Baltimore (47-58) has gone 4-6 to open the second half and is now 8 1/2 games back of the final wild-card spot in the American League. As a result, the front office’s fire sale has begun, as general manager Mike Elias has already traded relievers Bryan Baker and Gregory Soto.
Ahead of Thursday’s trade deadline, here’s the Orioles reset:
What was good?
Trading Tomoyuki Sugano makes a ton of sense. Whether a contending team wants him is the question.
Sugano was the Orioles’ best starting pitcher through his first 12 starts of his MLB career with a 3.04 ERA. But his ERA rose after each of his next seven starts as MLB hitters began to adjust to the 35-year-old’s pitch-to-contact repertoire. His 7.88 ERA severely diminished his trade value and potentially removed it entirely, especially considering the underlying metrics tell a concerning story for a pitcher who struggles to generate swings and misses.
However, Sugano’s outing Sunday against the Colorado Rockies was one of the best of his big league career, striking out an MLB-career-high eight batters across six innings of one-run ball while displaying a firmer-than-usual 94.5 mph fastball. He’s tossed a quality start in two of his past three outings after he also did so July 10 against the New York Mets.
“I’ve experienced good times and bad times, especially the past month,” Sugano said after Sunday’s win through team interpreter Yuto Sakurai. “June, I went through some struggles, but I can overcome that moving forward.”
Orioles interim manager Tony Mansolino said Sugano has spent the past few weeks working with Baltimore’s pitching coaches on adjustments that helped unlock some extra velocity and keep hitters off-balance. Does Mansolino think Sugano should be an attractive target for contending teams at the deadline?
“If they watch the last three starts, yeah, I’d take that,” Mansolino said. “I felt pretty good about it. If you watched that Mets start, I’d take him. In a heartbeat.”
Sugano is one of the most decorated pitchers in Japan history, but he wanted a new challenge and came over to MLB this offseason on a one-year, $13 million deal with the Orioles. Mansolino said Sugano has assimilated to a new country, a new league and a new clubhouse “very gracefully.”
“Players love him,” Mansolino said. “He is so well-liked in that room. The players mess around with him, he messes around with his teammates.”
What clubhouse will he be joking around in a week from now?
What wasn’t?
When Félix Bautista took the mound July 20 in Tampa, Florida, it was clear immediately that something was off.
The 6-foot-8 closer hasn’t fully regained the triple-digit velocity he consistently flashed before his elbow injury, but he’s been throwing high 90s mph for most of the past two months. But when he entered for the save versus the Rays, he was initially throwing 94 mph — a concerning number for someone who was averaging about 98 mph.
Bautista hasn’t pitched since. As he began to warm up Wednesday in Cleveland, Mansolino said the right-hander reported that “something didn’t feel right.” He was placed on the injured list the next day with shoulder discomfort, and the team has yet to provide additional details. This could be simply a minor injury and Bautista will be back shortly. But until that’s known, the concern level will always be high for a pitcher as important as Bautista.
What’s next?
The best team in baseball is coming to town.
Yes, the Toronto Blue Jays have the best record in baseball. The red-hot Blue Jays (63-43) have won eight of their past 10 and 18 of their past 23 to decidedly move atop the AL East standings.
The O’s and Jays will play four games in three days with a doubleheader Tuesday because of a rainout in April. Zach Eflin will start Monday and Charlie Morton will take the ball for one of the games Tuesday in what could be both starters’ final outing in an Orioles uniform with the deadline looming.
On the farm
Samuel Basallo missed six games because of a minor oblique injury, but he proved he’s plenty healthy when he returned to the field Friday for Triple-A Norfolk.
Basallo went 5-for-5 on Friday with a homer and then hit a 107.8 mph single off the right field wall Sunday. The 20-year-old top prospect is hitting .280 with an impressive 1.009 OPS in Triple-A this season.
Mansolino said Saturday that the Orioles’ front office has a “plan in place” for the rest of Basallo’s campaign, which could include a promotion later this year. Only a select few in the organization are privy to those details, but the slugger’s performance is making it more difficult to envision this season ending without Basallo in the show.
Extra innings
• Coby Mayo has spent most of July on the bench, starting only three of the Orioles’ first 15 games of the month. During that time, the top prospect has been working on his swing and making changes, Mansolino said. It appears Mayo has narrowed his batting stance, remaining taller throughout his swing. Other changes include slightly opening his stance and lowering his back elbow. He’s started four of the past six games, going 4-for-10 with two doubles, a home run, four walks and zero strikeouts. “He’s making a real adjustment,” Mansolino said. “When you see guys make changes … it gives the coaching room a lot of excitement and a lot of belief.”
As Coby Mayo has spent most of July on the bench, he's been working on his swing & making changes.
It appears Mayo has narrowed his stance, remaining taller throughout his swing. He's also slightly opened his stance & lowered his back elbow.
Left is from May 31. Right is today. pic.twitter.com/GI0Rwy8xWx
— Jacob Calvin Meyer (@jcalvinmeyer) July 27, 2025
• After Gunnar Henderson made two web-gem defensive plays Sunday, his skipper praised the shortstop’s improvements defensively — no matter what the metrics say. Last year, Henderson made an AL-worst 25 errors, but advanced metrics defensive runs saved (5) and outs above average (0) were more favorable. This year, Henderson has drastically cut down on the errors, making only seven in 91 games, but his DRS and OAA (entering Sunday) are both at minus-4. “There’s no way anybody in the room thinks he played a better shortstop last year than he did this year,” Mansolino said. “Man, you’ve got to watch the game, too. … This is one of the better versions of Gunnar we’ve ever seen at shortstop.”
• The deadline for MLB teams to sign their draft picks is Monday at 5 p.m. The Orioles have signed 20 of their 24 draftees, including all of their picks in the first 10 rounds. Junior college right-handers Daniel Lopez (12th round) and Brayan Orrantia (14th round), high school outfielder William Johnson (18th round) and JUCO shortstop Jimmy Anderson (19th round) have yet to sign.
