NEW YORK – Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman underwent an MRI this morning to determine the source of his left abdominal tightness. Maverick Handley is on the medical taxi squad and would be recalled if Rutschman goes on the injured list for the first time in his career.

Rutschman missed two games this season after taking a hard foul ball off his mask, but he’s managed to avoid the IL. He was scratched from last night’s lineup.

“He just walked in the building,” said interim manager Tony Mansolino. “Got an MRI this morning, we’ll sort through. … If it’s not something that he’s gonna be day-to-day on and something that he’s got to go on the IL on, then we’ll make that move before the game.”

Mansolino isn’t able to specify whether the injury’s related to the oblique.

Rutschman’s ability to play a physically demanding position, take a beating doing it and stay away from the IL at this point in his career impresses everyone in the organization. But that streak might be nearing an end.

NEW YORK – The next update on All-Star voting is a few days away and Ryan O’Hearn should maintain his lead among designated hitters in the American League. Teammates are pulling for him, believing that he’s earned the honor and wanting him to be rewarded for grinding and persevering through the difficult times in his career. And they know that the Rafael Devers trade from the Red Sox to Giants has improved the odds.

O’Hearn is too modest to campaign for it. Other players will do it for him.

“He’s 1,000 percent deserving,” said shortstop Gunnar Henderson. “He’s just been unbelievable this first half of the season. He’s been one of the best hitters in baseball. It’s really cool to watch him do his thing and really cool to see where he is now through the journey that he’s had in baseball, and there’s no one more deserving than him.”

Last night’s lineup didn’t include O’Hearn, who went 2-for-13 in four games against the Rays in Tampa and would have faced Yankees left-hander Max Fried. He pinch-hit in the eighth inning and singled to leave his average at .304 with an .867 OPS.

The first vote reveal on Monday showed O’Hearn with 353,029 to lead the Yankees’ Ben Rice (232,331) and the White Sox’s Mike Tauchman (177,483). He was a finalist last year but lost to the Astros’ Yordan Alvarez.

NEW YORK – The Orioles escaped the oppressive heat in Tampa, knowing that temperatures would rise in the Bronx for afternoon and late-morning starts this weekend and possibly touch triple digits Tuesday in Baltimore. A stretch of consecutive games in a row will reach 16 before Thursday’s off-day, and interim manager Tony Mansolino talked about scraping guys off the grass.

He had to scratch Adley Rutschman, who was bothered by left side discomfort. And the Orioles had to face Yankees left-hander Max Fried, who brought nine wins and a 1.89 ERA into the series opener.

Adversity keeps stacking up for a team trying to claw its way out of a deep hole. It can be weather, health, exhaustion, opponent or something else, but the Orioles won’t always let it stall the momentum that might be building.  

The Orioles jumped Fried early and lost their legs, but Coby Mayo delivered a game-tying single in the sixth inning and Ramón Urías led off the eighth with an opposite-field home run off Luke Weaver in a 5-3 victory over the Yankees before an announced sellout crowd of 47,034.

Urías fell behind 0-2 and worked the count full, and his 337-foot fly ball landed inside the right field foul pole. Gunnar Henderson extended his hitting streak to 14 games with a pinch-hit RBI single, and the Orioles (33-42) moved within nine games of .500 for the first time since May 11.

NEW YORK – Tyler O’Neill is almost ready to begin playing games again.

O’Neill was returned from his injury rehab assignment with Triple-A Norfolk last Saturday due to renewed soreness in his left shoulder. He was shut down for about a week after receiving an injection in his AC joint.

“My guess is we could see him out on a rehab assignment possibly by Tuesday somewhere, maybe a tick earlier if all goes well,” said interim manager Tony Mansolino. “Things happen, things kind of come off schedule at times, but if all goes well we’ll start seeing him playing some ball soon.”

O’Neill went 6-for-16 in five games with Norfolk while recovering from the impingement that forced him on the injured list retroactive to May 16.

