Orioles Opening Day roster projection 2.0

SARASOTA, Fla. -- At the beginning of Spring Training, the Orioles¡¯ 26-man roster appeared mostly set. They only needed to get through camp healthy and there wouldn¡¯t be any tough decisions to make.

That hasn¡¯t happened.

Baltimore is a bit banged up with a little more than two weeks to go until Opening Day (March 27 at Toronto), with right-handers Grayson Rodriguez (right elbow inflammation) and Andrew Kittredge (left knee debridement) set to open the 2025 season on the injured list. Star shortstop Gunnar Henderson (mild right intercostal strain) could also be heading to the IL.

How does that impact the O¡¯s projected 26-man roster? Here¡¯s a breakdown.

Catcher (2): Adley Rutschman, Gary S¨¢nchez
Rutschman, a two-time All-Star who is having a tremendous spring, returns as the starting catcher for his fourth MLB season. S¨¢nchez signed a one-year, $8.5 million deal to serve as the backup catcher, and the 32-year-old right-handed hitter could get some DH at-bats against left-handed pitching.

First basemen (2): Ryan Mountcastle, Ryan O¡¯Hearn
The righty-hitting Mountcastle and lefty-hitting O¡¯Hearn will each continue to get starts at first base and will also factor into the DH rotation. O¡¯Hearn had an $8 million team option that was picked up by the Orioles in November.

Second baseman (1): Jackson Holliday
The 21-year-old Holliday remains the front-runner to be the starting second baseman despite his struggles during his rookie season (a .189/.255/.311 slash line in 60 games). MLB Pipeline¡¯s former No. 1 overall prospect has gotten much more comfortable at second this spring and is working to better utilize his speed on the basepaths (three stolen bases in eight Grapefruit League games).

Shortstop (1): Gunnar Henderson
There¡¯s a chance that Henderson won¡¯t be ready for Opening Day. If he¡¯s not, then versatile infielder Livan Soto could make the team to back up either Holliday or Jordan Westburg at short.

Third baseman (1): Jordan Westburg
A first-time All-Star in 2024, Westburg should primarily play third in his third big league season. The 26-year-old missed some time early in spring due to lower back soreness, but he¡¯s good to go now.

Utility infielder (1): Ram¨®n Ur¨ªas
A 2022 Gold Glover at third, Ur¨ªas provides value by filling in anywhere around the infield. He¡¯ll get more playing time early if Henderson starts on the IL. Fellow utility man Jorge Mateo (left UCL reconstruction surgery) is expected to open the season on the injured list.

Outfielders (5): Colton Cowser, Heston Kjerstad, Ram¨®n Laureano, Cedric Mullins, Tyler O¡¯Neill
The majority of starts will likely go to the trio of O¡¯Neill (who signed a three-year, $49.5 million deal in December), Mullins (a former All-Star and Silver Slugger) and Cowser (the 2024 AL Rookie of the Year runner-up).

But Kjerstad -- who provides left-handed power -- is expected to have an expanded role with his ability to play the corner spots and factor into in the DH mix. The right-handed-hitting Laureano (who signed a one-year, $4 million deal) has above-average arm strength and can fill in at all three outfield positions.

Starting Pitchers (5): RHP Zach Eflin, RHP Dean Kremer, RHP Charlie Morton, RHP Tomoyuki Sugano, LHP Cade Povich
With Rodriguez set to open the season on the injured list, either Albert Su¨¢rez or Povich will be Baltimore¡¯s No. 5 starter. Su¨¢rez is likely to make the team, though the 35-year-old righty could shift to the bullpen in order to get Povich onto the roster.

Povich is having a tremendous spring, having tossed five scoreless innings with only one hit allowed, one walk and seven strikeouts over two Grapefruit League starts.

Relief Pitchers (8): RHP F¨¦lix Bautista (closer), LHP Keegan Akin, RHP Yennier Cano, RHP Seranthony Dom¨ªnguez, LHP Cionel P¨¦rez, LHP Gregory Soto, RHP Albert Su¨¢rez, RHP Bryan Baker
Bautista, an All-Star in 2023, will be back after missing all of the ¡®24 season while recovering from Tommy John surgery. The 29-year-old is expected to be ramped up in time for Opening Day, though the O¡¯s also don¡¯t want to push him if he¡¯s not fully ready.

There¡¯s a competition for the final bullpen spot after Kittredge underwent surgery last week. Baker became the clear front-runner after tossing three perfect innings to open the spring, but if the 30-year-old has more outings like Sunday¡¯s (three solo homers allowed in 1 1/3 innings vs. the Twins), he could lose out to another righty like Matt Bowman or Roansy Contreras.