SARASOTA, Fla. – Playing second base isn’t dumping Jackson Holliday in unfamiliar territory. He’s been there and done it: 25 starts as a professional, 20 last year scattered among four affiliates.

This isn’t the Orioles experimenting with third baseman Billy Rowell in right field or catcher Javy López at first base, for our older readers. Many of them still traumatized by it.

Has baseball’s No. 1 prospect mastered the art of playing the right side, which he did again last night against the Tigers? No, but he keeps working at it and showing that he’s capable of making the necessary adjustments.

No one doubted it, of course, but still good to see.

“I think it’s been going good,” Holliday said Friday after completing his latest interview with a national baseball writer, his accessibility, maturity and politeness also rating highly in camp.

NORTH PORT, Fla. – Jordan Westburg made the bulk of his major league starts last season at second base. Thirty-five of them among his 50 appearances.

Today marked his first of the spring after four starts at third base and two at shortstop.

Westburg entered the game with five hits in 19 at-bats, including a double, triple and home run. He hadn’t drawn a walk and struck out eight times.

Veteran left-hander Chris Sale walked Westburg to lead off the top of the second inning. Westburg struck out in his next two at-bats.

“I like the way Jordan’s played,” manager Brandon Hyde said during his pregame media scrum in the visiting dugout at CoolToday Park. “He’s going to continue playing all three positions, majority third and second. Think he’s getting more comfortable at third base. I know he’s very comfortable at second base.

NORTH PORT, Fla. – Adley Rutschman has made the trip to CoolToday Park for today’s game against the Braves. He’s catching Dean Kremer.

Kremer is making his third start. He’s allowed three runs and six hits with three walks and five strikeouts in four innings.

Jordan Westburg is playing second base, Colton Cowser is in left field and Kyle Stowers is in right. Coby Mayo is the designated hitter.

Ryan McKenna is leading off and playing center field.

For the Orioles

SARASOTA, Fla. – The first of two off-days has arrived on the Orioles’ spring training schedule. Golf outings, fishing excursions, time with family, the choice to sleep late.

And that’s just the media.

The Orioles have played 13 games and won 11, a nice little statistic that means very little.

TT Bowens broke a 2-2 tie Sunday with a three-run, ninth-inning homer in Bradenton. Kade Strowd registered the save as the sixth reliever used behind starter Grayson Rodriguez, who was pulled after two-plus innings and 49 pitches.

Cade Povich tossed two scoreless innings to earn the victory.

SARASOTA, Fla. – Anthony Santander swung the bat, dropped it and began jogging to first base. His eyes stayed locked on the baseball.

He wanted to watch it disappear over the right field fence.

The wait was over. He earned the chance to enjoy his work before picking up the pace.

Santander hit a two-run homer tonight off Pirates ace Mitch Keller in the bottom of the first inning. He began the game 2-for-17 with no extra-base hits, RBIs or walks.

Gunnar Henderson led off by reaching on an infield single, Adley Rutschman flied out and Santander gave the Orioles an early 2-0 lead.

SARASOTA, Fla. – Orioles center fielder Cedric Mullins expects to return to the lineup next week after exiting Monday’s game with a sore right hamstring.

Mullins underwent an MRI that came back “clean,” eliminating any concerns about an extended absence.

“Kind of what I expected,” he said this morning. “It felt like a cramping sensation, so we shut it down just to be on the safe side. … What I thought basically is what happened, so it’s a matter of working out the tightness.

“We’ll probably slow-play it a little bit, but I expect myself to be back in games sometime next week. Pretty soon.”

Austin Hays is in center field for tonight’s game against the Pirates in Sarasota. Mullins is 2-for-9 with four walks and a stolen base in 13 plate appearances.

SARASOTA, Fla. – Gunnar Henderson is leading off and playing shortstop tonight, as the Orioles are matched up again with the Pirates.

Adley Rutschman is catching Julio Teheran, who tossed a scoreless and hitless relief inning in his Orioles debut.

Ryan O’Hearn gets another start in the outfield, playing left with Austin Hays in center. Cedric Mullins remains out of the lineup with right hamstring soreness.

Jorge Mateo is playing second base. Kolten Wong is the designated hitter.

For the Orioles

SARASOTA, Fla. – The Orioles break camp in less than three weeks, proving again that spring training moves just as fast as the offseason.

Are we any closer to figuring out the 26-man roster? Not really. The club hasn’t made a particular move that serves as a spoiler.

