guy. There’s a lot of things we could do with him.”

Opening Day is less than three weeks away and the Orioles remain on hold with their most important roster decisions before flying to Boston.

Don’t ask them about the five starters in their rotation or the composition of an eight-man bullpen. Don’t ask about the primary backup for first baseman Ryan Mountcastle or whether a non-roster invite could be introduced on March 30 or put feet on the orange carpet for the first home game.

They just don’t know.

I still don’t know how Tyler Wells got bumped from the five leading candidates to start after his impressive first half in 2022, except that someone must go and the Orioles have Kyle Gibson, Cole Irvin, Kyle Bradish, Dean Kremer and Grayson Rodriguez. Rodriguez starts this afternoon against the Red Sox's split-squad in Sarasota.

What in the world would have happened if DL Hall hadn't experienced lower-back discomfort before arriving in camp, which prevented him from accumulating the necessary innings to be a starter?

SARASOTA, Fla. – The initial round of camp cuts in Clearwater this week weren’t complicated. The groupings were some young prospects who can get more work at Twin Lakes Park as they prepare for the season, and other players who had little or no shot at heading north and didn’t force the issue.

That was it.  

Three more cuts were made late last night following a 5-5 tie with the Twins. Right-handers Noah Denoyer and Seth Johnson were optioned and left-hander Cade Povich was reassigned to minor league camp.

The battles for final spots haven’t subsided.

The World Baseball Classic trimmed the original 71-man roster with Cedric Mullins joining Team USA, Anthony Santander and Darwinzon Hernández reporting to Team Venezuela and Dean Kremer leaving Thursday for Team Israel after throwing one last bullpen session with the Orioles and winning the ping pong tournament. John Means and Dillon Tate eventually will go on the injured list.

CLEARWATER, Fla. – Spring stats don’t appear to carry much weight with Orioles manager Brandon Hyde. He’s only checked the number of plate appearances. Otherwise, he has no interest.

It’s more about the quality of the at-bats and a pitcher’s control in the strike zone, he says.

“Put very little stock in what their numbers are like.”

Some of the competitors for the backup job at first base probably wish the figures counted for more in the final evaluations.

Josh Lester was 1-for-12 before stepping off the bus Wednesday in Fort Myers. Better to turn away. But he went 3-for-3 with two RBIs against the Twins, and he singled twice today in his first two at-bats.

LAKELAND, Fla. – Before Adley Rutschman crouched behind the plate today and set his first target for Grayson Rodriguez, he needed to give his friend an early lead.

Rutschman hit a long home run to left field, put his gear on and went to work - catching one of baseball’s top pitching prospects, guiding the right-hander through his first spring training start.

The stuff he really enjoys doing. A collaboration that Orioles fans have craved for years.

“Anytime you know he’s back there, you know it’s going to be a good game,” Rodriguez said. “I think he knows me better than myself. I’ve learned in the past not to shake him.”

Rodriguez said something later that should make the rest of the league quiver.

I wrote Thursday that a week had passed since the Orioles made their last transaction, and the most recent move impacting the 40-man roster came Jan. 11 with the acquisition of left-hander Darwinzon Hernandez from the Red Sox.

And then what happened?

Austin Voth avoided an arbitration hearing by agreeing to a $1.85 million contract that included a team option for 2024. A few hours later, the Orioles announced their acquisition of left-hander Cole Irvin from the Athletics, which caused Hernandez to be designated for assignment.

Irvin’s video call with the media was held Friday morning, and shortly after that the Orioles announced that they signed first baseman Curtis Terry to a minor league contract.

The sounds of silence were shattered.

How the rotation and bullpens are constructed, with the first influencing the second, are the biggest spring training curiosities for me and many others. The final bench spot must be monitored, with a non-roster, left-handed hitting first baseman hoping to crash the opening day party in Boston.

I’ve already filled this space with some spring training storylines. Here’s a recent story.

What else is worthy of our attention besides the exhilarating pitchers fielding practice and bunt drills?

I’ll take a swing at it with some quick hits.

Every Kyle Gibson side session and appearance is noteworthy because the Orioles gave him $10 million guaranteed, their largest deal since hiring Mike Elias, and he could move near or at the top of the rotation. They expect more out of him than just innings, though they'll gladly take those, as well. He's bound to draw comparisons to Jordan Lyles, the pitcher he basically is replacing.

“When do you head down to spring training?”

I was asked again this week during dinner with some friends. I smiled, shrugged and offered the usual time frame.

Major League Baseball hasn’t shared the report date for pitchers and catchers, which coincides with my report date. We usually know months ago.

The Rays arrive on Feb. 14, with their first workout held the following day. But they’re in upheaval after Hurricane Ian hit Port Charlotte hard in late September.

