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The Orioles are making another series of roster moves.
They agreed to terms today with outfielder Greg Allen on a one-year major league contract. He’s wearing No. 25.
Allen, 32, is a switch-hitter who batted .270/.355/.440 with 14 doubles, a triple, six home runs and 32 RBIs in 61 games with Triple-A Iowa in the Cubs organization. He was released on Aug. 4.
Allen has a locker at Camden Yards.
Infielder/outfielder Vidal Bruján is gone. The Braves claimed him on waivers today.
The Orioles have returned home after a 2-4 road trip in Chicago and Philadelphia, with a three-game series beginning tonight against the Athletics.
Only two games separate the teams in the Wild Card race. Unfortunately, the Orioles are nine back and the Athletics are 11.
There must be more to focus on this weekend than the standings.
Ryan Mountcastle returns.
The Orioles are expected to reinstate Mountcastle from the injured list this weekend, perhaps as early as tonight. He served as designated hitter yesterday afternoon in his ninth rehab game with Triple-A Norfolk.
PHILADELPHIA – Keegan Akin is living, breathing baseball proof that you’re never too old to learn.
Akin turned 30 this year, and the second-round draft choice in 2016 is the longest-tenured Oriole after Ryan Mountcastle. He debuted in the 2020 COVID season, experienced his ups and downs and really became established last season with 66 appearances and a 3.32 ERA and 0.941 WHIP. He blended with his teammates, able to fill multiple roles as an extra left-hander in the bullpen. Nothing flashy, just a grinder who became more trustworthy in spots that weren’t filled by his higher-profile teammates.
That’s the way he liked it.
That isn’t how he’s operating past the trade deadline.
The Orioles became sellers and the bullpen was the hot spot, with Bryan Baker, Gregory Soto, Seranthony Domínguez and Andrew Kittredge traded in that order for four minor leaguers and a competitive balance pick. Akin couldn’t see clearly until the dust settled.
PHILADELPHIA – The Orioles hadn’t scored in 18 innings and their No. 5 hitter today didn’t produce an extra-base hit or RBI in his first 17 major league plate appearances. The batter behind him began the day with a .213 average and was 2-for-23 since a three-hit game in Baltimore. But post-deadline baseball is meant to provide opportunities with the hope that some wins are attached.
Jeremiah Jackson broke a scoreless tie in the fourth inning with a double down the left field line off Ranger Suárez and Coby Mayo followed with a big-boy three-run homer in a 5-1 victory over the Phillies that prevented a sweep at Citizens Bank Park.
Trevor Rogers had traffic every inning but held the Phillies to one run through the sixth, and the Orioles improved to 52-63 overall and 2-4 on their road trip. They’re off Thursday and host the Athletics over the weekend.
"It feels great," said interim manager Tony Mansolino. "You walk in here against this team, especially after getting your teeth kicked in for two nights, it’s easy to lay down at a 12:35 game when you’ve got Ranger Suárez on the mound in Philadelphia with kind of the momentum they have and the lack thereof that we have. For the boys to go out there and do what they did, awesome."
Gunnar Henderson began the fourth with an opposite-field single and Adley Rutschman beat out a grounder that deflected off Suárez’s glove. Jackson gave the Orioles a 1-0 lead and Mayo padded it with authority, blistering a first-pitch changeup 421 feet to left field at 108.5 mph.
PHILADELPHIA – Tyler O’Neill is wearing a soft brace on his right wrist after leaving last night’s game in the sixth inning. He’s out of today’s lineup.
O’Neill sustained the injury while leaping at the right field wall for Max Kepler’s home run ball. He stayed in the game for four more innings and underwent X-rays that came back negative.
The testing isn’t done.
“Just sore this morning,” said interim manager Tony Mansolino. “He’ll get some imaging tomorrow, and after we go through the imaging tomorrow we’ll have a better idea of what it looks like. I does sound like, talking to Scott (Barringer), our trainer, that there’s a little bit of progress and he’s feeling a tick better. But he’ll be out today.”