• With Adley Rutschman and Keegan Akin expected to rejoin the Orioles on Monday, Ryan Mountcastle and Cade Povich might not be far behind. Mountcastle is crushing the ball on his minor league rehabilitation assignment, going 6-for-12 with four extra-base hits in three games last week for Norfolk. Povich, who tossed five innings of two-run ball Thursday, will start again for the Tides early this week, but the left-hander could be a top candidate to rejoin the rotation after the deadline.
Have a news tip? Contact Jacob Calvin Meyer at jameyer@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/JCalvinMeyer.
]]>For a team expected to be a contender this season, much of the focus has been on which players the Orioles will be selling at the deadline. But with the Orioles already initiating two trades earlier this month (Bryan Baker and Gregory Soto), there’s even more focus on what types of prospects Baltimore could receive.
That’s difficult to determine, but recent history could provide some insight into what the Orioles should expect in return for their top trade chips. They have six players on expiring contracts who are most likely to be traded. While it’s almost impossible to find exact one-for-one comparisons, there are players with similar profiles or production levels that have been dealt at the deadline in recent years.
Here’s a look at trade comparisons since 2021 for each of those six Orioles players who could be dealt before Thursday’s 6 p.m. deadline:
(Editor’s note: The following players were all sold while playing on expiring contracts, meaning they were set to become free agents in the upcoming offseason. All rankings are by MLB Pipeline.)
Ryan O’Hearn
2021: Royals trade OF Jorge Soler to Braves for RHP Kasey Kalich (No. 21 prospect)
Soler, who led the American League with 48 homers in 2019, struggled to begin the 2021 campaign but got hot in July, just in time to be traded. Kalich was in High-A at the time and is no longer in professional baseball.
2021: Nationals trade OF Kyle Schwarber to Red Sox for RHP Aldo Ramirez (No. 19)
Schwarber hit a whopping 16 home runs in June and had a .910 OPS in the first half — higher than O’Hearn’s .824 OPS — though Schwarber was on the injured list with a minor injury when he was traded. Ramirez, who was in Low-A when he was traded, is now pitching in Mexico.
2022: Yankees trade OF Joey Gallo to Dodgers for RHP Clayton Beeter (No. 15)
After a career year in 2021, Gallo’s first half with the Yankees in 2022 was disastrous. The Bronx Bombers cut bait on Gallo and received Beeter, a 23-year-old in Double-A. Beeter made his MLB debut in 2024 but is no longer ranked inside New York’s top 30 prospects list.
2022: Orioles trade 1B Trey Mancini in three-team deal with Rays and Astros for RHPs Seth Johnson (No. 6) and Chayce McDermott (No. 12)
Baltimore fans need little refresher on this trade. Mancini was an integral part of the rebuild-era Orioles, but he was controversially traded away at the 2022 deadline despite Baltimore being in playoff contention. Mancini struggled for the Astros down the stretch (but won a World Series), while Johnson (now with the Phillies) and McDermott (now the Orioles’ No. 10 prospect) appear to have questionable futures as relievers.
2023: Guardians trade 1B Josh Bell to Marlins for INF Kahlil Watson (No. 11)
Bell was a good player for years and a Silver Slugger the year before, but he posted just a .701 OPS for Cleveland in 2023. Watson, a former first-round pick, was in High-A at the time of the trade and is now in Triple-A at 22 years old.
2023: Nationals trade 1B/3B Jeimer Candelario to Cubs for INF Kevin Made (No. 14) and RHP DJ Herz (No. 16)
Candelario bounced back from a down 2022 season and posted an .823 OPS, similar to O’Hearn’s mark this season. Made has risen only one level in the two years since this trade, while Herz made his MLB debut in 2024 but is injured this season.
Takeaway: O’Hearn, the Orioles’ lone All-Star this season, will likely net the largest return of any player they trade at the deadline. While he’s slumped at the plate recently, his overall numbers, his consistent performance since 2023 and the recent history of trades for good-but-not-great sluggers all seem to point toward the Orioles receiving at least one, maybe two, prospects inside a contender’s top 30 list.
Zach Eflin
2023: Cardinals trade RHP Jack Flaherty to Orioles for INF César Prieto (No. 16), LHP Drew Rom (No. 18) and RHP Zack Showalter (not ranked)
Orioles fans also won’t need any reminders about this one — Mike Elias’ first deadline splash, and one that backfired. Flaherty struggled mightily with the Orioles and was moved to the bullpen after his solid first half with the Cardinals. Flaherty’s history presented intriguing upside for the Orioles, while Eflin, despite his poor numbers this season, also has history as a reliable starter on his side. Two years later, Prieto is still in Triple-A, Rom is injured and Showalter is a High-A reliever with command issues.
2024: Blue Jays trade RHP Yusei Kikuchi to Astros for RHP Jake Bloss (No. 9), Will Wagner (No. 13) and Joey Loperfido (NR)
Kikuchi posted a 4.75 ERA with the Blue Jays — not far off Eflin’s injury-impacted 5.78 ERA — and was coming off two successful seasons similar to Eflin’s 2023 and 2024 campaigns. However, Kikuchi was due for positive regression and was displaying better stuff than Eflin has for much of this season. Still, the Blue Jays received three MLB-ready prospects.
Takeaway: Eflin’s solid start Wednesday in his return from the IL was critical, and so will his outing Monday against the Blue Jays at Camden Yards. If he can deliver another Eflin-esque performance, it might give a contender confidence to pay the required price to acquire the veteran right-hander. But if no team is willing to give Baltimore multiple top 30 prospects, it’s possible the front office elects to keep Eflin and ponder whether to extend him the qualifying offer, which he could accept to remain an Oriole in 2026 or decline and likely earn the organization an extra draft pick.
