Ryan Mountcastle may be running out of room in Baltimore.
When he comes off the 60-day injured list, the Orioles still have to answer a simple question: where does he actually fit? Left field is off the table - he hasn’t played there in six seasons - and first base belongs to Pete Alonso. That leaves designated hitter, but rookie Samuel Basallo keeps pushing his way into everyday at-bats.
That squeeze matters because the Orioles are sliding again, and another rough season could put them in seller mode before the MLB trade deadline. Adley Rutschman, despite two brief IL stints this year, is still viewed as Baltimore’s biggest trade chip. Mountcastle, though, could become the kind of buy-low target contenders circle if they want a proven right-handed bat.
For now, the Orioles are still building around Gunnar Henderson and Jackson Holliday, and Mountcastle’s return could come after the All-Star break. He’s been out since April 11, when he fractured a bone in his left foot, and if he does get back in time, his role may be more about depth than everyday usage.
The 29-year-old has never quite matched the power peak he hit in 2021, when he launched 33 homers, but he’s still been a productive bat over the longer haul. From 2022 through 2024, Mountcastle put together a combined .745 OPS.
Orioles president of baseball operations Mike Elias said the club is still working through the path back.
"Ryan’s still plugging along," Elias said, as reported by MASN. "We’re getting to the point where we can see if we can like weave that into his baseball activities. I still don’t have a timeline.
"(He's) making his way back.”
With a little more than three weeks left before the Aug. 3 trade deadline, the right-handed market is being led by Houston Astros first baseman Christian Walker and Boston Red Sox's Willson Contreras. That leaves Mountcastle as a possible fallback option - a seven-year pro with 98 career homers who could wind up as one of the better consolation prizes available.
In Other News...
Dodgers Trade Proposal Puts Orioles In A Tough Spot With Lefty
The Orioles keep getting pulled into the pitching market chatter, and Trevor Rogers is the kind of arm that naturally draws it. He has been uneven enough over the full season to leave plenty of questions, but his recent stretch has also reminded teams why left-handed starters with upside still carry real appeal in July. For Baltimore, that creates the familiar tension of weighing short-term value against the kind of trade interest that can reshape a deadline conversation.
What makes the situation trickier is the timing. Rogers would come with no long-term control, so any deal has to be judged against the price of the return, not just the name value on the other side. The Dodgers are still shopping for pitching help and have bigger targets they could chase, which only adds to the sense that Baltimore could be asked to part with a useful arm without getting the kind of package that makes a move easy to justify. [Read more 🡒]
Orioles Fans May Never Forget This Missed Chance At An Ace
The Orioles were in position at the 2024 trade deadline to chase the kind of frontline starter every contender covets, and Tarik Skubal was sitting right there as the obvious prize. Detroit never completed a deal, Baltimore never got its ace, and the missed window has only grown more frustrating as the pitching market keeps reminding teams how rare those chances are.
MLB Network Insider Jon Morosi has framed it as the kind of opportunity Baltimore may not get back, especially with Skubals name already surfacing again as the 2025 deadline draws closer. For an Orioles club that has spent the last year trying to balance present urgency with future value, the lingering question is whether the front office will be willing to pay the price this time around. [Read more 🡒]