The Orioles are staring at a pair of rehab assignments today, and both of them come with a roster headache attached.
Ryan Mountcastle and Chris Bassitt are each beginning Triple-A rehab work, a sign that two veteran pieces are getting closer to returning. But the bigger question isn’t when they’ll be back. It’s where they fit once they are.
Bassitt’s situation is the cleaner of the two, and even that is messy. Since he went down, Baltimore’s rotation has been one of the best in baseball.
Before that, it was one of the worst. That isn’t a random swing, either - Bassitt was a major part of why the group struggled.
On performance alone, he doesn’t have a case to jump back into the five-man rotation ahead of the current starters. He’s the Orioles’ highest-paid pitcher this season and didn’t sign up to be a reliever, but that appears to be the only realistic path.
There’s also a big difference between pitching out of the bullpen for a team chasing a World Series and doing it for a sub .500 club in August. Bassitt handled a bullpen role well last October for the Blue Jays, but that doesn’t mean the adjustment would be easy here.
A veteran starter might accept it. Then again, plenty of them have bristled at the idea before.
Mountcastle’s path looks even murkier. Once the Orioles signed Pete Alonso to play his position every day, the fit got awkward fast.
Still, Baltimore opened the season with Mountcastle sitting on the bench most days of the week, which only made the logjam more obvious. If he returns now, the Orioles would be carrying four right-handed bats who are primarily first basemen.
That’s an awkward construction on offense and a problem defensively, too.
The trade deadline could change the picture. Bassitt or Mountcastle might move, or one of the players blocking them could go instead. But based on how the Orioles have handled these kinds of roster jams in the past, they may simply keep everyone around and call it depth, even when the fit doesn’t make much sense.
Baltimore also made a smaller move with its 40-man roster, and it involved Johnathan Rodriguez. The Orioles traded him to the Pirates for cash after he had joined the organization earlier in the season following a DFA by the Guardians. Rodriguez spent most of his time in the minors and appeared in only seven games for Baltimore, hitting .182/.333/.273.
That deal opened a 40-man spot the Orioles still haven’t filled, which makes it worth watching to see what they have lined up next.
The club also made a change behind the plate after getting almost nothing from the catching spot offensively. Same Huff was DFA'd after going hitless since his call-up and finishing both losses to the Braves, and the Orioles brought in Yohel Pozo.
Pozo doesn’t bring much power, with a career sub .600 OPS, but he does put the bat on the ball. Over time, that has helped him string together stretches where the average looks respectable, especially when the balls in play start falling his way. His defense is worse than Huff’s, so how Baltimore splits the catching duties between Pozo and Chadwick Tromp will be something to watch.
In Other News...
Orioles Move On From Another Outfield Depth Piece
The Orioles latest outfield shuffle sent Johnathan Rodrguez to Pittsburgh for cash considerations, another small but telling move in a roster churn that has become familiar around Baltimore this time of year. Rodrguez had been designated for assignment a few days earlier, leaving the club to clear space and move on from a depth piece without much delay.
Pittsburgh made the corresponding roster changes by reinstating catcher Endy Rodrguez from the injured list and designating Shawn Ross for assignment, with Johnathan Rodrguez headed to Triple-A Indianapolis. For Baltimore, its another reminder that the back end of the roster remains fluid, especially for players trying to hang onto a spot while the club keeps sorting through its outfield depth. [Read more 🡒]
Orioles May Need To Rethink Coby Mayo After Surprising Deadline Shift
The deadline market keeps tilting toward right-handed bats, and the latest jolt came when Boston sent rookie starter Connelly Early to Washington for infielder Curtis Mead, a move few around the game saw coming. Mead has been having a strong season, and the swap only sharpened the sense that clubs are willing to pay for infield offense when the right profile is available.
For Baltimore, that kind of market matters because it puts a player like Coby Mayo back in sharper focus. Mayos bat against left-handed pitching is the sort of skill that can play in a deadline trade conversation, and his defensive fit at third base and first base gives him more than one path to value. The question is whether the Orioles want to keep treating him as part of their long-term plan, or whether the roster squeeze around him eventually pushes the front office toward a harder decision. [Read more 🡒]
Orioles Fans Have Reached Their Limit With Taylor Ward
Taylor Wards first few weeks in Baltimore have only sharpened the scrutiny around the trade that brought him in, especially with Grayson Rodriguez still dealing with the injury problems that helped define the other side of the deal. The Orioles expected more stability from the swap, but Ward has been part of a broader frustration for a team that has already had to rethink how it uses its roster and fills out its lineup.
What has made the situation harder to ignore is the way Baltimore keeps running Ward out near the top of the order despite the lack of payoff, a choice that has fed the sense that the club is being too patient for its own good. With other options in the organization and the deadline approaching, the question is no longer just whether Ward can settle in, but whether the Orioles should stop waiting for that to happen and make a move now. [Read more 🡒]