Every March home game will be played at Tropicana Field. The Orioles visit on the 5^th.

Tyler Nevin was designated for assignment on Wednesday and we still don’t know whether he’s staying in the organization as an outright or joining another team via a trade or waiver claim.

I have a few more questions before 2022 turns into 2023.

How will a new double play combination impact the proficiency in turning them?
Adam Frazier could get most of the starts at second base or he might be busy switching between the infield and outfield. He’s signed for one season and could get bumped over the summer for one of the prospects. But he’s here right now and his main position is second base.

Gunnar Henderson is expected be the third baseman despite Ramón Urías winning a Gold Glove in 2022. Henderson also will be used at shortstop. Urías will move around the infield, with his primary landing spot to be determined.

Rougned Odor is gone after contributing to a defense that turned 150 double plays, the second-most in the American League and fifth-most in the majors. Odor had his deficiencies, but this was one area where he seemed to excel.

The Orioles’ bingo card is beginning to fill up.

A veteran starting pitcher, a left-handed hitter for second base and the corner outfield, left-handed bats on minor league deals, and now a veteran reliever with last night’s news of the agreement with Mychal Givens.

Another starter and a backup catcher must be found. I can confirm the reported interest in left-hander Rich Hill. I was told about a meeting with the Orioles. But I haven’t heard a word about any catchers.

A left-handed hitting first baseman/designated hitter also could be added, unless the club is satisfied with Lewin Díaz and Franchy Cordero. Díaz is on the 40-man roster and Cordero signed a split contract.

The bullpen wasn’t billed as a priority during the Winter Meetings, but the Orioles intended to sign a veteran. I didn’t think a reunion with Mychal Givens was in the works, but here we are, writing and reading about him again.

A streak stayed alive recently. The Orioles have made a selection in every Rule 5 draft that was held since 2006. This time they selected right-handed reliever Andrew Politi from the Boston Red Sox. 

Now Politi, coming off a good 2022 season when he spent time at both Double-A and Triple-A, will try to first make the O’s Opening Day roster and then stick with the club all season next year, per the Rule 5 rules. A 15th-round draft pick out of Seton Hall in 2018, Politi pitched in 50 games last year, going 4-1 with a 2.34 ERA.

Over 69 1/3 innings he allowed 45 hits and just six homers, recording 22 walks to 83 strikeouts. He posted a 2.9 walk rate and 10.8 strikeout rate with a .186 batting average against and 0.97 WHIP. Some strong stats that included a 28.3 strikeout percentage in his time at Triple-A.

I recently talked with Baseball America’s editor-in-chief, JJ Cooper about this O's addition. Few know the Rule 5 draft or cover it better than Cooper. He sees this pick as a different type of Rule 5 selection for the O's. Not a pitcher that a losing team might select for future help but a major league-ready pickup that a team chasing the playoffs might take a look at.

“The Orioles were looking for a player that could fit into their 2023 bullpen, and if I were looking for a player in this year’s Rule 5 draft, Politi is one of the ones that most stands out for that," said Cooper. "He had success last year. He had upper-level success, he spent most of the year at Triple-A. It’s not a high-upside play. He’s got solid stuff. A mid-90’s fastball that plays well with a hard slider.

Andrew Politi didn’t want to think about the Rule 5 draft.

Being in San Diego, near the Winter Meetings, was merely a coincidence. A way to escape the cold back East. He decided to go on a hike with his girlfriend, Molly, for the exercise and the distraction. Fresh air and clear mind.

“Nothing crazy,” he said yesterday. “Just didn’t really want to sit there and watch it, because I know how unpredictable it is.”

The Tigers and Reds passed when their turns came, two teams believed to be interested in him. Politi stuffed his phone back in his pocket. He was done tracking the event. Just concentrate on his steps.

And then came the call from Eve Rosenbaum, the Orioles’ assistant general manager of baseball operations.

SAN DIEGO – The Orioles maintained their streak of being active in the major league portion of the Rule 5 draft, selecting right-hander Andrew Politi from the Red Sox organization.

Politi, 26, was a 15^th-round draft pick in 2018 out of Seton Hall. He made 50 appearances this year between Double-A Portland and Triple-A Worcester, including two starts, and registered a 2.34 ERA and 0.966 WHIP with eight saves. He struck out 83 batters in 69 1/3 innings.

In four minor league seasons, Politi has posted a 4.14 ERA and 1.250 WHIP with 16 saves in 125 games. He’s averaged 7.4 hits, 3.8 walks, 11.1 strikeouts and 0.8 home runs per nine innings.

Politi struck out 132 batters in 94 2/3 innings at Seton Hall. Baseball America ranked him as Boston’s No. 23 prospect in 2020 and No. 30 last year.

Baseball America’s 5.0 Rule 5 preview included the following about Politi: