SARASOTA, Fla. – The penultimate home game of the exhibition season finds Ramón Urías in tonight’s lineup for the Orioles. Gunnar Henderson, however, remains out of it.

Urías is playing third base, Jackson Holliday is at shortstop and Jordan Westburg is at second base.

Tyler O’Neill is in left field, Colton Cowser is in center and Heston Kjerstad is in right.

Cedric Mullins is leading off and serving as designated hitter.

Hot-hitting Ryan Mountcastle is out of the lineup.

SARASOTA, Fla. – The Orioles are playing a doubleheader today if you count Spring Breakout, which follows the Grapefruit League game against the Pirates.

The over-hyping makes me break out in a rash, but fans get a chance to see 21 of the top 30 prospects in the organization. Catcher Samuel Basallo leads the way, and outfielder Enrique Bradfield Jr. will try to build on his one-game hitting streak after last year’s bunt single in Bradenton.

I understand that one game doesn’t constitute a streak. Here are a few other things that we (think we) know:

* OK, this one is confirmed: Zach Eflin will be the Opening Day starter. I pegged him as the favorite when the Orioles arrived for spring training, and Grayson Rodriguez’s elbow inflammation cemented his chances.

Experience and track record gave Eflin an edge. Rodriguez has the higher ceiling but won’t reach it with a sore elbow. Check back next spring.

SARASOTA, Fla. – Zach Eflin entered camp this spring as the favorite to receive the Opening Day start on March 27. Grayson Rodriguez’s injury seemed to make it official.

Orioles manager Brandon Hyde did so this afternoon. It’s happening as expected.

Hyde announced that Eflin, 30, will face the Blue Jays on March 27 at Rogers Centre, the right-hander’s second Opening Day assignment in a row after handling the honors for the Rays in 2024.

Eflin threw four innings on a back field recently while the Orioles played the Yankees in Tampa. He’s started twice in the Grapefruit League and allowed four runs in 4 2/3 innings.

"I told him today," said Hyde, who was joined by pitching coach Drew French, pitching strategy coach Ryan Klimek and bench coach Robinson Chirinos. "He's very appreciative and he understands how much it means, so that was a very cool moment.

SARASOTA, Fla. - The reprogramming of baseball’s former No. 1 prospect easily fits as one of the most interesting developments in Orioles camp.

There’s no need to go over Jackson Holliday’s numbers again in 2024. They weren’t good. He was a 20 year old tackling the challenges that the majors present. Expectations shot through the roof, and that’s Holliday’s fault for being such an exceptional young talent.

“I think that when you’re 20 years old and you get to the big leagues, the hype that you get, and you put up the minor league numbers that you do, people are expecting you to do the same thing when you get to the big leagues,” said manager Brandon Hyde. “And a lot of times that’s just unrealistic.”

Holliday replaced the leg lift timing mechanism with a toe tap and went 7-for-18 to close out September. The Orioles had specific instructions for him after the season – focus on reaching base and being disruptive. Bunt more, run more, be aggressive. The club would reel him in if necessary.

The former first-overall draft pick is 3-for-5 in stolen base attempts after swiping second base during Sunday afternoon’s game against the Twins. He was instrumental in an inning that Hyde described later as his favorite of the spring, with three runs manufactured in small-ball fashion. Putting the ball in play with runners in scoring position and with shortened swings, and creating flashbacks to 2023.

BRADENTON, Fla. – The Orioles remain hopeful that Gunnar Henderson is on their Opening Day roster, but they know the importance of a good contingency plan.

Jackson Holliday made his first spring start at shortstop tonight against the Pirates, hitting a double and single to left field and committing an error on his first and only chance.

“With Gunnar out right now, unsure of the timetable, but he’s doing really well,” manager Brandon Hyde said this afternoon. “He’s progressing well, but we’re not sure when we can get him back into game action. Jackson’s going to be playing shortstop here periodically the rest of camp.”

Henderson’s strained rib cage muscle led the Orioles down an alternate path with Holliday. They wanted him to get more comfortable at second base. Guest instructor Brian Roberts corrected his footwork, trying to strip him of a shortstop’s approach to fielding the ball and making feeds. But he could do more switching to the left side.

“It’s definitely different,” Holliday said. “It’s one thing to practice it, but to play it in a game and read the ball off the bat, kind of the angle that it comes in, it’s obviously very different, but I should make that play every single time. But hopefully I don’t have to play both. Hopefully, Gunnar gets healthy real quick and I can just stick over at second until they tell me they need me. But if that is the case, I’m up to the challenge.”

BRADENTON, Fla. – Jackson Holliday is starting at shortstop tonight, as the Orioles head to LECOM Park for another game against the Pirates.

Manager Brandon Hyde indicated that Holliday could make a start at short with Gunnar Henderson unable to play since Feb. 27 due to a strained right intercostal. This is one of them.

Holliday made three appearances (one start) at short with the Orioles last season.

Jordan Westburg is playing third base. Ramón Urías sliders over to second base. Ryan O’Hearn is at first.

Samuel Basallo is catching. Heston Kjerstad is the right fielder.

SARASOTA, Fla. – The Orioles won’t pinch-hit for Adley Rutschman during the regular season, but the many differences and oddities in spring training sent Vimael Machín to the plate for the All-Star catcher in the fourth inning of Thursday night’s game against the Pirates.

Machín struck out, which also seemed unusual because he’s been on fire.

A second at-bat produced a fly ball to the center field fence, an extremely long out influenced perhaps by the wind, and a third resulted in a line drive single to right.

Last night’s game in Lakeland began with Machín batting .500 (9-for-18) with a double, home run, five RBIs, two walks and a 1.272 OPS. No one had more hits, a higher average and OPS, or appeared in more games than Machín’s 10.

Coming off the bench late, Machín singled in the ninth inning to start a three-run rally. He’s 10-for-19 and one of the most impressive players in camp.

LAKELAND, Fla. – Félix Bautista is making his second spring training appearance tonight, as the Orioles hit the road to face the Tigers.

Bautista retired the Red Sox in order Monday afternoon in Sarasota.

Jordan Westburg is out of the lineup after returning to it last night. Gunnar Henderson remains out with a strained right intercostal, and manager Brandon Hyde will provide an update later.

Jackson Holliday is leading off tonight, followed by Ramón Urías at third base. Heston Kjerstad is in right field, Coby Mayo is the designated hitter and Samuel Basallo is catching.

Liván Soto is the shortstop.

Samuel Basallo is serving as the designated hitter this afternoon, as the Orioles make another Sunday trip to play the Phillies in Clearwater.

Gary Sánchez is behind the plate.

Ramón Laureano gets the start in center field and is batting leadoff, followed by second baseman Jackson Holliday.

Colton Cowser is in right field and Heston Kjerstad is in left. Coby Mayo is at third base.

Dean Kremer makes his first start after giving up two runs and three hits with two walks and three strikeouts over two relief innings against the Tigers in Sarasota.

SARASOTA, Fla. – A week of exhibition games seems like an appropriate time to share some observations before the Orioles play the Pirates this afternoon at Ed Smith Stadium. Cade Povich opposes Paul Skenes in a rematch from Spring Breakout, except this one airs on MASN.

Povich went three innings and allowed two runs, but hardly anyone noticed because Skenes was the dominant figure before he threw a pitch. Skenes retired the side in order in his only inning, striking out Jackson Holliday and Enrique Bradfield Jr.

That's the distant past. Let’s move a little closer.

* Rodolfo Martinez is a camp darling, though I wouldn’t necessarily use that word around him because the scowl could melt concrete. Media became infatuated with his high-velocity fastball, impressive side and live batting practice sessions and absence from an affiliated team since being in the Giants system in 2019. Who doesn’t love a good camp story?

Comparisons to Albert Suárez were inevitable because of their similar treks through foreign countries. In Martinez’s case, he’s still waiting to make his major league debut.

SARASOTA, Fla. – Zach Eflin makes his exhibition debut this afternoon, with the Orioles traveling to Fort Myers to play the Twins.

Gary Sánchez is behind the plate for Eflin.

Coby Mayo gets the start at first base.

Jackson Holliday is leading off and playing second base. Colton Cowser is in center field, Heston Kjerstad in left and Dylan Carlson in right.

Liván Soto, who’s 3-for-6 with two doubles, is the shortstop.

BRADENTON, Fla. – Jackson Holliday gave the media an interview at his locker this morning and headed down a hallway in search of former Orioles infielder Brian Roberts.

The Orioles chose Roberts as a shortstop in the supplemental round of the 1999 draft out of the University of South Carolina – their seventh selection among the top 50 and the only one that worked out. Jackson Holliday was the first-overall pick as a shortstop in 2022 out of Stillwater High School in Oklahoma.

Roberts moved to second base following the 2001 season and became a two-time All-Star. The position morphed into a full-time role for Holliday last year, a 20-year-old top prospect going through the usual growing pains.

The age difference between them doesn’t matter. They have something important in common, and Roberts, 47, is in camp as a guest coach and valuable resource for Holliday.

The tutelage centers primarily on Holliday’s footwork at second.

SARASOTA, Fla. – The next wave of Tomoyuki Sugano hysteria crashes on the shore today with his Grapefruit League debut against the Pirates. Protect yourselves at all times.

The first game of catch, first bullpen session and first live batting practice session were recorded and plastered all over social media. The Japanese media that tracks his every movement didn’t miss a single minute of it. The local beat crew fell into step. The anticipation was palpable.

Pitching in Bradenton isn’t the most ideal location from a media standpoint. The press box space is limited, to put it generously. Reporters who cover the Pirates usually set up in the workroom. That leaves a free-for-all to occupy one of the three stools in the back row.

You can’t call it “standing room only” because there’s no room, though standing might improve your view.

Statcast data is available at LECOM Park, which enhances today’s coverage. Sugano throws six different pitches and tracking is made easier. Let’s be able to identify them and attach numbers. And give me exit velocities from the hitters.

SARASOTA, Fla. – Chayce McDermott still hasn’t been cleared to begin activities. However, he said earlier today that he feels “really good” after reporting to camp with a mild lat/teres strain.

“Can’t complain where I’m at,” he said, “so we’ll keep going and keep following the plan.”

McDermott is restricted to performing strength exercises and doesn’t know when he’ll be begin a throwing progression.

“It should be pretty soon,” he said. "I’m not 100 percent sure of the exact timeline. It’s just based on how I feel with everything and how I keep progressing.”

McDermott made his only major league start last season on July 24 in Miami and had an uphill climb this spring to break camp with the team. His injury likely has eliminated that possibility, but he can hop back into Triple-A Norfolk’s rotation, continue his development and try to rejoin the Orioles over the summer.

SARASOTA, Fla. – The exhibition games started today and Jackson Holliday kept working out.

He wasn't on the back fields. He was playing second base and fielding everything hit at him.

Holliday got the final out in the first inning on Darick Hall's grounder, made the play on Liover Peguero's ball in the second that Albert Suárez deflected, and handled Joshua Palacios' grounder to close out the inning.

The position no longer is new to Holliday and it seems to be coming more naturally to him.

"I'm feeling a lot more comfortable," he said. "Today was good. Got a lot of ground balls, a lot more than I think I did last spring training total, so happy about that. I'm a lot more comfortable, a lot more comfortable in practice, and to be able to get the first few ground balls out of the way is great."

SARASOTA, Fla. – Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said yesterday that a “handful” of his regulars will be in this afternoon’s lineup for the first exhibition game against the Pirates at Ed Smith Stadium.

“I’m gonna give a few guys the weekend,” he said. “We’ve got some back-field stuff going, too. Not in any hurry to get any of these guys in there right now, to be honest with you.

“Couple guys going to Clearwater (Sunday), a few guys, but weekend’s gonna be … we’re slowly getting into this.”

