Dylan Beavers moves up to second in the Orioles’ lineup today, the first time he’s hit higher than fifth in the majors. He’s in right field, with Jeremiah Jackson on the bench.

Tyler O’Neill is the designated hitter again and is batting cleanup. Coby Mayo returns to the lineup at first base and is batting ninth.

Samuel Basallo is catching. Dylan Carlson is in left field and Emmanuel Rivera is at third base again.

Tomoyuki Sugano takes his turn today after leaving his last start with a sore right foot. He was hit by a sharp one-hopper and limped to the dugout.

Two of his first three starts in the U.S. came against the Blue Jays. He allowed two runs in four innings in his debut in Toronto and three runs and eight hits in 4 2/3 at Camden Yards.

TORONTO – On Aug. 1, the Orioles’ outfield no longer included Cedric Mullins, a mainstay in center field since his breakout 2021 campaign. The next day, right-fielder Tyler O’Neill was a late scratch from the lineup due to illness. And a few days later, after a collision with the wall, O’Neill hit the injured list with wrist inflammation. 

On Aug, 1, Jeremiah Jackson was called up to the big leagues after hitting a staggering .377 in 40 games with the Triple-A Norfolk Tides. Most anticipated that Jackson, who played 35 of those 40 games in the infield, would fill the role vacated by Ramón Urías. 

Instead, through 35 games with the Orioles, Jackson has spent 27 days in the depleted outfield and has mostly been patrolling right field, a position that he had played on just seven occasions as a minor leaguer. 

Today, Baltimore’s primary right fielder, O’Neill, returns from a rehab assignment. But don’t expect Jackson and his .829 OPS to just hit the bench. 

“We’ll see kind of where it goes,” Tony Mansolino said of his lineup upon O’Neill’s return. “It’ll be very day-to-day, and we’ll do the best we can with the lineup and get people in the right spots.”

Tyler O’Neill will give it another try and hope to make it through the rest of the month.

The Orioles reinstated O’Neill from the 10-day injured list this afternoon and optioned outfielder Daniel Johnson to Triple-A Norfolk. O’Neill hasn’t played since Aug. 5 in Philadelphia due to right wrist inflammation. He just finished a rehab assignment that ended with Triple-A Norfolk.

O'Neill has made three stops on the injured list this season. He's appeared in 43 games in his first season with the Orioles and slashed .210/.293/.434 with six doubles, a triple, eight home runs and 23 RBIs. He homered and went 3-for-3 with three RBIs on Opening Day at Rogers Centre. He also homered against the Blue Jays on April 13 in Baltimore.

Left-hander Trevor Rogers makes his 16^th start after posting a 1.51 ERA and 0.868 WHIP in 95 2/3 innings. He allowed two runs in 5 1/3 innings against the Dodgers in his last outing, the first time that he surrendered more than one since July 20 in Tampa.

Rogers’ 1.51 ERA through 15 starts is an all-time low among Orioles pitchers.

Catcher Samuel Basallo has returned to the Orioles lineup tonight after being struck on the right hand by a bunted ball Saturday night against the Dodgers.

Jeremiah Jackson is in right field again and batting second. Emmanuel Rivera stays at third base, Dylan Beavers is in left field and Coby Mayo is the first baseman.

Ryan Mountcastle serves again as designated hitter and is batting fourth.

Tomoyuki Sugano and Dean Kremer played catch today and are expected to stay on the active roster. Sugano was hit on the right foot by a one-hopper Sunday afternoon and Kremer exited his start Friday night with right forearm discomfort. Kremer’s start will be skipped, but Sugano could proceed uninterrupted.

“It didn’t get as swollen as much as I expected, and I’m ready for my next start,” Sugano said via interpreter Yuto Sakurai. “We’ll see how I move around today, but as of now, I don’t think it’ll have any affect.”

Orioles rookie catcher Samuel Basallo has avoided a serious injury after taking a bunted ball off his right hand last night and exiting the game.

Basallo is out of today’s lineup, but he would have been on the bench anyway against Dodgers left-hander Clayton Kershaw.

“It feels good, feeling much better today,” he said via interpreter Brandon Quinones.

“I got a bit scared, I think a few of us were scared. But thankfully nothing came out bad, so thank God I’m pretty healthy.”

Basallo was a spectator for the remarkable comeback, when the Orioles were no-hit for 8 2/3 innings and won 4-3 on Emmanuel Rivera’s two-run, walk-off single.