Cedric Mullins
N/A
Takeaway: There are no good comparisons for Mullins, at least not since 2021. It’s rare for center fielders to get traded at the deadline since most teams put a premium on the position. Corner outfielders, especially ones in platoons, are much more likely to be dealt. Kevin Kiermaier was traded from the Blue Jays to the Dodgers last year, but the elite defender had posted a paltry .546 OPS for Toronto. An everyday corner outfielder like Andrew Benintendi was traded from the Royals to the Yankees in 2022, earning Kansas City three pitching prospects, two of whom were ranked inside New York’s top 30. But Benintendi was an All-Star that season, while Mullins has slumped since his scorching-hot April and is no longer the defender he was a few years ago. Guessing what the return for Mullins will be is difficult given there are no comps. A player who was worth 15.6 wins above replacement by Baseball-Reference’s estimation from 2021 through 2024 is someone who should garner a large return. A center fielder with a .701 OPS this season might only net a low-level prospect. Perhaps the return for Mullins will fall somewhere in between those two.
Charlie Morton
2021: Nationals trade LHP Jon Lester to Cardinals for OF Lane Thomas
In the last season of Lester’s illustrious career, he posted a 5.02 ERA — similar to Morton’s 5.48 mark this year — but was still valued at the deadline because of his track record. Thomas struggled early in his MLB career, but he was a valuable player for the Nationals for four years.
2021: Rays trade LHP Rich Hill to Mets for RHP Tommy Hunter and C Matt Dyer (NR)
At 41 years old (the same age as Morton this year), Hill pitched to a 3.87 ERA with the Rays. Hunter, a former Oriole, was injured at the time of the trade, while Dyer was 23 years old in Low-A. Dyer never made it to the major leagues.
Takeaway: Neither of these comparisons is great for Morton considering how well he’s pitched since mid-May. Morton was awful through the first six weeks of this season, but he’s pitched to a 3.81 ERA with a 24.5% strikeout rate over his past 10 starts. The question for contending teams is how fearful they are of his age and his start of the season and whether they pay more because of Morton’s superb postseason resume. Morton is likely worth a player or prospect of moderate value, but it’s unlikely the Orioles receive a haul.
Tomoyuki Sugano
2021: Angels trade LHP Andrew Heaney to the Yankees for RHP Janson Junk (No. 27) and Elvis Peguero (NR)
Heaney, like Sugano could be, was seen as rotation depth for contending teams, not as a way to improve a starting corps. Heaney posted a 5.27 ERA with the Angels but struck out far more batters (28.2%) than Sugano has this year (15.2%). Junk and Peguero both debuted for the Angels in 2021 but are now with different organizations.
2021: Pirates trade LHP Tyler Anderson to Mariners for C Carter Bins (NR) and RHP Joaquin Tejada (NR)
Anderson pitched to a 4.35 ERA with the Pirates and was traded for two fliers who’ve yet to reach the majors.
2024: Pirates trade LHP Martín Pérez to Padres for RHP Ronaldys Jiménez (NR)
Pérez, a veteran with a 5.20 ERA, only netted Pittsburgh an 18-year-old in rookie ball.
Takeaway: It’s difficult to imagine a team offering anything other than a low-level prospect for Sugano. The 35-year-old’s ERA has fallen to 4.38 after a hot start, and the underlying metrics look even worse because of his difficulties generating swing and miss. Perhaps the only way to get a better prospect would be to pay for some of the remaining approximately $4 million on Sugano’s contract. Or the Orioles could just look to offload Sugano in hopes of using that money elsewhere in the future.
Seranthony Domínguez
2021: Cubs trade RHP Ryan Tepera to White Sox for LHP Bailey Horn (No. 23)
Tepera was in the midst of a career year with a 2.91 ERA for the Cubs when they dealt him across town for a High-A pitching prospect.
2021: Rockies trade RHP Mychal Givens to Reds for RHP Case Williams (No. 20) and RHP Noah Davis (No. 26)
Givens, a former Oriole, was a frequent trade chip at the deadline. After posting a 2.73 ERA with Colorado, he was traded for a pair of pitching prospects. Davis has struggled during his brief time in the majors, while Williams, who was 19 at the time of the trade, is no longer in professional baseball.
2024: Mariners trade RHP Ryne Stanek to Mets for OF Rhylan Thomas (No. 30)
Stanek was Seattle’s setup man in 2024, posting a 4.38 ERA and saving seven games before his trade to the Mets. Thomas made his MLB debut with the Mariners this season and is hitting .308 in Triple-A.
Takeaway: Domínguez might be one of the more underrated players the Orioles are shopping at the deadline. His 3.24 ERA and 1.34 WHIP might suggest he’s a middle reliever, but since increasing his splitter usage, Domínguez has been one of the most dominant bullpen arms in the AL. Platoon-neutral relievers like Domínguez have transformed into often net significant value at the deadline. Last week, the Orioles traded Soto to the Mets for two pitching prospects, one of whom was ranked as New York’s No. 19 prospect. A similar (or better) return for Domínguez seems likely.
Have a news tip? Contact Jacob Calvin Meyer at jameyer@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/JCalvinMeyer.
]]>Mixing sneaky humor with heartfelt messages, the first Japanese-born player to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame stole the show Sunday in Cooperstown.
Morning showers and gloomy skies delayed the ceremonies by an hour, but the moisture gave way to bright skies and warm temperatures. The sun seemed its brightest during Suzuki’s acceptance speech.
The outfielder was joined by pitcher CC Sabathia, also elected in his first year of eligibility, and closer Billy Wagner, who made it in his final try on the writers’ ballot. Suzuki fell one vote shy of being a unanimous selection and he took a jab at the unidentified sports writer who didn’t vote for him.
“Three thousand hits or 262 hits in one season are two achievements recognized by the writers. Well, all but one,” Suzuki said to roaring laughter.
“By the way, the offer for the writer to have dinner at my home has now expired,” he added, with emphasis on “expired” for good measure.
A pair of Era Committee selections rounded out the Class of 2025: Dave Parker, who earned the nickname Cobra during 20 big league seasons, and slugger Dick Allen. Parker died June 28, just a month before he was to be inducted.
