Orioles outfielder Dwight Smith Jr. confirmed this afternoon that his absence from summer training camp was based on a positive test for COVID-19. Smith began workouts yesterday by tracking pitches. "I had to run a lot of tests to make sure everything was running well with my body and also keeping my distance from everybody in this locker room, so we all had to do our part and make sure before I even stepped foot into this facility," he said during a Zoom conference call with the media. "I...

And so, here we go again. When last we saw the Nationals on the field playing against another team, their biggest concerns were whether the pitching staff would suffer from all the extra innings they threw during the postseason, whether Carter Kieboom deserved to start at third base, how much playing time Ryan Zimmerman would get and whether Joe Ross would win the No. 5 starter's job. Those are not their biggest concerns tonight as they take the field to face the Phillies in the first of three...

They've spent the last two weeks working first in small groups, then as a full (socially distanced) unit. They took grounders. They took batting practice. They threw off the bullpen mound. They simulated some game situations. And they played several intrasquad games. And now, at long last, the Nationals will take the field and play a baseball game against an opposing team for the first time in 127 days. It's not a real game, merely an exhibition. But this Saturday evening gathering with the...

Rio Ruiz's fly ball was slicing toward the left field line. DJ Stewart was racing to it. Could have been a double, could have been an out with flair. Could have been an injury to Stewart, who made a sensational diving catch and really felt it. Stewart rose to his feet and bent forward for a couple of seconds. He straightened, reached for his right ribcage and motioned to center fielder Andrew Velazquez that he was fine. The first intrasquad game featuring crowd noise piped into the ballpark...

Asher Wojciechowski made his latest bid tonight to stay in the Orioles rotation by starting for the orange team, designated as the hosts, in the penultimate intrasquad game at Camden Yards. Never read too much into a scrimmage, whether or not it's accompanied by recorded crowd noise and walkup music, but Wojciechowski is lined up to serve as the No. 4 starter behind John Means, Alex Cobb and Wade LeBlanc. Dilson Herrera didn't care. He lined a two-run homer into the left field seats in the...

The 16th season of Nationals baseball is right around the corner, with an Opening Day matchup on ESPN against the New York Yankees set for Thursday, July 23rd at 7:08 p.m. ET. The Mid-Atlantic Sports Network (MASN) and 106.7 The Fan will continue to serve as the Nationals broadcast partners for regular season games in 2020. On-air talent for Nationals broadcasts on MASN and 106.7 The Fan will remain unchanged for the 2020 season. Two of the Nationals exhibition games - July 20 at the Orioles...

He's had only two days in camp after spending 14 days in mandatory quarantine. He'll get to play in only three exhibition games. But Howie Kendrick insists he'll be at Nationals Park on Thursday night, in the lineup as his team opens its title defense against the Yankees. "I'll be ready," the veteran hitter said today in his first Zoom session with reporters of the summer. "Whether I am or not, I'll be ready." Kendrick was ready to go when camp opened two weeks ago, but District of...

When baseball shut down on March 12, it shut down throughout both the majors and the minor leagues. Orioles minor leaguers at the Buck O'Neil Baseball Complex at Twin Lakes Park in Sarasota had not even played any spring training games against other organizations to that point. Most did not know which affiliate they would be sent to in April. When the shutdown came, 24-year-old right-hander Michael Baumann, born and raised in Minnesota, headed to Jacksonville, Fla., where he played college...

The Orioles have a full camp roster at Camden Yards with outfielder Dwight Smith Jr. reporting today. The club hasn't explained Smith's absence, but it's tied to COVID-19 testing. He's been quarantined prior to his return to the ballpark. Manager Brandon Hyde, on his daily Zoom conference call with the media, said Smith tracked pitches earlier today. "We'll be working him into our workouts going forward," Hyde said. "I don't have any idea if Smitty's going to be ready or not, so I...

He can be a player that gets overlooked. When discussing the O's rotation, others seem to get more play then he does. But he's pitched twice in intrasquad games for the Orioles and right-hander Thomas Eshelman gave up one unearned run over three innings his first outing. In his second, he allowed one run over five innings with four strikeouts. He's pitched twice opposite left-hander Tommy Milone and both are in line to start the fifth game of the season. Only one will. "It's been fun to...