Jorge Mateo hasn’t played since June 6 because of inflammation in his left elbow, the result of a collision with Heston Kjerstad in right-center field on May 31. Mansolino said that Mateo is “probably getting closer to talking about going out at some point.”

NEW YORK – The Orioles are going with their right-handed lineup tonight to open their series against the Yankees, which puts Gunnar Henderson, Jackson Holliday, Ryan O’Hearn and Cedric Mullins on the bench.

Jordan Westburg is leading off and playing second base. Ramón Urías is the third baseman and cleanup hitter. Luis Vázquez is the shortstop.

Coby Mayo gets back into the lineup at first base. Adley Rutschman is the designated hitter.

Henderson has a 13-game hitting streak, one short of his career high. He’s batting .396 with seven RBIs and nine runs scored during the streak.

Rutschman has registered a .317 career batting average against the Yankees, the third highest among active players after José Ramírez’s .332 and Jose Iglesias’ .329 in a minimum 150 plate appearances.

The mailbag is on a train to New York, demanding a seat on the Acela and refusing to ride the subway later to the Bronx. I’m with you, mailbag. I’d rather hop aboard a mange-diseased coyote.

I had some leftovers from the last mailbag dump, so let’s get to those questions first before the Orioles begin a three-game series against the first-place Yankees, who lost six in a row and didn’t score in three straight prior to defeating the Angels yesterday, 7-3.

These teams met at Camden Yards in late April and the Orioles won two of three games to leave their record at 12-18. Remember when that was reason to panic?

I kept saying, “It’s only April.” And I wasn’t wrong. But it only got worse.

Anyway, you asked, I answered, and you finally got confirmation that I didn’t skip you. The only editing happened when I called it a “mailbug.”

TAMPA – It was an ominous night of baseball at George M. Steinbrenner Field.

Under normal circumstances, the 4-1 Orioles win would’ve been the leading story. After last night’s loss, they turned things around to deliver an all-around win and secure a series split. 

Instead, minds were and continue to be elsewhere. 

In the seventh inning, a foul ball off the bat of Adley Rutschman took an unfortunate line to the Rays’ dugout. The hard-hit struck reliever Hunter Bigge, who, along with being hit on the side of the face, took a scary fall into the dugout. The game was stopped for a long stretch as medical personnel attended to Bigge. After some time, he was placed on a stretcher and gave a thumbs-up to the concerned crowd. He exited the field on a cart with medical staff attending to him. 

Throughout the night, some positive updates about Bigge have rolled in. According to Rays reporters, manager Kevin Cash said that Bigge was coherent and talking to the physician at a local hospital. The hope is that these are just the first of many positive updates. 

TAMPA – “That’s a really, really frustrating loss.”

That was the takeaway from Andrew Kittredge after last night’s game, one in which the Orioles led by eight in the second inning only to lose by four at the end of it.

“Not much to say on that one,” Cedric Mullins added. “That's a tough loss. Definitely one you want to flush as soon as possible. Get back at it tomorrow.”

That’s the mentality that the Orioles are bringing to the ballpark today, looking to rebound after last night’s deflating loss. But there’s no rallying cry from interim manager Tony Mansolino. The players know what they need to do. 

“I think if every day I’ve got to rally the troops and have a team meeting and give a message, I don’t know if it’s the right guys,” Mansolino said of his clubhouse today. “We definitely don’t need that with these guys. They know. I was just in the hitters’ meeting just now. It’s energetic, they’re laughing, they’re talking, they’re trying to figure out how to beat Rasmussen right now.” 

The Orioles try for the series split with the Rays tonight after squandering an eight-run lead last night in a 12-8 loss.

Ryan O’Hearn is the first baseman and Jordan Westburg is the designated hitter, which puts Coby Mayo on the bench again.

Colton Cowser is in left field, Cedric Mullins in center and Ramón Laureano inn right. Jackson Holliday stays atop the order.

Laureano hit line drives 13.5 percent of the time in his first 24 games, according to STATS. Over his last 23 games, his line drive percentage has increased to 32.8.