The lineup will be posted later this morning for a game that airs on MASN. Viewers might see Jackson Holliday at second base. Viewers might have to wait a little longer.

We don’t know.

SARASOTA, Fla. – The transition is in such a young phase that some players don’t know whether changes are forthcoming in the way that the Orioles teach hitting or to what extent. Whether the general philosophy will be tweaked. If the approach will be scrambled a bit from the past.

The full squad didn’t have its first workout until Tuesday. Meetings are on the docket. But the early impressions are that the key attributes will go untouched.

Co-hitting coaches Ryan Fuller and Matt Borgschulte are gone. Fuller is the White Sox’s director of hitting and Borgschulte returned to the Twins as hitting coach. The entire setup is scrambled with Cody Asche promoted to offensive strategy coach and the Orioles employing Tommy Joseph and Sherman Johnson as co-coaches. Johnson also remains in his role as upper-level hitting coordinator. Joseph is the lone outsider after spending last summer with the Mariners.

“I think we’ve got a good lineup, so I think they’re just gonna let us do most of our own thing but give us some feedback here and there and whatever information they can to help us succeed,” said first baseman Ryan Mountcastle. “I think last year they did a really good job of it and I’m sure this group will, too.”

“Obviously, one new face,” said shortstop Gunnar Henderson. “Asche and Sherm, they’ve been here It’s familiar to us. We still have kind of a core of the same teachings, but just other things we’re going to try out and continue to work at.”

Kids say the darndest things, don’t they?

A question-and-answer session with Orioles fans at the Guinness Open Gate Brewery left the door open for all sorts of wild sound bites. For the kids asking Jackson Holliday questions, queries ranged from why the phenom wanted to play baseball to his pets at home. His dog is named Coconut, for the record.  

“Jackson, are you a grown man?” asked a fan no older than 6, as laughter filled the room. Holliday met the question with a chuckle.  

After being selected first overall in the MLB Draft out of high school in 2022, the phenom rose to the major leagues just two years later. So by major league standards, the former top prospect is far from “grown.”  

Entering the 2024 season, Holliday was the No. 1 prospect in all of baseball. The former first-overall pick had a meteoric rise through the minor leagues in 2023, soaring through four different levels of the farm in 125 total games. Expectations for 2024 couldn’t have been higher. It was almost impossible for the numbers to match the hype.  

This wintery weather – snow, freezing rain, ice that’s closing schools and turning backyard decks into hazardous rinks – heats up the interest in pitchers and catchers reporting to spring training.

The wait is almost over, with the official arrival date Wednesday and the first workout set for Thursday. Gentlemen, start your bullpen sessions and PFPs.

The first day will bring a media scrum with executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias and possible injury news. Last spring’s session confirmed Kyle Bradish’s sprained elbow ligament and platelet-rich plasma injection, John Means being about a month behind the other starters, Gunnar Henderson’s sore oblique and Samuel Basallo’s elbow stress fracture.

Elias reminded reporters at the Birdland Caravan that he traditionally kind of forecasts “anybody who’s off or on an abnormal schedule when we get down to Sarasota, so I’ll probably do that in a couple of weeks.”

We already learned that Jorge Mateo and Félix Bautista will be on a lighter schedule early in camp. Bradish and Tyler Wells won’t be activated until the second half, with their move to the 60-day injured list approaching. The media finally will have access to them.

The maturity of Orioles second baseman Jackson Holliday can reveal itself in many ways.

On Friday night, it happened behind a bar at PBR Baltimore during a Birdland Caravan stop. Holliday is old enough to drink alcohol – and certainly to pour, which he was busy doing.

The kid turned 21 in December. He won’t be relegated to sipping “Bird Bath” water, unless he chooses it, if another clinching celebration erupts in the clubhouse.

Holliday will report to spring training as the favorite to win the second base job, but it’s a competition. He probably can’t afford to have a terrible camp with the team well-stocked in infielders, even after designating Emmanuel Rivera for assignment.

It would get a little trickier if Jorge Mateo isn’t ready for Opening Day, but still manageable. And there’s always the waiver wire.