O'Neill has made two trips to the injured list this season with neck inflammation and a left shoulder impingement.
PHILADELPHIA – Vimael Machín has joined the Orioles on the medical taxi squad with Tyler O’Neill’s status uncertain.
O’Neill exited last night’s game in the sixth inning with right wrist soreness. X-rays were negative.
Machín can stay with the Orioles for 24 hours without having his contract selected. He hasn’t played in the majors since 2022 with the Athletics.
Machín was removed from last night’s game at Triple-A Norfolk after one at-bat. He’s hitting .294 with an .835 OPS, 22 doubles, two triples, 15 home runs and 69 RBIs in 97 games with the Tides.
Neither team has posted its lineup for today’s series finales. The Orioles are 1-4 since the trade deadline and have lost five of six games overall.
PHILADELPHIA – The latest count shows the Orioles with 13 players on the injured list. They can get back down to a dozen with Ryan Mountcastle’s anticipated return on Friday.
Tyler O’Neill will try to avoid it after leaving last night’s game with right wrist soreness. X-rays were negative.
O’Neill has already made two stops with neck inflammation and a left shoulder impingement, raising his career total to 16. He’s never been shelved by an injury to his right wrist, but he’s gone on the IL with a left wrist strain.
Meanwhile, Triple-A Norfolk's Vimael Machín was removed last night after one at-bat. Could be totally unrelated or he's a possibility for the 24-hour taxi squad.
Kyle Bradish and Tyler Wells are making their rehab starts and should reappear with the Orioles later this month. Good for them. That’s a long road to travel after elbow reconstructive surgery.
PHILADEPHIA – A bat shatters, a ball rolls past the mound and into center field, and a pitcher’s fist slams into his glove.
Dean Kremer couldn’t predict what would happen next, but frustration was the appropriate response.
The Phillies sent nine batters to the plate in the second inning, scored three times and led the entire way in a 5-0 victory over the Orioles before an announced sellout crowd of 43,660 at Citizens Bank Park.
The road trip concludes tomorrow with the Orioles 51-63 overall and 1-4 since the trade deadline. A sweep would be the first with Tony Mansolino as interim manager for an entire series.
Phillies starter Taijuan Walker held them scoreless over six innings. Tonight marked their 12th shutout loss.
PHILADELPHIA – As the Orioles work to get their rotation healthier with rehab assignments for Kyle Bradish and Tyler Wells, they’ve got an indefinite wait on veteran right-hander Zach Eflin.
Eflin returned to the 15-day injured list Thursday with lower back discomfort. He received an epidural shot and the Orioles don’t know how much more time he’s going to miss.
“There is no plan in place for him right now,” said interim manager Tony Masolino. “Still letting the shot do its work, see how he comes out of that. And then, as he feels better or when he does, then we’ll be able to map out what the next month or two months will look like for him.”
Eflin was expected to be a trade chip at the deadline, but the injury likely quieted the market for him.
This is Eflin's third trip to the IL and his second with back pain. He was sidelined in April with a mild lat strain.
PHILADELPHIA – The Orioles are making another change to their bullpen, claiming right-hander Rico Garcia on waivers from the Mets this afternoon. He hasn’t reported.
Garcia appeared in six games with the Orioles in 2022 and allowed four runs in eight innings. He appeared in one game with the Yankees this season and allowed three runs in 2 2/3 innings, and in eight with the Mets and surrendered three with 16 strikeouts in 12 2/3.
The 40-man roster has 38 players.
While waiting for the Orioles to post their lineup ...
Dean Kremer registered a 7.04 ERA through April and had a 2.72 ERA in May, a 3.30 ERA in June and a 4.30 ERA in July. He’s registered a 2.89 ERA, 1.018 WHIP and .207 opponents’ average in nine home games and a 5.37 ERA, 1.464 WHIP and .294 opponents’ average in 13 road games.
PHILADELPHIA – The visiting clubhouse at Citizens Bank Park isn’t a good location for trying to identify new players.