An estimated 30,000 fans crowded onto the field adjacent to the Clark Sports Center, sun umbrellas and Japanese flags sprinkled around. Suzuki’s No. 51 was seemingly everywhere as fans, thousands of them Seattle Mariners boosters who made the trek from the Pacific Northwest, chanted “Ichiro” several times throughout the day. A sign that read “Thank You Ichiro! Forever a Legend” in English and Japanese summed up the admiration for Suzuki on his special day.
With 52 returning Hall of Famers on hand, Suzuki paid homage to his new baseball home in Cooperstown and his adoring fans by delivering his 18-minute speech in English. His humor, a surprise to many, delighted the crowd.
He threw shade at the Miami Marlins, the last stop of his professional career.
“Honestly, when you guys offered me a contract in 2015, I had never heard of your team,” Suzuki joked.
He kidded that he showed up at spring training every year with his arm “already in shape” just to hear Mariners broadcaster Rick Rizzs scream, “`Holy smokes! Another laser-beam throw from Ichiro!’”
He even took a moment for some tongue-in-cheek modesty.
“People often measure me by my records. Three thousand hits. Ten Gold Gloves. Ten seasons of 200 hits.
“Not bad, huh?” Suzuki said to more laughs.
He thanked his late agent Tony Anastasio for “getting me to America and for teaching me to love wine.”
But he also took time to get to the root of what made him extraordinary.
“Baseball is much more than just hitting, throwing and running. Baseball taught me to make valued decisions about what is important. It helped shape my view of life and the world. … The older I got, I realized the only way I could get to play the game I loved to the age of 45 at the highest level was to dedicate myself to it completely,” he said. “When fans use their precious time to see you play, you have a responsibility to perform for them whether you are winning by 10 or losing by 10.
“Baseball taught me what it means to be a professional and I believe that is the main reason I am here today. I could not have achieved the numbers without paying attention to the small details every single day consistently for all 19 seasons.”
Now he’s reached the pinnacle, overcoming doubters, one of whom said to him: “`Don’t embarrass the nation.’” He’s made his homeland proud.
“Going into America’s Baseball Hall of Fame was never my goal. I didn’t even know there was one. I visited Cooperstown for the first time in 2001, but being here today sure feels like a fantastic dream.”
Sabathia thanked “the great players sitting behind me, even Ichiro, who stole my Rookie of the Year award (in 2001).” He paid homage to Parker and spoke about Black culture in today’s game.
“It’s an extra honor to be a part of Dave’s Hall of Fame class. He was a father figure for a generation of Black stars. In the ’80s and early ‘90s when I first started watching baseball and Dave Parker was crushing homers, the number of Black players in the major leagues was at its highest, about 18%. Me and my friends played the game because we saw those guys on TV and there was always somebody who looked like me in a baseball uniform.
“Baseball has always been a great game for Black athletes, but baseball culture has not always been great to Black people. I hope we’re starting to turn that around. I don’t want to be the final member of the Black aces, a Black pitcher to win 20 games. And I don’t want to be the final Black pitcher giving a Hall of Fame speech.”
Wagner urged young players to treat obstacles not as “roadblocks, but stepping stones.”
“I wasn’t the biggest player. I wasn’t supposed to be here. There were only seven full-time relievers in the Hall of Fame. Now, there are eight because I refused to give up or give in,” he said.
Suzuki received 393 of 394 votes (99.7%) from the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. Sabathia was picked on 342 ballots (86.8%) and Wagner on 325 (82.5%), which was 29 votes more than the 296 needed for the required 75%.
After arriving in the majors in 2001, Suzuki joined Fred Lynn (1975) as the only players to win Rookie of the Year and MVP in the same season.
Suzuki was a two-time AL batting champion and 10-time All-Star and Gold Glove winner, hitting .311 with 117 homers, 780 RBIs and 509 stolen bases with Seattle, the New York Yankees and Miami.
He is perhaps the best contact hitter ever, with 1,278 hits in Nippon Professional Baseball and 3,089 in MLB, including a season-record 262 in 2004. His combined total of 4,367 exceeds Pete Rose’s major league record of 4,256.
Sabathia, second to Suzuki in 2001 AL Rookie of the Year voting, was a six-time All-Star who won the 2007 AL Cy Young Award and a World Series title in 2009. He went 251-161 with a 3.74 ERA and 3,093 strikeouts, third among left-handers behind Randy Johnson and Steve Carlton, during 19 seasons with Cleveland, Milwaukee and the New York Yankees.
A seven-time All-Star, Wagner was 47-40 with a 2.31 ERA and 422 saves for Houston, Philadelphia, the New York Mets, Boston and Atlanta.
Tom Hamilton and Tom Boswell were also honored during Hall of Fame weekend. Hamilton has been the primary radio broadcaster for the Cleveland Guardians franchise for 35 seasons and received the Ford C. Frick Award. Boswell, a retired sports columnist who spent his entire career with The Washington Post, was honored with the BBWAA Career Excellence Award.
]]>The start of the Orioles’ game against the Colorado Rockies on Sunday afternoon has been delayed because of potential rain at Camden Yards. The delay marks the third straight Sunday on which the Orioles’ game has been hindered by rain.
The game, originally scheduled for 1:35 p.m., will only be delayed until 2 p.m., the Orioles announced shortly after the grounds crew put the tarp on the field. Weather forecasts show the potential for pockets of rain in Baltimore throughout the afternoon and evening.
With only a few days before Thursday’s trade deadline, the Orioles (46-58) are hosting the MLB-worst Rockies (27-77) at Camden Yards this weekend. The Rockies came back from down 4-0 to win the series opener Friday, while the Orioles won a laugher Saturday, 18-0, for the largest shutout victory in franchise history.
Baltimore has already begun selling off players on expiring contracts, and that’s expected to continue through Thursday. Ryan O’Hearn, Cedric Mullins and Charlie Morton are among the players most expected to be traded.
Tomoyuki Sugano is another Orioles trade piece, but he’s struggled recently after an excellent start to his rookie campaign. Sugano starts Sunday opposite Rockies left-hander Austin Gomber. Lefty hitters Jackson Holliday, Colton Cowser and Ryan O’Hearn were all given days off against Gomber.