Charlie Morton has a 6.05 ERA and 1.656 WHIP in 16 games (10 starts). He tossed five scoreless innings with 10 strikeouts in his last start against the Angels after allowing four runs and six hits with four walks in 2 1/3 in Sacramento. He began the month with one unearned run allowed in 6 2/3 against the White Sox.

The Orioles’ attempts to climb out of the deep hole they dug earlier this season are aided by a relief unit that’s acted as a rope ladder.

Don't let last night's fraying in Tampa change your opinions and perceptions. 

The bullpen went into the matchup with a 1.76 ERA in the last 23 games since May 24, the second-lowest mark after the Cubs’ 0.68. Four of the 17 earned runs came from Dean Kremer after he was used behind opener Scott Blewett. They struck out 33.3 percent of batters in that span, the best reliever rate in baseball.

The improvement had lowered the bullpen’s season ERA to 4.42. It was 5.62 through May 23, fourth-highest in the majors.

Trevor Rogers made his second Orioles start of 2025 last night and was gone after 2 1/3 innings, forcing Blewett into the game and messing with the numbers, ideal order and momentum. Blewett was charged with one run in 1 2/3 and Yennier Cano, summoned by the fifth, coughed up four to tie the game. Andrew Kittredge surrendered four in the seventh to give the Rays a 12-8 lead. 

TAMPA – Eight runs on seven hits. 

That was the line for the Baltimore Orioles tonight in the second inning alone. 

Twelve runs on 18 hits. 

That was the line for the Tampa Bay Rays tonight in innings three through seven.  

It culminated in a 12-8 Orioles loss, a tale of two games that the Orioles found themselves on the wrong end of. A contest that had the makings of a blowout still resulted in a victory with a comfortable margin, but not for the team that had an 8-0 advantage after two. 

The Orioles have more mound decisions on their plate.

They needed a starter for tonight and must remove a reliever to fit him onto the roster. Trevor Rogers will go from taxi squad to active roster after his 6 1/3 scoreless innings against the Red Sox at Fenway Park. And Grant Wolfram could be one-and-done after the Orioles recalled him yesterday to replace Colin Selby, who was one-and-done.

Interim manager Tony Mansolino didn’t confirm Rogers’ start during his pregame session with the assembled media in Tampa, but he said, “We’re excited to kind of get him in here tomorrow.”

The food room? The showers?

He’s going to be on the mound and trying not to stand in a puddle of sweat. The heat seems intense. Dean Kremer’s skin had the shine of a glazed donut last night. He looked like he collided with the Exxon Valdez.

TAMPA – Nobody wants their window of opportunity in the big leagues to open due to injury. Unfortunately, that’s the nature of the game and the reality for some, especially for those grinding away at Triple-A.  

Ryan Mountcastle’s extended absence affords Coby Mayo the opportunity to get a look without fear of demotion. Mayo has been working hard at first base and improving at the plate, making the most of his chance. 

Now, that window is open for Trevor Rogers. His previous start came as the 27th man in a doubleheader. But with Cade Povich now serving stint on the injured list, Rogers figures to get at least a few turns in the rotation. 

“It’s an opportunity, and I’m very excited for that,” Rogers told reporters yesterday. “We’ll see what comes of it.” 

His first chance back in the bigs since May comes against a talented Rays lineup tonight. But that start against Boston a few weeks ago was a stellar one, in which the lefty tossed 6 ⅓ shoutout innings, allowing just two hits and no walks with five strikeouts. 

Coby Mayo is getting his first start at George M. Steinbrenner Field tonight and Adley Rutschman is on the bench for the third game of the series against the Rays.

Jordan Westburg is playing third base and batting second. Ramón Laureano is the cleanup hitter.

Ryan O’Hearn is the designated hitter and Colton Cowser is in left field. Cedric Mullins is batting ninth.

Cowser has hit three home runs in 11 games since returning from the 60-day injured list.

The Orioles have won 12 of their last 17 games since May 30, and the .706 winning percentage is tied with the Astros for best in the majors.