Lockers don’t come with names, just uniform numbers that aren’t much use without a program or freakish memory skills. And the Orioles’ roster has undergone a startling makeover.
A player sat on a couch yesterday wearing a thick white headband and looking at his phone. The face was unrecognizable to anyone who missed the introductions in Chicago.
The stranger turned out to be first baseman Ryan Noda, who had a pinch-hit single Sunday. The Orioles claimed him on waivers from the White Sox over the weekend.
A pitcher sat at his locker who also hadn’t been in the organization the last time that the Orioles were home. A reporter on the beat discreetly held up his phone to reveal the player page belonging to left-hander Dietrich Enns, who was acquired from the Tigers at the trade deadline for cash considerations. Enns allowed a run and five hits Sunday in 1 2/3 innings.
PHILADELPHIA – Games over the next two months that can’t get the Orioles back into a playoff chase have the power to elevate a young pitcher in the eyes of his bosses. For as long as he’s allowed to stay on the mound.
Left-hander Cade Povich returned from the injured list today to make his first appearance in almost two months, and he came within an infield hit of his third quality start of the season and first since April 24.
Interim manager Tony Mansolino removed Povich after 5 2/3 innings, choosing to let Corbin Martin face Nick Castellanos with the score tied. The matchup mattered more than determining whether Povich could work out of his own jam.
Martin saw six batters and retired none. Harrison Bader hit a three-run homer, Kyle Schwarber greeted Yaramil Hiraldo with a grand slam and the eight-run inning propelled the Phillies to a 13-3 victory before an announced crowd of 41,099 at Citizens Bank Park.
Elvin Rodríguez worked the eighth, becoming the 56th player used by the Orioles, and Edmundo Sosa and Weston Wilson hit back-to-back home runs. When a game unravels for this team, it leaves a huge mess.
PHILADELPHIA – Grayson Rodriguez won’t pitch in 2025. The last flicker of hope is doused.
The elbow discomfort that shut down Rodriguez again will lead to a debridement procedure next week to clean out some bone fragments. The surgery is expected to happen a week from today.
Executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias stated Friday in a video call that surgery was “back on the table," so today's news was more of a confirmation. The timing of it should make Rodriguez available in spring training.
Rodriguez hasn’t appeared in a regular season game since July 31, 2024 against the Blue Jays. He went on the injured list with another lat strain that kept him off the Wild Card roster, and he didn’t pitch in spring training after a March 5 outing against the Twins in Fort Myers.
A drastic decline in velocity that day led to speculation about an injury. Rodriguez said he felt “sluggish,” and the Orioles put him on the injured list before breaking camp with elbow inflammation. Rodriguez also felt soreness in his triceps, but the first setback in his recovery was caused by another lat strain that prevented him from engaging in an April bullpen session.
PHILADELPHIA – The Orioles reinstated left-hander Cade Povich from the injured list today and he gets the ball to start a three-game series against the Phillies.
That wasn’t the only move.
Infielder/outfielder Vidal Bruján was activated and he’s wearing No. 40. The Orioles claimed him yesterday.
The counter moves were optioning reliever Houston Roth and outfielder Jordyn Adams. Roth didn’t make his major league debut before departing.
Povich has a 5.15 ERA and 1.500 WHIP in 13 games (12 starts). His only relief appearance came on June 15, with 3 2/3 scoreless innings before going on the IL with left hip inflammation.
Attempts to get comfortable with the structure of the Orioles’ roster is time wasted. The changes and debuts are coming at a dizzying pace.
The Orioles set a club record by using 62 players in the 110-loss 2021 season. The total is 55 this year and they have infielder/outfielder Vidal Bruján and relievers Elvin Rodríguez and Houston Roth waiting for their first chance. Bruján will meet the team in Philadelphia.
Terrin Vavra received his first at-bat Saturday since 2023, and before the Orioles designated him for assignment the following day. He just made it under the wire.
A corresponding move is pending with Bruján. Vavra seemed to be the most likely player to go but he’s already out the door. Shortstop Luis Vázquez could be vulnerable.
