Vimael Machín is making a lot of noise early in spring training

The Baltimore Orioles have been known over the last few seasons for their seemingly never ending supply of young infielders.

They’ve had so much talent that they’ve traded away highly ranked prospects such as Joey Ortiz and Connor Norby, both of whom are projected to start for their respective teams this season, to help the rotation.

But injuries are already taking their toll on the Birds’ infield in 2025.

At the start of training camp, the Orioles made it known that Jorge Mateo would begin the season on the IL.

He is still recovering from his gruesome elbow injury sustained in a collision with Gunnar Henderson last season.

Henderson himself was recently diagnosed with a mild right intercostal strain that led to his early removal from a game on February 27 and he’s been shutdown ever since with his availability for Opening Day now coming into question.

Henderson’s partner on the All Star left side of the O’s infield, Jordan Westburg, was also shut down while dealing with back spasms stemming from sleeping on a soft mattress.

Westburg has only appeared in one game so far this spring but is finally back in the lineup for tonight’s matchup against the Pirates, so he should hopefully be back to full strength before Opening Day. With so many vacancies in the infield, the Orioles are looking to see who will step up.

Orioles infielder Vimael Machín is tearing the cover off the ball in spring training

Coby Mayo is being given every opportunity to step up but he has been unable to do so. He leads the team in at-bats with 20 but has just one hit thus far.

The person taking advantage of the extra playing time is Vimael Machín, who is a soft-hitting infielder who played parts of three seasons with the Oakland Athletics and spent last year in the Philadelphia Phillies organization on a minor league contract.

The Orioles added Machín in November on another minor league contract as depth and that move is looking good right now. So far this spring Machín leads the team with eight hits, 12 total bases and five RBI’s.

He’s slashing a robust .533/.588/.800 and is tied for fifth in at-bats. Machín is also performing well in the field.

A utility infielder that has played at all four spots in the majors, Machín is listed as a shortstop but has the most major league experience at third base.

So far this spring, Machín has spent time at second base and third base for the O’s but with Henderson down and Mateo not yet available it wouldn’t be surprising to see him get some reps at shortstop.

Obviously Machín won’t be able to hit .500 for an entire season but his spring numbers can’t be ignored.

Should Gunnar not be ready for Opening Day the O’s have options to fill that spot.

Westburg should be healthy and between him, Jackson Holliday, and Ramón Urías the Orioles will have a strong starting infield until Henderson is healthy.

Machín’s best bet at making the roster is to fill Mateo’s utility spot until he is healthy. He doesn’t have much of a shot at becoming an everyday starter in Baltimore when everyone is healthy but anything can happen if he’s given the opportunity.