We know that Sam Hilliard fell out of the outfield competition quickly, returning to the Rockies on a waiver claim. Executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias gave us more to think about by signing pitcher Julio Teheran and second baseman Kolten Wong to minor league contracts.

It’s an absolute possibility that the Orioles bring both players to Baltimore, Teheran perhaps in long relief and Wong as this year’s version of Adam Frazier – at least to begin the season. Frazier lasted through all of it rather than serve as a placeholder.

Jackson Holliday says, “Hold my non-alcoholic beverage.”

SARASOTA, Fla. – Catcher Samuel Basallo, the No. 2 prospect in the Orioles’ system, expects to play in the Spring Breakout game on March 14 in Bradenton that features top prospects going head-to-head for seven innings.

Basallo would serve as the designated hitter because he doesn’t expect to be cleared to catch until late April “more or less” due to a stress fracture in his right elbow.

“I sure hope so,” he said this morning via interpreter Brandon Quinones, “and I think those are the plans as of right now.”

Basallo took live batting practice yesterday at Twin Lakes Park for the first time this spring. He’s been hitting against coaches.

“I felt really good and I feel really good overall,” he said. “I was just really happy that I was able to return and play again.”

SARASOTA, Fla. – The fan excitement over spring training has spilled over to the mailbag, which also is spilling.

Time for some mailbag leftovers for breakfast, a mash-up for this side of the site.

Same editing rules – little to none – and same appreciation of your participation.

What did catcher Maverick Handley do to make the Orioles mad at him and not place him on the 40-man roster?
The Orioles didn’t protect anyone in the Rule 5 draft and got away unscathed. They like Handley. He’s in camp. But they rolled the dice that he’d remain in the organization.

What's the early consensus regarding Jackson Holliday? Has it changed from the previous proclamation that he may break camp?
Holliday isn’t promised a spot on the Opening Day roster. He’s competing for it. Nothing has changed. He may break camp.

SARASOTA, Fla. – The time has come to march into a new month with a spring training mailbag.

(March. You see what I did there.)

This is the latest sequel to the beloved 2008 original. So many have been published that there’s no reason to go over the format, rules and disdain for tinkering with style, clarity, length, brevity or anything else.

Also, and this is real important, my mailbag relaxes underneath an umbrella at the Siesta Key beach and your mailbag sells warm beers in a brown paper bag. (I may have bought one.)

In the little bit I've read about Corbin Burnes, it seems like he does things a certain way - his way. Based upon his success it seems to be working, but does this come across as leadership or a bit pompous?
I haven’t heard a single harsh word about Burnes from anyone. Quite the opposite. Teammates have the upmost respect for him, including how he goes about his work and prepares for the season. Guys with his experience and resume know how to get ready for Opening Day. They don’t need a helicopter parent.

SARASOTA, Fla. – Jackson Holliday flashed the speed tool in his kit during Thursday’s game against the Pirates at Ed Smith Stadium, lining a pitch into the right-field corner and reaching third base without a slide for his first spring triple.

He had no shot at catching the guy in front of him.

Enrique Bradfield Jr., last year’s first-round draft pick with the 80-grade speed, had entered the game as a pinch-runner for Tyler Nevin and scored on the play. Holliday was busting it and couldn’t close ground on his teammate.

Holliday laughed about it later while waiting to speak with the media outside the baseball operations building. Asked whether he thought he might pass Bradfield, baseball’s No. 1 prospect shook his head at the absurd notion that anyone could beat the Vanderbilt blur. The kid who stole 46 bases in 46 attempts as a sophomore. You've got to be kidding.

Jorge Mateo wouldn’t mind taking a crack at it.

SARASOTA, Fla. – Coby Mayo received a text message about his line drive Wednesday off the left-center field fence in Fort Myers. How he punctured the padding and left a hole.

Only a mild exaggeration given the violence of the collision.

Mayo’s ball was clocked at 109.9 mph off the bat. Manager Brandon Hyde marveled at the topspin on it. But recent Mayo talk seems to shift away from his work at the plate.

The Orioles are interested in his play at third base, which is getting solid reviews. This is their second look at him in major league camp.

“He’s improved his defense, which is great to see. I think he’s come a long way defensively,” Hyde said.

NORTH PORT, Fla. – Tyler Wells didn’t know his set pitch count today before stepping on the mound for his first spring start. Two innings seemed to be one of the main goals, along with pounding the strike zone and getting out of it healthy.