Here are Sunday’s lineups:
Orioles
- Jordan Westburg, 2B
- Ramón Laureano, RF
- Gunnar Henderson, SS
- Tyler O’Neill, DH
- Ramón Urías, 3B
- Cedric Mullins, CF
- Coby Mayo, 1B
- Dylan Carlson, LF
- Alex Jackson, C
Rockies
- Tyler Freeman, RF
- Mickey Moniak, CF
- Ezequiel Tovar, SS
- Jordan Beck, LF
- Thairo Estrada, 2B
- Yanquiel Fernández, DH
- Warming Bernabel, 1B
- Austin Nola, C
- Orlando Arcia, 3B
Have a news tip? Contact Jacob Calvin Meyer at jameyer@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/JCalvinMeyer.
]]>Catcher Adley Rutschman and left-handed reliever Keegan Akin are on track to be reinstated from the injured list Monday ahead of the Orioles’ series against the visiting Toronto Blue Jays, interim manager Tony Mansolino said Sunday morning.
Rutschman is in Baltimore on Sunday for the team’s series finale against the Colorado Rockies and will go through final testing to confirm he’s ready, Mansolino said. Akin is not in the building Sunday but “will most likely be active tomorrow,” the interim manager added.
“My guess is [Rutschman] will catch tomorrow if all checks out today,” Mansolino said. “If he comes in healthy, body feels good, good chance he will be squatting behind the dish tomorrow. [Akin] pitched yesterday, so we gotta check all the boxes and make sure he recovered.”
Additionally, right-handers Kyle Bradish and Tyler Wells are getting one step closer to their returns. Bradish, who made his first rehabilitation start Thursday at High-A Aberdeen, will make an appearance at Double-A Chesapeake on Tuesday, Mansolino said. Wells will make his first rehabilitation start Wednesday, also for the Baysox.
Rutschman has been sidelined since June with a left oblique strain, his first time on the injured list in his career. He began his rehabilitation assignment with Triple-A Norfolk last week, going 2-for-15 with a double and three walks in four games for the Tides. Akin pitched in three games during his assignment between the Florida Complex League and Norfolk and allowed one run across three innings.
Rutschman is one of three catchers on Baltimore’s injured list, along with Gary Sanchez (back) and Maverick Handley (wrist). Akin, who has not pitched for the Orioles since June 30 with shoulder inflammation, will provide Mansolino another left-handed option out of the bullpen, a role that became more of a necessity after the club traded Gregory Soto to the New York Mets on Friday.
On Thursday with High-A Aberdeen, Bradish threw 37 pitches across two innings in his first time on the mound since June 2024. IronBirds manager Ryan Goll called the start, which came 13 months post-Tommy John surgery, a “step in the right progression” and added that the right-hander was “back to his normal self.”
“Positive, optimistic, felt great,” Mansolino said Friday. “For the ball to come out of his hand the way that it did after missing so much time, we’re real excited.”
Wells has not pitched since April 12, 2024, with an ulnar collateral ligament strain. Unlike Bradish, Wells did not undergo Tommy John surgery, and the club has previously said Wells is about one week behind Bradish in their recoveries. Wells most recently threw a live bullpen session in Sarasota, Florida, last Sunday.
Have a news tip? Contact Taylor Lyons at tlyons@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/TaylorJLyons.
]]>But that does not mean all is lost over the next two months. If more everyday veterans are to be dealt, the players who remain will be benefactors.
Such is the case for two of the biggest contributors to the Orioles’ 5-1 win over the Colorado Rockies on Sunday to take the three-game set. Coby Mayo’s role would expand if those in front of him are traded. And Tyler O’Neill, the club’s most expensive free agent signing who was injured for much of the first-half disaster, bears responsibility for why the team is in last place in the American League East and would surely love a chance to recover and for some of that weight to be lifted.
“There’ll be some adversity throughout the week, without a doubt,” interim manager Tony Mansolino said before Sunday’s game when asked what he thinks the next few days will bring. “I think as we lose players that we love and have helped us for a couple years win a lot of games, there’s going to be some tough hugs and some tough goodbyes.”
The ones giving those embraces will be tasked with providing reasons for optimism in the coming weeks for next season. That started Sunday with Mayo, who went 1-for-3 with a double in the second inning that put him and Cedric Mullins in scoring position. Dylan Carlson brought both of them home on a single to give the Orioles a lead they would not relinquish. In the third inning, O’Neill homered for the third consecutive game to raise his season on-base-plus-slugging percentage to .724 and make it 4-1. Tomoyuki Sugano’s six-inning, one-run, eight-strikeout outing did the rest.
Mayo is hitting .273 over his past 14 games, a stretch that’s occurred despite inconsistent playing time. The Orioles have made known they’d rather this than the alternative: playing every day in Triple-A. And Mayo is beginning to prove why.
“I’m just trying to stay on my backside a little bit longer,” he said. “Not try to jump so much at the ball sometimes. I think I get into trouble when I do that, and I think I’m seeing the ball a little bit better. Making better swing decisions. Just a little bit of that contributes a lot.”
O’Neill has taken a different path this season, but one that’s been just as mired in frustration. The outfielder has missed more games than he’s played in the first year of a deal that could keep him in Baltimore through 2027. It wasn’t the first impression he hoped to make.
Mansolino sees a lot of himself in O’Neill. The former minor leaguer, despite admitting he “wasn’t a very good one,” he joked, remembers stretches he went on akin to O’Neill’s. Only they lasted for much shorter lengths of time and were oftentimes cold streaks rather than hot ones.
“The few times I swung the bat good, I got hot, and it mattered,” Mansolino said. “Confidence is a thing. We are not robots. Human beings have confidence. It really changes the game in so many ways. As crazy as it sounds, a ball that you bloop in and you get a hit, you get a little confidence, and then you hit a ball hard, you get a little confidence, and then you feel completely differently. It’s a real thing.”