Jeremiah Jackson has started in right field the past two games and he’s hit, moving up to fifth in the order yesterday. The ground beneath his feet might be more solid.
The trade deadline left plenty of room for the Orioles to add players to their 26- and 40-man rosters. It’s a byproduct of being sellers. Lots of subtractions allow for future additions.
Two more moves came this afternoon while the Orioles played the Cubs at Wrigley Field.
Executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias claimed infielder/outfielder Vidal Bruján, 27, on waivers from the Cubs. He hasn’t reported but should join the Orioles in Philadelphia.
Elias also claimed right-hander Carson Ragsdale, 27, from the Giants, and the Orioles optioned him to Triple-A Norfolk.
The 40-man roster has increased to 37 players.
The latest roster move this morning brings Ryan Noda to the visiting clubhouse at Wrigley Field.
Noda, claimed on waivers yesterday from the White Sox, has been recalled from Triple-A Norfolk. He’s wearing No. 41.
The Orioles designated infielder/outfielder Terrin Vavra for assignment.
The 40-man roster has 35 players.
Noda, 29, appeared in 16 games with the White Sox this season and went 3-for-34 with a home run and 10 strikeouts. He played in 128 games with the Athletics in 2023 and 36 in 2024 and is a career .204/.341/.357 hitter. He smacked 16 home runs with 54 RBIs and a .770 OPS in ’23.
The Orioles didn’t free up as much room in their rotation as anticipated at the deadline.
They also didn’t bring in a starter or reliever who would be assured of a roster spot in 2026, though they considered it. The role of seller comes with certain limits.
“Yeah, we definitely tried for that,” executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias said in Friday’s video call. “It’s a rental reliever, a rental player, and I say, ‘Hey, give me your major-league-ready starting pitcher that’s under control for six years,’ it’s just not a real likely trade to happen in that context. So rather than try to force that and either come away with nothing or come away with a guy that’s not very good, I think the right thing to do is get the most value back for the organization, and so that’s what we did.
“Obviously, we would have loved to do that, but you’ve got to be realistic and there’s just not a lot of major-league-ready starting pitchers being traded by teams that are right there in contention, especially for rental-type returns.”
Charlie Morton was in a late trade to the Tigers, but Elias didn’t move Zach Eflin or Tomoyuki Sugano. Eflin is on the injured list with lower back discomfort, his third trip but nothing that should keep him out for an extended stretch, and Sugano started yesterday and allowed three runs in five innings.
The Orioles filled the last opening on their 26-man roster this morning by activating left-hander Dietrich Enns. He’s in the bullpen for this afternoon’s game against the Cubs at Wrigley Field.
Enns is wearing No. 71.
Today’s lineup has the same nine players but the order and positions are altered.
Jeremiah Jackson, who collected his first major league hit yesterday, is the right fielder instead of designated hitter, a role filled today by Tyler O’Neill. Mayo is batting sixth instead of seventh.
Dylan Carlson remains in center field, with Colton Cowser in left.
The Orioles wouldn’t budge.
Talks with the Padres leading to the trade deadline took multiple shapes. First baseman Ryan O’Hearn and outfielder Ramón Laureano could be dealt separately or packaged. Different prospects were discussed. The whole thing would have fallen apart if the Guardians accepted an offer for Steven Kwan.
To make it work for the Orioles, they had to get left-hander Boston Bateman. He was the potential deal-breaker.
I’ve heard that the Padres were reluctant to part with him. They tried other combinations to avoid losing their No. 4 prospect. The Orioles had to include Laureano, whose contract contains a $6.5 million option for next season. And they had to stay patient and stick to their demand.
The six minor leaguers who came to the Orioles are products of the 2024 draft – Bateman in the second round, infielder Cobb Hightower in the third, pitcher Tyson Neighbors in the fourth, shortstop Brandon Butterworth in the 12th, pitcher Tanner Smith in the 15th, and first baseman Victor Figueroa in the 18th.
