Orioles injury updates and All-Star Game reactions

Orioles reliever Cionel Pérez will begin his injury rehab assignment Saturday at Double-A Bowie.

Pérez was shut down with left forearm soreness, but he completed a bullpen session yesterday. He posted a 4.45 ERA and 1.780 WHIP in 33 games this season but didn’t allow a run in his last five appearances.

“He feels really good,” said manager Brandon Hyde.

Keegan Akin is cleared to throw on flat ground. He’s on the 15-day injured list with lower back discomfort.

“Still doing his buildup,” Hyde said. “He’ll continue doing that. He’s progressing with catch play.”

John Means threw off a mound again today in his recovery from a pulled muscle in his upper back. The Orioles are hoping that he’s reinstated from the IL next month.

“He’s progressing extremely well,” Hyde said.

Mychal Givens is in Sarasota throwing bullpen sessions, but Hyde said the reliever, who’s on the injured list with right shoulder inflammation, remains “a few weeks away.”

Dillon Tate also is in Sarasota while recovering from a right elbow flexor strain, but he hasn’t been cleared to play catch.

Tate received a second opinion on his elbow.

“We’re just shutting him down a little bit,” Hyde said, without offering specifics. “He hasn’t played catch yet, so we’re kind of waiting for things to calm down and he’ll start playing catch at some point.”

Austin Voth, on the IL with right elbow discomfort, is throwing side sessions and begins his game progressions next week if he doesn’t experience any setbacks.

* The rotation underwent some changes in the order over the break, and Hyde said the club factors in “everything.”

“Like, we’re moving Tyler Wells back because he’s thrown so many innings,” Hyde said. “We feel comfortable with Dean (Kremer) and Kyle (Gibson), obviously, so they’re going to get the first couple starts. But I think we factor in opponents, innings, a lot of things.”

The break enabled the Orioles to freeze their roster at 12 pitchers and 14 position players.

“Our bullpen’s fresh, so right now we’re just carrying an extra hitter,” he said. “Hopefully, we can do that for a while, but things change quickly, and we’re just kind of taking it day-to-day roster wise.”

* Hyde said he tuned into the Home Run Derby and the All-Star Game.

“It was amazing,” he said. “So happy for our guys. What Rutschman did in the Home Run Derby was incredible, and so fun to see all four of those guys today. Just really proud. They represented us so well. What a great experience they all had. Loved every minute of it. It was cool to watch our guys in the national spotlight. For fans around the world to see them, it was awesome.

“I liked seeing our guys being popular and selling jerseys and have people want to watch them, and Sunday Night Baseball (July 30) coming up, and all those things. I think it’s fantastic for everybody.”

Félix Bautista surrendered a go-ahead, two-run homer to Rockies catcher Elias Díaz in the eighth inning in the American League’s 3-2 loss in Seattle.

“I felt really good,” he said today via interpreter Brandon Quinones. “My emotions were through the roof. Obviously, just being super excited on the mound, being able to achieve that dream of mine, to be able to pitch in the game was just amazing. The results weren’t what I wanted, but still, I really enjoyed that experience.”

One poorly located splitter wasn’t going to ruin it.

“There were some incredible days,” Bautista said, “and those are days and events that I dreamed of as a kid, that I saw as a kid, and they superseded my expectations in every way.”

Bautista said Rutschman’s 27-homer round in the Derby was “incredible.”

“It was a super fun and enjoyable experience,” he said. “I think getting to watch Adley and his dad (Randy) out there was super exciting, and I just really enjoyed that moment for him and with him.”

Yennier Cano tossed a scoreless sixth inning, striking out two batters and stranding two.

“I really enjoyed it to the fullest,” Cano said via Quinones. “I was super relaxed on the mound, and it really reminded me of when I was pitching in Cuba. I was pitching relaxed and having a lot of fun out there. I told myself, regardless of the outcome, whether it’s good or bad, I’m just going to go out there and have fun and enjoy it.”

Cano knew that he was the pitcher of record after the AL took the lead in the bottom half, but the victory in his first All-Star Game slipped away in the eighth.

“Yeah, of course,” he said, smiling. “I was aware of the fact that, if we won the game, I would have been the winning pitcher.”

Cano got his wish of meeting the Angels’ Shohei Ohtani, who signed a baseball for him. Cano said he’ll display it in his home.

* Pitcher Jared Beck, the 7-foot left-hander drafted in the 13^th round in 2022 out of Saint Leo University, and center fielder Elio Prado have moved up from Single-A Delmara to High-A Aberdeen.

For the Marlins
Luis Arraez 2B
Jorge Soler DH
Bryan De La Crun LF
Jesús Sánchez RF
Garrett Cooper 1B
Jean Segura 3B
Joey Wendle SS
Jacob Stallings C
Dane Myers CF

Sandy Alcantara RHP