Orioles interim manager Tony Mansolino was heading back indoors around 3:30 p.m. when he found out that the Dodgers weren’t starting Tyler Glasnow tonight at Camden Yards.

“My watch just buzzed me when I was walking in from early BP,” he said.

“I thought somebody was messing with me, but apparently not.”

No, it was true. The Dodgers scratched Glasnow with back tightness and are pushing him to early next week.

Mansolino kept the same lineup as the Orioles suddenly had to prepare for Shohei Ohtani. He was scheduled for Monday at home against the Rockies after working a season-high five innings on Aug. 27.

SAN DIEGO – A couple of injured Orioles are nearing their returns to the active roster this month. The injured list holds 10 players and can get down to single digits.

Consider it an accomplishment in 2025.

Infielder Jordan Westburg (ankle) is doing full baseball activities and should go on a rehab assignment next week.

Westburg hasn’t played since Aug. 18 in Boston.

“Everything is getting closer and closer,” said interim manager Tony Mansolino.

SAN FRANCISCO – The mailbag didn’t empty on my first attempt, so let’s try again.

Here are some leftover questions as we await the second game of the series against the Giants, with a starting time of 4:15 p.m. on the West Coast.

Which prospects recently brought up are you most surprised by with their performance, whether good or bad?
So we’re not counting Jeremiah Jackson, right? You said “prospects.” But he’s definitely a surprise. I didn’t put much stock in his Triple-A numbers. Dylan Beavers is an on-base machine, which isn’t to be confused with Vimael Machín. I just assumed that he’d start slowly like so many others, but he’s worthy of an elevated spot in the lineup – next season after he retains rookie status.

Should Ryan Mountcastle change positions, since first base is crowded with Samuel Basallo on the roster?
Mountcastle already has played four since the Orioles drafted him – shortstop, third base, left field and first base. I don’t think there are plans to put him in the five-timers club and give him a special jacket. He’s also a two-time Gold Glove finalist at first. He’s fine. The bigger question is whether the Orioles give him another raise in arbitration in his final year before free agency, and if so, how they work the lineups with Basallo, Adley Rutschman and Coby Mayo.

Do you have any preferences for any of the rumored expansion cities? Guess one has to be on the West Coast?
Not sure I’m caught up on the rumors. Salt Lake City and Nashville? I saw the USA Today report last month that those cities are targeted. Bring back Montreal so I can finally make a trip. The Expos had the undisputed worst ballpark in the majors and every beat writer circled those dates on the calendar. Had nothing to do with Olympic Stadium. It was all about the city, which, as the backup on the beat, I never got to experience. Delmarva would be ideal because I could stay with my mom.

SAN FRANCISCO – The six-man rotation will be complete next week with Tyler Wells’ reinstatement from the injured list.

Wells will start in San Diego in his first major league appearance since April 12, 2024. He underwent elbow ligament reconstructive surgery two months later and just completed his rehab assignment with Triple-A Norfolk.

Because he pitched on Wednesday, Wells won’t be available to the Orioles during their series in San Francisco. He could start Monday or wait until Tuesday with extra rest.

The Orioles will finalize their starters by Sunday.

“Which day, I don’t know,” said interim manager Tony Mansolino. “You guys can probably do the math, take a look and have a good estimate. But it will be one of those three games.”

BOSTON – Orioles outfielder Tyler O’Neill started baseball activities today at Fenway Park as he works toward a return from a right wrist injury.

O’Neill went on the injured list retroactive to Aug. 6 due to the inflammation.

“Threw the baseball for the first time today,” he said while standing at his locker in the visiting clubhouse. “So now it’s buildup and baseball progression, and hopefully it goes quick.”

Rosters expand on Sept. 1, but O’Neill might be able to return later this month.

“I haven’t had a specific date set in mind,” he said. “I could see that being reasonable. Hopefully, things progress quickly and I’m back before that, but you never know during the buildup. It might be a little longer. But what I know right now is I’m feeling good, I’m pretty much pain-free. It’s just getting back to baseball shape now.”

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 – 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 56^th 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.

The swing and the sound were vintage Tyler O’Neill. A positive perfect storm creating a loud clap of thunder and putting more runs on the scoreboard.

This is the version of Tyler O’Neill that the Orioles anticipated for the 2025 season and perhaps beyond, depending on the opt-out clause in his three-year, $49.5 million free-agent contract.