The Orioles recalled left-hander Trevor Rogers from the taxi squad to make tonight’s start against the Rays in Tampa, and reliever Grant Wolfram was optioned after spending one day with the team.

Rogers started Game 2 of a May 24 doubleheader in Boston and allowed two hits over 6 1/3 scoreless innings. He issued no walks and struck out five.

In four starts last season, Rogers threw first-pitch strikes at a 70.7 percent rate. The percentage was 81.8 against the Red Sox.

Rogers has made two career starts against the Rays and allowed four runs with 15 strikeouts in 12 innings. Yandy Díaz gets small-sample-size recognition for going 2-for-2 with a double and walk.

Rogers is working on five days' rest tonight. 

TAMPA – The Rays’ offense entered tonight’s game scorching hot. In four consecutive games, all wins, Tampa had posted at least seven runs. 

For the first time in what has felt like a long time, the Rays were stifled. Orioles pitching won the night in Baltimore's 5-1 victory. 

"It seems like 26 guys are playing well right now," interim manager Tony Mansolino said after the game.

The story was Dean Kremer and the bullpen, but the O's offense got things started. 

All Jordan Westburg has done since returning from the injured list is produce. His second-inning double, hit over 110 mph off the bat, set the Orioles up with their first scoring chance of the night. Ryan O’Hearn pushed him to third, and Ramón Laureano brought him home to make it 1-0 Baltimore. 

TAMPA – Nobody would blame Ryan O’Hearn for paying close attention to stats.

In the midst of a career season, the 31-year-old is hoping for his first All-Star selection. For a player optioned or designated for assignment five times during his professional career, the bid would signify the epitome of perseverance in the game. 

As such, the do-it-all slugger has earned the right to doom scroll box scores when he wakes up in his Florida hotel tomorrow morning. 

Instead, he’ll be doing arts and crafts. 

“Get out of the hotel, go serve somebody beside yourself, people who really need it,” O’Hearn said. 

Left-hander Trevor Rogers has joined the Orioles in Tampa and is on the taxi squad.

The Orioles need a starter on Wednesday and Rogers appears to be the choice. He tossed 6 1/3 scoreless innings against the Red Sox in Game 2 of a May 24 doubleheader in Boston.

Coby Mayo is out of the lineup again tonight, as the Orioles try to bounce back from last night’s 7-1 loss to the Rays. Ryan O’Hearn is playing first base and Cedric Mullins is the designated hitter.

Colton Cowser is in center field. Jordan Westburg is the third baseman and cleanup hitter.

Gunnar Henderson has a 10-game hitting streak. He’s slashing .322/.402/.411 (29-for-90) in his last 24 games.

Colin Selby threw two scoreless relief innings last night in Tampa and he’s headed back to Triple-A Norfolk.

Another swap of arms has brought left-hander Grant Wolfram to the Orioles. They recalled Wolfram today and optioned Selby.

Wolfram has appeared in two games with the Orioles and allowed two runs and three hits in 1 1/3 innings. He pitched in back-to-back games in Detroit on April 26-27.

Wolfram has a 4.87 ERA and 1.426 WHIP in 18 appearances with Norfolk. His stay with the Orioles could be as brief as Selby’s, since they need a starter for Wednesday night.  

Dean Kremer has allowed nine runs and 13 hits this month in 12 1/3 innings and he gets the ball tonight. He was used in bulk relief in his last outing, covering seven innings and allowing four runs in the fourth.

The Orioles are back on the road and my mailbag is adamant about missing the Tampa portion of it. No Trop, no trip.

Let’s do some dumping and count how many questions are related to the trade deadline and whether the Orioles will buy or sell. That’s a popular one these days.

The answer isn’t as clear anymore.

You ask, I answer, and we have the latest sequel to the beloved 2008 original. I was gonna edit for clarity, length and style, but decided against it. I edited that idea. Sorry to disappoint again. And that's what I said.

Also, you should know that my mailbag receives the most All-Star votes and your mailbag is confused by the ballot.