With 19 days to go, O's find themselves with roster spots to fill

This story was excerpted from Jake Rill’s Orioles Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

SARASOTA, Fla. -- The goal of every MLB team is to make it through Spring Training at close to full health. The Orioles were well on their way to doing so -- until recently.

The past week has brought a flurry of injury news for Baltimore, which has several key players sidelined by ailments with only 19 days to go until Opening Day in Toronto on March 27.

Grayson Rodriguez (soreness in right triceps/discomfort in back of right elbow) and Andrew Kittredge (arthroscopic left knee surgery) are both heading to the injured list to begin the season.

Gunnar Henderson (mild right intercostal strain) is also in jeopardy of starting the year on the IL.

So open spots have been created on the O’s 26-man Opening Day roster. Projections that seemed all but set only two weeks ago need modifications.

Who could potentially make the team after originally seeming to be on the other side of the roster bubble? Let’s break it down.

If Henderson goes on the IL, who makes the team?
Livan Soto is emerging as a front-runner to be the next infielder up, as the 24-year-old is having a strong spring thus far. Through eight Grapefruit League games entering Saturday, he was 7-for-18 (.389) with two doubles, three RBIs, four runs scored and two stolen bases.

Over 12 games for the Orioles late last season, Soto went 3-for-10 with a double and a run scored. The Venezuelan was once a top prospect in the Angels’ organization.

“Livan Soto’s a really good baseball player, and he’s young,” manager Brandon Hyde said. “He plays a really good middle-of-the-infield defense. Gives you a really good at-bat. He did it when he was in the big leagues with us last year. I was impressed with his at-bats that he gave us in the brief time he was with us. ... I like the way he plays. He’s just a really sound player.”

Other candidates include corner infielders Coby Mayo (MLB Pipeline’s No. 14 overall prospect) and Emmanuel Rivera. But Soto is the only one of the three who would give Baltimore another option at shortstop, where the O’s would likely primarily use either Jackson Holliday or Jordan Westburg in Henderson’s absence.

With Kittredge going on the IL, who makes the team?
Bryan Baker is building a strong case. The 30-year-old right-hander has retired all nine batters he has faced over three Grapefruit appearances with a mix that includes a high-octane four-seam fastball (sitting at 97-98 mph consistently), an improved changeup and an effective slider.

Baker had a tough year in 2024, recording a 5.01 ERA over 19 big league outings. But he’s been a key part of past Baltimore bullpens, particularly in ‘22, when he had a 3.49 ERA and 76 strikeouts in 69 2/3 innings over a career-high 66 games.

“The fastball looks like ‘22 to me,” Hyde said. “And then, the changeup is different. It’s harder than it probably was in ‘22, and way harder than it was the last couple years. I love the adjustment that he made with it, because, for me, that was a high-90s fastball with this really slow change that really kept guys off-balance.

“This, for me, is an even better changeup that the arm speed is really good on it. And I know he’s got a lot more confidence in his slider than he did a few years ago. Love the way he’s throwing the ball.”

With Rodriguez going on the IL, who makes the team?
Zach Eflin, Charlie Morton, Dean Kremer and Tomoyuki Sugano are locked into the O’s rotation. Albert Suárez is likely to make the team, though the 35-year-old right-hander could serve as either a starter or a reliever, depending on need.

In this scenario, the Orioles could put Suárez in the rotation and carry another reliever. Or they could put Suárez in the ‘pen -- as most early projections predicted -- and insert Cade Povich into the rotation to give them a left-hander among their group of starters.

Povich is having a tremendous spring thus far. The 24-year-old has tossed five scoreless innings over two Grapefruit starts, striking out seven and giving up only one hit. He has picked up where he left off in 2024, when he had a 2.60 ERA in five September starts for the O’s.

“He’s been throwing the ball really well in camp. The changeup, it’s come a long way,” Hyde said. “Really happy with the life to his fastball.”