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<\/p>\nWith injuries mounting, the Orioles face a lot more uncertainty with Opening Day less than three weeks away.<\/p>\n
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Teams typically enter spring training with multiple positional competitions and seemingly unanswerable questions about who will make the Opening Day roster.<\/p>\n
Not the Orioles, though. For the first time in what seems like years, the Orioles entered spring training with a seemingly-set roster.<\/p>\n
As reflected in our\u00a0Roster Projection 1.0,\u00a0the Orioles starting nine, top five starting pitchers, and bullpen were decidedly set, with the only potential issue being whether Coby Mayo, Jorge Mateo, or Dylan Carlson would earn the final bench spot.<\/p>\n
How things have changed.<\/p>\n
The Orioles appeared to solve the issue of who would earn the final bench spot when they\u00a0signed outfielder Ramon Laureano\u00a0to a major-league deal.<\/p>\n
However, as the spring has gone on the Orioles have lost multiple significant players to injury.<\/p>\n
Roster Projection 2.0 will prepare for the worst and examine the Orioles roster without key players like Gunnar Henderson, Grayson Rodriguez,\u00a0Tyler O’Neill, Andrew Kittredge, and Felix Bautista to start the year.<\/p>\n
Positional competitions and seemingly unanswerable questions have arisen as the injuries have piled up.<\/p>\n
Although it is unclear how much time, if any, Gunnar Henderson and Tyler O’Neill will miss to start the year, their absences from the Orioles Opening Day roster are palpable.<\/p>\n
If\u00a0Henderson is sidelined\u00a0for any period of time, expect Ramon Urias to seamlessly slide into the starting role at third base (as he did last year when Jordan Westburg was out), with Holliday moving to short and Westburg to second.<\/p>\n
With Mateo injured, this will open up a competition for a backup infielder until Henderson returns, with Livan Soto,\u00a0Luis Vazquez, and\u00a0Vimael Machin\u00a0the top candidates to break camp with the club.<\/p>\n
Although this lineup still contains plenty of talent, the Orioles can ill afford another injury to one of their top starters.<\/p>\n
Barring health issues, Laureano and Sanchez are locks to make the team, with Laureano likely seeing time in all three outfield spots which, without O’Neill, are filled with lefty bats Kjerstad, Mullins, and Cowser.<\/p>\n
Sanchez’s role as backup catcher and DH against left-handers does not change.<\/p>\n
I project Rivera, who has had a nice spring and is out of options, to make the team as long as O’Neill is out to provide extra right-handed pop off the bench as a possible late-game pinch hitter for the lefty-heavy regular lineup.<\/p>\n
If Henderson is out, Vazquez makes the team due to his defensive prowess at shortstop. Again, the hope here is that Henderson and O’Neill return soon, with Rivera and Vazquez spending limiting time with the big club.<\/p>\n
News on projected number two starter\u00a0Grayson Rodriguez\u00a0does not appear great, as Rodriguez is expected to miss some time to start the year due to lingering tricep soreness.<\/p>\n
While it is unclear how much time Rodriguez will miss,\u00a0Brandon Hyde announced\u00a0that he will begin the season on the IL.<\/p>\n
This news continues a frustrating cycle for Rodriguez, who has flashed brilliance only to be shut down with injuries at inopportune times, as was the case down the stretch last year.<\/p>\n
With Rodriguez shelved, putative starters Charlie Morton, Dean Kremer, and\u00a0Tomoyuki Sugano\u00a0figure to move up one spot in the rotation from their prior projections.<\/p>\n
Brandon Hyde has already announced that the final spot will be a competition between Albert Suarez and Cade Povich.<\/p>\n