“We knew he could do it,” Gunnar Henderson added. “We knew it was only a matter of time. Just getting on the field and getting reps, and that was I feel like the biggest thing, was just getting out there.”
He’s doing his best to erase the poor introduction to Baltimore, even if the team is falling further out of the playoff race. O’Neill had a .868 OPS and six extra-base hits in 12 games in July before Sunday. His .535 slugging percentage this month entering the series finale leads the team as he looks to redefine his frustrating season.
After Sugano, Yennier Cano, Andrew Kittredge and Seranthony Domínguez were asked to go the final three innings without Félix Bautista and Gregory Soto, who completed the only save opportunity since Bautista landed on the injured list before being traded on Friday to the New York Mets. The trio tossed clean seventh, eighth and ninth frames, respectively, to seal Baltimore’s first series victory since the All-Star break.
It was no longer a save situation for Domínguez after Henderson scored from second base on a wild pitch in the eighth in a display of awareness and quickness perhaps only Henderson possesses. And in the top of the ninth, the shortstop fielded a weak grounder barehanded, turned and threw to first to help complete the win in another play that Henderson routinely makes look simple.
“Those are the types of players I want my kids to watch,” said Mansolino, who hits grounders to his two children on the Camden Yards infield before most games and joked Sunday morning he doesn’t want his boys to develop the bad, lackadaisical habits some major leaguers exhibit. “You don’t see people doing that.”
Postgame analysis
Sugano was masterful in his final start before the trade deadline. He surrendered a solo home run to Warming Bernabell in the second inning, then rebounded with four scoreless frames to lower his season ERA to 4.38. His eight strikeouts tied a season high from April 28.
The 35-year-old is one of several veteran pitchers whose contracts expire after this season and are attractive trade candidates. Charlie Morton’s recent turnaround is garnering attention. Zach Eflin is no stranger to being dealt this time of year. Domínguez, Kittredge and other relievers could be on the move.
If Sunday was Sugano’s final start in Baltimore, it offered a reminder of when he was one of the few bright spots on a floundering ballclub.
“It’s obviously my first time,” Sugano said through team interpreter Yuto Sakurai when asked about the approaching deadline. “I don’t know what’s going to happen, but I just look at it day by day and work on the things that are in front of me.”
By the numbers
Sunday was Mayo’s third consecutive game with an extra-base hit after homering Friday and doubling in his only at-bat in Saturday’s 18-0 beatdown. That’s the first such streak of the young infielder’s career. O’Neill hadn’t homered in three consecutive games since September 2021.
What they’re saying
Henderson and Mayo on Sugano’s outing:
“It was awesome. He was coming after guys and made pitches when he needed to. I was really happy for him.”
“I think he showed some of his best stuff today,” Mayo added.
On deck
The Orioles begin a four-game set with the AL East-leading Toronto Blue Jays, who entered Sunday winners of eight of their past nine games, at Camden Yards on Monday. Eflin will face right-hander Chris Bassitt (3.88 ERA) in the series opener.
Have a news tip? Contact Taylor Lyons at tlyons@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/TaylorJLyons.
Only once in his career had the veteran outfielder played a full season, arriving in Baltimore on a three-year, $49.5 million deal this offseason with 14 trips to the injured list on his record. O’Neill’s power was undeniable — he mashed 31 home runs in only 113 games last year — but the Orioles acquired him understanding that he wasn’t going to play all 162.
So far, those risks have proven to be legitimate concerns. O’Neill, 30, has returned to the IL twice with separate neck and shoulder injuries in his first season with the Orioles, limiting him to 36 games in which he’s slashed .211/.298/.398 with just five homers and 15 RBIs.
With Baltimore (46-58) already beginning to act like sellers ahead of Thursday’s trade deadline, O’Neill has been among the most disappointing players on the roster this year.
“It’s been a grind, man,” O’Neill said. “It hasn’t been easy. Obviously, I’ve been injured a lot and just trying to fight my way back and figure out that routine in the cage and the prep and all that stuff. So, hopefully I’m figuring out that click now and can continue forward.
“Unfortunately, I have been dealt with the injury bug this year. Obviously, I’m doing what I have to do to make those adaptations and get myself ready on a day-to-day basis, and there’s something new every year. There’s something new every day, honestly. Just trying to keep the progress.”
His injuries have had lingering effects on his performance at the plate. O’Neill tried to play through the neck inflammation that sidelined him in late April, even though he wasn’t able to turn his head all the way to either side. He then attempted to come back too early from his shoulder impingement in June and had to shut back down, undergoing platelet-rich plasma injections before finally making it back in early July.
The constant injury management and time in the trainer’s room have affected his ability to get his swing mechanics in a good place.
“I think as his body got beat up, he was unable to do the work in the cage necessary to make the corrections he needed to make as his swing got out of whack,” interim manager Tony Mansolino said. “Tyler is a needs-his-swing-to-feel-good guy, and I think lately as his body has felt better and his health has improved, he’s had the ability to get in the cage and take the reps he’s needed to make the corrections he’s had. So, as I watch him start to perform on the field, it absolutely coincides with the amount of work he’s been able to do in the cage.”
After dealing with some “general soreness” and missing two more games last week, O’Neill has come back showing signs of progress. He’s collected multiple hits in three straight contests, going 6-for-10 with two home runs and a double. The Orioles brought the right-handed O’Neill in to help address their struggles against left-handed pitchers, and he has as many hits against them over the past three days (three) as he did the entire season to that point.
“I’m feeling pretty good in there right now,” O’Neill said. “Just really enjoy being here with these guys, man. It’s such a good group of guys here, and I just want to be out there grinding with them. It’s fun playing every day.”
It’s an encouraging sign for a player the Orioles are likely to have under contract for the next two seasons. O’Neill has an opt-out that he could exercise this winter to reenter free agency, but he would have to finish the season on a Babe Ruth-caliber tear to justify walking away from the remaining $33 million on his deal. Even then, it might not be enough because of the injuries.