The day was a success in both regards, with Wells tossing two scoreless innings against the Braves at CoolToday Park.

Wells faced the minimum number of batters after Luis Liberato, a late substitution for Ronald Acuña Jr., singled into center field. Jarred Kelenic grounded into a 3-6-3 double play and Austin Riley grounded out, and Wells coaxed three fly balls to right fielder Anthony Santander in the second.

The right-hander threw 23 pitches, 17 for strikes.

“I think that it’s a good way to start off spring training and kind of set pace for the year,” he said.

NORTH PORT, Fla. – Gunnar Henderson is taking live batting practice this morning back in Sarasota, his first sessions since reporting to camp on a reduced schedule.

Henderson felt some tightness in his left oblique in January while long-tossing at home. He’s hit in the cage during regular batting practice.

The presence of a real pitcher should be the final step before his exhibition debut. But his return isn’t imminent.

“I would imagine wouldn’t be too many more days before I get out there,” he said. “I don’t have the exact day, but I would say sometime this coming week.”

Manager Brandon Hyde said Henderson and second baseman Connor Norby should get into their first game in the “next three to four days.”

NORTH PORT, Fla. – Jackson Holliday is in the lineup again today, this time at shortstop against the Braves in North Port.

Colton Cowser is leading off and playing center field. Ryan Mountcastle, scratched yesterday due to illness, is listed as the designated hitter.

Mountcastle said this morning that he’s feeling a little better.

Jordan Westburg is the third baseman today. Tyler Nevin, who’s 7-for-12, is in left field.

Anthony Santander is playing right.

SARASOTA, Fla. – No one in the Orioles organization is enjoying Colton Cowser’s hot start in exhibition games more than teammate and friend Heston Kjerstad, who doesn’t ponder how it might impact his own chances of making the Opening Day roster.

Kjerstad isn’t wired that way. He wants everyone to be electric, to put up good numbers.

And he remains confident that he’ll do it, too.

Kjerstad received three at-bats yesterday in the Orioles’ 9-8 walk-off win over the Pirates in Sarasota. He flied to left field against Paul Skenes to end the first inning but lined a single into left-center against left-hander Bailey Falter in the third. He was 1-for-12 with four strikeouts before Falter … well, faltered.

The spring tally is 2-for-14 after Kjerstad bounced to the mound in the fifth inning.

SARASOTA, Fla. – Jackson Holliday is playing second base again and leading off this afternoon against the Pirates’ Paul Skenes, pitting the 2022 first-overall draft pick against the 2023 first-overall selection.

The hype keeps building.

Adley Rutschman, the first-overall selection in 2019, is catching and batting directly behind Holliday. Heston Kjerstad, the second-overall pick in 2020, is the right fielder and cleanup hitter.

Coby Mayo gets another start at third base, Kyle Stowers is in left field and Ryan McKenna is playing center.

Corbin Burnes is making his second start after tossing a scoreless inning in Saturday’s opener against the Red Sox. Burnes struck out the first two batters and threw 22 pitches before leaving the game.

SARASOTA, Fla. – The Orioles are back home this afternoon to play the Pirates, with baseball’s No. 3 prospect, Paul Skenes, starting opposite Corbin Burnes.

Yes, everyone is primed for the expected Skenes-Jackson Holliday matchup - the first-overall picks in the last two drafts going head-to-head. A potential sneak peek of the Spring Breakout game next month in Bradenton that features top prospects from both organizations.  

Or, as I call it, “a double header in Bradenton that I didn’t ask for,” but this isn’t about me.

Always keep in mind that it’s spring training. This is the time to overhype and to obsess.  

Holliday didn’t make the trip to Fort Myers yesterday. He’s rested and ready, and probably back at second base.

FORT MYERS, Fla. – The Orioles reduced their 40-man roster to 39 players this afternoon in the latest move - their third in less than 24 hours - by losing outfielder Sam Hilliard on a waiver claim by the Rockies.

Hilliard was claimed from the Braves in November and competed for a backup spot with the Orioles, an intriguing possibility with his left-handed bat and ability to play all three spots.

He didn’t get many opportunities, going 0-for-3.

Hilliard played for the Rockies from 2019-22, so he returns to his original organization.

The Orioles have a healthy supply of left-handed hitting outfielders in camp with Cedric Mullins, Colton Cowser, Heston Kjerstad, Kyle Stowers and Daniel Johnson. Anthony Santander bats from both sides of the plate.