His health didn’t allow it, whether keeping him off the field or out of the batting cages, but O’Neill is teasing again – just like he did in March with three hits on Opening Day, including another home run, and four on the 31^st in Boston.

O’Neill homered in four consecutive games and almost made it five last night in the nightcap of a doubleheader, his drive to deep left field in the fifth inning so close to sneaking inside the pole that the Orioles challenged the call. The at-bats are much better, much more competitive.

For example, O’Neill saw 19 pitches in his first three plate appearances in Game 1, running the count full each time and producing a sacrifice fly, a walk and single after falling behind 0-2. O’Neill changed his approach and homered on a first-pitch slider in the sixth, and he struck out on six pitches in the seventh.

The Orioles experienced a typical morning before Game 1 of their doubleheader. They used the injured list again. They waited for the Blue Jays to announce their starting pitcher after the usual delay. Interim manager Tony Mansolino provided injury and rehab updates and was asked again about the trade deadline, saying that family and friends won’t let players ignore it. Coby Mayo did some early work on the field. The heat was borderline unbearable.

The run-scoring fly balls that came later were a unique touch.

Winning games hasn’t been the norm during a last-place season that’s got the front office in sell mode, but the Orioles picked an interesting time to get hot.

Charlie Morton registered a quality start in perhaps his last appearance with the Orioles, and their first four runs and five overall scored on sacrifice flies in a 16-4 victory over the Blue Jays before an announced crowd of 16,194 at Camden Yards.

Ramón Urías had his second career multi-homer game, and the Orioles (49-58) are nine below .500 for the first time since July 13. They’ll try for their second doubleheader sweep this month.

Tomoyuki Sugano made his 20^th major league start today, unsure whether No. 21 will come with the Orioles.

Sugano is a trade possibility with the deadline four days away. He didn’t treat this afternoon’s game as an audition for scouts. He wanted to give the Orioles a chance to win the series, the job he’s paid to perform. What happens next will reveal itself later.

Dylan Carlson moved the Orioles ahead in the second inning with a two-run single, Tyler O’Neill homered for the third day in a row, and Sugano tied his major league high with eight strikeouts in a 5-1 victory over the Rockies before an announced crowd of 16,407 at Camden Yards.

Sugano held the Rockies to one run and four hits in six innings for his eighth quality start, and the Orioles are 47-58 with the first-place Blue Jays coming to town.

O’Neill’s two-run shot off Austin Gomber in the third traveled 433 feet to left field. His home run total has grown to six, with good health allowing him to get extra work in the cage and fix his swing.

Cedric Mullins must rely on his own organization to feel the love for his glove.

Interim manager Tony Mansolino spoke again yesterday about “the eye test,” just as his predecessor always did. Just as most people do who watch him on a nightly basis.

Mansolino praised Mullins yesterday while the metrics continued to pummel him. The Fielding Bible calculated his defensive runs saved (DRS) at minus-17, the worst of his career, the worst in baseball. And then, Mullins bolted into left-center field in the third inning, the angle taking him toward the fence, and laid out to snag Orlando Arcia’s 105 mph line drive.

Statcast calculated the catch probability at 75 percent. Mullins, it seems, can’t catch a break.

He could scale the warehouse and break glass to rob a home run and be downgraded for the angle.

The trade deadline can’t touch Trevor Rogers and Tyler O’Neill. They aren’t on expiring contracts. They aren’t expected to go anywhere except on the team charter.

Cedric Mullins is a pending free agent and could be moved. Fans seem to be cheering him a little louder these days. Twice tonight, for sure.

The Orioles didn’t make any deals and all three players, controllable and vulnerable, stepped up in an 18-0 thrashing of the Rockies, which set the club record for largest shutout win. The previous mark was 17-0 against the White Sox on July 27, 1969.

Rogers allowed one hit over seven scoreless innings, retiring 20 of 22 batters. O’Neill hit his second homer in two nights, a two-run shot off Colorado starter Antonio Senzatela, and reached base four times. Mullins made a spectacular diving catch and belted a three-run homer. And the Orioles evened the series before an announced crowd of 20,188 at Camden Yards.

Thirteen batters came to the plate in a nine-run seventh, with Gunnar Henderson doubling twice and driving in two and Coby Mayo contributing a walk and two-run double off the bench, and the Orioles improved to 46-58. Kyle Farmer went from designated hitter to emergency pitcher in the eighth and Alex Jackson greeted him with a pinch-hit homer.