With Cedric Mullins a popular trade candidate and Heston Kjerstad demoted back to Triple-A Norfolk after struggling mightily in his first full season at the major league level, O’Neill and Colton Cowser are the only outfielders the Orioles can write in their starting lineup with permanent marker. Just how confident they feel in O’Neill’s value could go a long way in determining whether they trade Ramón Laureano, who has a 2026 team option, this week.
The playoffs are out of the question for the Orioles at this point, but as they turn their attention to 2026, helping O’Neill finish the year strong is among the most important priorities for the club in its quest to rebound next season — almost as important as keeping him healthy.
Have a news tip? Contact Matt Weyrich at mweyrich@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/ByMattWeyrich and instagram.com/bymattweyrich.
]]>The Cardinals’ Willson Contreras was hit by a pitch for a second straight game, leading to Machado being plunked for the first time by Matthew Liberatore leading off the fifth.
Andre Granillo hit Machado again in the top of the ninth leading to the benches clearing and the ejection of Cardinals coach Jon Jay, who had been exchanging words with Machado.
Contreras was hit again in the bottom of the ninth by Robert Suarez before Suarez finished off his 30th save in 33 opportunities as the Padres ended a four-game losing streak.
Jake Cronenworth was hit by Liberatore with one out in the second, then scored from first on a fielding error by center fielder Victor Scott II on a two-out single by Bryce Johnson for a 1-0 lead.
Nolan Arenado drew a 10-pitch walk off Randy Vásquez with one out in the Cardinals’ second. He scored from first on a two-out double by Jordan Walker to tie it.
Cronenworth doubled leading off the fourth, advanced on a groundout and scored when he beat Contreras’ throw home on a grounder to first by Johnson for a 2-1 lead. Johnson scored on Fernando Tatis’ groundout in the ninth for an insurance run.
Vásquez allowed just one hit and one run but fell an out shy of qualifying for the victory. He has made 11 straight starts without a decision. Jeremiah Estrada (4-4) pitched a scoreless 1 1/3 innings for the win.
Liberatore (6-8) allowed two runs — one earned — on five hits in 4 1/3 innings.
Key moment
The chippiness Saturday began in the fourth inning when a pitch from Vásquez hit Contreras on his wrist. Vasquez appeared to apologize for it later on. Contreras already had been hit by a pitch from Nick Pivetta a night earlier, causing another benches-clearing incident.
When the Padres batted in the fifth, Liberatore’s first pitch of the inning hit Machado, causing the umpiring crew to issue warnings to both teams.
Key stat
Five batters were hit by pitches.
Up next
RHP Stephen Kolek (3-5, 4.28) was set to start Sunday for San Diego opposite RHP Michael McGreevy (2-1, 3.49).
]]>The trade sent minor league pitcher Clayton Beeter, a member of the 40-man roster, and Browm Martinez, an outfielder in the Dominican Summer League, to Washington, D.C.
On Sunday, Aaron Boone said the Yankees have tried to acquire Rosario, who began his career with the Mets, “the last couple years to varying degrees.”
“He provides some defensive versatility, speed and really hits lefties,” Boone added. “So I think he kind of makes our bench and the balance of our roster a little more workable.
“I think he helps us a lot.”
Rosario was put on the club’s active roster on Sunday morning, taking the spot of Aaron Judge, who was expectedly placed on the 10-day injured list (retroactive to July 26) with a right flexor strain. Boone expected Rosario to be available for the Bombers’ series finale against the Phillies, as he was on his way from the airport when the manager held his pregame press conference.
The Yankees also recalled Brent Headrick after optioning Allan Winans on Saturday.
Rosario isn’t a great defender, but he’s mostly manned second and third this season. A right-handed hitter, he figures to become a go-to option against southpaws, as he has an .816 OPS against left-handed pitching this season and a .799 mark for his career.
Rosario could share time at the hot corner after the Yankees acquired lefty-swinging third baseman Ryan McMahon, a superior defender, from the Rockies.
“Yeah, we’ll see,” Boone said when asked about a platoon. “I want [Rosario] to get here first. But yeah, I could definitely see him playing against some lefties.”
The 29-year-old Rosario, who hit .270/.310/.426 with five home runs, 18 RBI and a 105 wRC+ for the Nationals overall, has also spent time at shortstop and in the outfield in his career. However, he has only played two innings at short this season after spending 101 innings there last year.
“I don’t know,” Boone said when asked about Rosario’s viability at shortstop. “We gotta look at short. He hasn’t been there in a while. Certainly in a pinch, I could see that. But I kind of view him more as third and second and in the corners in the outfield.”
While Rosario, traded for the third straight summer, took Judge’s spot for now, the Yankees hope their captain is only out for 10 days. Once Judge is back, Rosario could force out Oswald Peraza, a better defender and backup shortstop candidate who has shown that he can’t hit major league pitching.
Rosario is a .273/.308/.399 career hitter with 68 homers, 384 RBI and 110 stolen bases. In addition to the Mets, Nationals and Yankees, he’s also suited up for the Guardians, Dodgers, Rays and Reds.
Beeter, originally acquired from the Dodgers for Joey Gallo, appeared in two big league games for the Yankees this season. He allowed six earned runs over 3.2 innings.
The 26-year-old righty, who debuted with the Yankees last year, had a 3.10 ERA over 18 games at Triple-A.
Martinez, 18, is in his second Dominican Summer League season. He was hitting .404 with three homers, 16 RBI and 13 stolen bases over 18 games.
With the Yankees having now addressed their infield twice, their attention will turn to pitching. They could use multiple relief upgrades for their battered bullpen, as well as some rotation help.
]]>Mullins hit his 100th career home run in the Orioles’ historic 18-0 win over the Colorado Rockies on Saturday night, becoming just the third player in team history to hit 100 homers and steal 100 bases alongside Brady Anderson and Paul Blair.
“That’s him. That’s what we’ve seen,” interim manager Tony Mansolino said.
All 12 Orioles who entered the game recorded a hit, and six players had an extra-base hit in a drubbing of the Rockies, MLB’s worst team at 27-77. The 18-run margin is the largest shutout victory for the Orioles since the franchise moved the Baltimore in 1954 and the club’s third-biggest win overall.
