In a time of disappointments for baseball fans everywhere, Nationals fans got an extra dose of woe this week when they learned that the face of the franchise has opted out of the 2020 season, citing his concern that returning to the clubhouse this year would greatly increase his chances of contracting the coronavirus and spreading it to his family. Ryan Zimmerman, 35, would have been easing off on his playing time this season even if the COVID-19 pandemic had not come to pass. Now with the...

If you're a longtime viewer of "Orioles Classics" on MASN, you know that we run quite the baseball smorgasbord here. You never know quite what you're going to get in terms of games. This week's buffet is heavy on the Iron Man, featuring the collective hits of Cal Ripken Jr. You'll see his 2,130th game, which tied him with Yankees legend Lou Gehrig for the longest active streak in major league history. You'll see Ripken's 3,000th career hit. And you'll see the game where Ripken made...

Ryan Zimmerman, the only person to play in a major league game for the Nationals during each of their 15 seasons in town, will not play for the club during its 16th season. Zimmerman and right-hander Joe Ross have opted out of the abbreviated 2020 campaign, uncomfortable with the health risks posed to players and staffers during this unprecedented attempt to play through a global pandemic. "Ryan Zimmerman and Joe Ross have decided not to participate in the 2020 season for the personal health...

If you've followed baseball closely over the years, you should have a basic understanding of a franchise's various rosters and how they differ. There's the 25-man roster, of course, the group of players actively in the major leagues at any given moment. Then there's the 40-man roster, which in addition to the 25 active big leaguers includes players on the short-term injured list (10-day IL) and the group of top-tier minor leaguers who are most likely to be promoted at some point. Players...

The new Major League Baseball schedule is not out yet and it may be a while before we see one. But for the Orioles, it is expected to include competition against only teams from the American League East and National League East. That will be a steady diet of good teams, 2019 playoff teams and 2020 contending teams. The Orioles are scheduled to play 40 games versus the AL East and 20 versus the NL East. Some reports indicated that would include playing each NL East team four times and other...

The Nationals this afternoon announced their 60-man player pool for the 2020 season and it includes 2019 first-round pick Jackson Rutledge and 2017 top draft selection Seth Romero. Of the 60 players in the pool, 22 are non-roster invitees. While some teams like the Astros (56) and Red Sox (47) have opted to not announced full 60-man player pools, the Nats have exactly 60 on their roster. Opening night is expected to be July 23 against the Yankees with spring training 2.0 presumably beginning...

The past two days have been productive for the Orioles and media covering the team. An announcement was made Saturday afternoon on the signings of draft picks Jordan Westburg, their Competitive Balance Round A selection and the 30th overall pick, and outfielder Hudson Haskin, their second-rounder and the 39th overall. And yesterday brought confirmation on 44 of the 60 players who will be tossed in the pool for spring training 2.0. More players will be announced later in the week. The Orioles...

The Orioles today announced the initial list of 44 players to their 60-man Major League Player Pool. Additional players will be added to the list in the coming days. The 44-man list includes 18 right-handed pitchers, eight left-handed pitchers, four catchers, 10 infielders, and four outfielders. A complete list of the Orioles initial Player Pool list is below: PITCHERS (26) RHP Shawn Armstrong LHP Ty Blach* LHP Richard Bleier RHP Cody Carroll RHP Miguel Castro RHP Alex Cobb RHP Thomas...

The Orioles are preparing for their second spring training, or first summer camp if that's the preferred description, by revealing the majority of their 60-player pool earlier today. Forty-four players have been announced and outfielder Trey Mancini goes on the 60-day injured list to leave the 40-man roster at 38 players. The injured list eventually will be reduced to 45 days, but Mancini won't play in 2020 while undergoing chemotherapy treatments following his colon cancer surgery in...

The Nationals will open defense of their 2019 World Series title on July 23 at Nats Park against the New York Yankees, according to broadcast sources. The likely first pitching matchup is tantalizing, with former Astros star Gerrit Cole taking on Nats ace Max Scherzer. This was supposed to be the World Series Game 5 matchup until Scherzer had to be scratched due to back and neck spasms. Cole was the top offseason free agent acquisition for the Yankees. He is a three-time All-Star whose 2.50 ERA...