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.

It¡¯s the last day of August, and the Orioles have 12 players on their big league injured list. That¡¯s not what any team wants this late into a season, especially when considering the quality of players currently sidelined for the O¡¯s.

Baltimore¡¯s IL dozen features: A full rotation¡¯s worth of starting pitchers (Kyle Bradish, Zach Eflin, John Means, Grayson Rodriguez, Tyler Wells); an All-Star closer (F¨¦lix Bautista); two more high-leverage relievers (Danny Coulombe, Jacob Webb); an All-Star infielder (Jordan Westburg); a starting first baseman (Ryan Mountcastle); the club¡¯s fastest player (Jorge Mateo); and a promising young outfielder (Heston Kjerstad).

¡°I mean, heck, you look at our pitchers on the IL right now, you¡¯re talking about a staff that people would be envious of going into a season if they¡¯re all healthy,¡± veteran catcher James McCann said. ¡°You¡¯re talking about a top three of Bradish, Grayson and Eflin. And then, obviously, Bautista, Danny Coulombe, [Webb]. And then you throw in the position players that are currently on the IL, too.¡±

One of the biggest storylines of the Orioles¡¯ 2024 season has been their bad injury luck. More came earlier this week, as Mateo underwent season-ending surgery on his left elbow on Wednesday. The 29-year-old infielder joined Bautista, Bradish, Means and Wells on the list of injured Baltimore players who won¡¯t return until ¡®25.

The other seven, though, could all be back by late September -- and probably much sooner for a few of them.

¡°We think about it every day,¡± Rodriguez said of the imminent return for a few key pieces.

So, what¡¯s the latest?

? Eflin (right shoulder inflammation) could start Sunday (the first day he is eligible to be reinstated) in the series finale at Colorado. The 30-year-old right-hander has repeatedly stated he doesn¡¯t think he¡¯ll need a rehab assignment, and manager Brandon Hyde called a Sunday return a possibility. Eflin (4-0 with a 2.13 ERA in four starts for the O¡¯s) should provide a boost.

? Webb (right elbow inflammation) is with Triple-A Norfolk in Jacksonville, Fla., where he¡¯ll soon begin a rehab assignment. It may not be long before the 31-year-old righty (who has a 3.08 ERA in 53 appearances) returns to Baltimore¡¯s bullpen.

? Mountcastle (left wrist sprain) nearly avoided the IL, but he didn¡¯t show enough improvement before getting placed on it on Monday (retroactive to Aug. 23). The 27-year-old could be ready soon after he¡¯s eligible to return.

? Kjerstad (concussion) ramped up baseball activities earlier this week and is making good progress. The 25-year-old¡¯s bat could make an impact in September.

? Coulombe (left elbow surgery) has been throwing off a mound over the past week, which is an encouraging step forward. The 34-year-old is expected to be back in mid-to-late September.

? Rodriguez (right lat/teres strain) has been throwing on flat ground, bumping up his distance to close to 90 feet. The 24-year-old said Thursday he expects to move to a mound ¡°here pretty soon.¡± A late September return seems plausible.

? Westburg (right hand fracture) continues to field grounders with his right arm behind his back and take one-handed swings. The hope is that the 25-year-old¡¯s hand heals in time to get him back before the end of the regular season.

If the Orioles truly get all seven of these players -- or at least the majority of them -- back during September, it would make the roster much deeper and much stronger.

¡°Hopefully, it¡¯s a huge boost to us heading into late September and October,¡± McCann said. ¡°I hope so. That¡¯s how you draw it up -- Westy coming back, Webby coming back right around the corner, Danny Coulombe, Eflin, Grayson -- those guys kind of help pick up where they left off before they went on the IL. Getting hot at the right time, that¡¯s what it¡¯s all about, right?¡±

Sure, the O¡¯s would like to play well consistently and capture their second straight American League East title. But their primary goal is to win a World Series championship -- an objective that could become much more realistic if reinforcements start flooding the roster.

The 2023 AL Division Series loss to the Rangers left a negative mark on the Orioles, who will do whatever it takes to produce a better result this postseason.

¡°Last year, we did really well in the regular season. The playoffs didn¡¯t go how we wanted it to,¡± Rodriguez said. ¡°So this year, we¡¯re really going to be focusing on October more, not just the regular season. I think guys are trying to preserve themselves for the postseason, because ultimately, that¡¯s what¡¯s most important.

¡°Everybody wants to win their division and it¡¯s fun, and that¡¯s the goal. But you want to win the World Series. You want to be the winner at the very end. And I think that¡¯s what¡¯s on everybody¡¯s minds right now.¡±