Mullins, who went 2-for-3 with three RBIs, was backed by starting pitcher Trevor Rogers’ gem, Tyler O’Neill’s second consecutive game with a homer and a trio of two-RBI nights from Gunnar Henderson, Coby Mayo and Ryan O’Hearn as Baltimore pounded out 18 hits.
“Baltimore has taken my family in since the beginning. I got drafted by Baltimore and just one of those things where you just feel welcome,” Mullins said. “The engagement that I have with the fans over the course of the years has been nothing short of awesome. It’s just been fun, really fun, being here.”
A 13th-round pick in the 2015 draft, Mullins rose through the organization to make his major league debut in 2018, taking over for franchise icon Adam Jones. Mullins opened the 2019 season as the team’s starting center fielder but was demoted to Double-A after hitting .094 in 64 at-bats for Baltimore.
His story wasn’t finished, though. Mullins made the switch to become a full-time left-handed hitter in 2021 and had a career season, becoming the starting center fielder for the American League in the All-Star Game. As top prospects Adley Rutschman, Gunnar Henderson and Jordan Westburg debuted in Baltimore following a painful rebuild, Mullins was the string between two eras of Orioles baseball.
But the outfielder never recaptured the form of his 2021 season, in which he became the first Orioles player with 30 home runs and 30 stolen bases. While he’s been a positive Wins Above Replacement player since then, his performance has dwindled.
Mullins’ expected batting average, hard-hit rate and expected slugging percentage are among the lowest in baseball this season. He has also been the worst defender in MLB, according to Fielding Bible’s Defensive Runs Saved, largely because of his below-average arm. After a hot start, the 30-year-old’s performance — and trade value — has tanked.
Baltimore (46-58) isn’t expected to net much for the outfielder by Thursday’s trade deadline. He’s on an expiring contract and has struggled recently, batting just .172 since June and .192 against right-handed pitchers this season.
But his time in Baltimore shouldn’t be forgotten. His 2021 season produced the fourth-highest WAR by an Orioles position player in the past decade, while his 14.6 WAR is tied for the third-highest among Baltimore’s position players since 2015.
Saturday was a vintage performance from the longest-tenured Oriole. His diving catch in the third inning drew a stunned reaction from Rogers, who delivered another sparkling start by allowing just one hit over seven scoreless innings.
“It was the best catch I’ve ever seen,” Rogers said. “I still have no words for you. It was unbelievable.”
Defensive metrics are low on Mullins, who has been considered among the best defensive outfielders since making his debut, but Mansolino thinks the analytics are wrong.
“The eye test doesn’t show that,” Mansolino said before the game. “When you look at the DRS — and you guys watch the games every night — it doesn’t match up with what I’m watching.”
In the fourth inning, Mullins’ sky-high home run drove in three and made him the 35th Oriole to hit the century mark. He’s the 13th MLB player to do that since 2000.
The Camden Yards crowd rewarded him with a standing ovation as a montage flashed over the video board. If that’s one of Mullins’ final moments in a ballpark he’s called home for seven years, it was a fitting ending.
Postgame analysis
Rogers continues to pitch like one of the best starters in baseball.
Nothing about the 27-year-old left-hander’s season seems fluky. He likely won’t take a 1.49 ERA into next season, but Rogers has not allowed more than three runs in a start this year. He’s pitched into the sixth inning in all of his past four outings.
Since his strong first start May 24 against the Boston Red Sox, Rogers has the third-lowest ERA in baseball among pitchers with at least 40 innings during that span; only Tarik Skubal, Paul Skenes and Matthew Boyd have been better. All three of those pitchers were All-Stars, while Skubal and Skenes started the Midsummer Classic.
“I mean, there’s always that voice in the back of my mind that’s like, ‘Maybe it’s just a fluke.’ I’ve had a lot of practice shutting that voice down and staying within my process, staying within myself,” said Rogers, who has been heavily scrutinized since being acquired at last season’s trade deadline. “On the other hand, I’ve prepared for this, these couple starts, since I got traded over here.”
The underlying metrics are encouraging, too. Rogers’ Fielding Independent Pitching — which estimates a pitcher’s performance based only on events within their control: home runs, strikeouts, walks, and hit-by-pitches — is slightly higher than his ERA at 2.97, but that doesn’t suggest that massive regression is incoming.
Rogers struck out five Rockies on Saturday and generated weak contact all evening.
What they’re saying
Mansolino on Rogers’ excellent stretch:
“That fastball plays way up. I don’t feel like we’ve seen the same [95-96 mph fastballs] that we saw the first couple of starts now that he’s on regular-like rotation work. Those [93-94 mph fastballs] play like [95-96 mph]. There’s huge extension. It’s a very attacking style on the mound. I don’t feel like he’s beating around the bush much, regardless of who’s at the plate in the lineups he’s seen the last couple of starts.
“Just a ton of confidence. There’s a ton of presence on the mound. Again, I’m going back to seeing him [as an All-Star with the Miami Marlins] in ’21. It was electric when I saw him in ’21. Maybe not the same type of velocity on the fastball in some ways, but the way the hitters swing at it, some nights it looks like it.”
By the numbers
Ten straight Baltimore batters reached base to start the seventh inning. It was nearly 11, but outfielder Colton Cowser’s fly ball was caught at the wall in center field. Henderson had two doubles in the frame, which produced nine runs.
In the eighth inning, catcher Alex Jackson crushed a solo homer off Rockies position player Kyle Farmer to cap the scoring. All of Jackson’s first seven hits with the team since being acquired midseason amid a rash of injuries have gone for extra bases.
On deck
Baltimore will look to win its first series of the second half on Sunday when it faces Colorado at 1:35 p.m. Right-hander Tomoyuki Sugano will start against Rockies left-hander Austin Gomber, whose 6.03 ERA and 0-4 record lines up with the rest of the team’s pitching staff.
Have a news tip? Contact Sam Jane at sjane@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/Sam_Jane230.
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