It’s impossible to tell the story of the 2026 Orioles without mentioning injuries. The same can be said about the 2025 Orioles, the 2024 Orioles, and really every other team. Injuries are always part of baseball, but sometimes they play a larger role than others.
Jordan Westburg will miss the entire 2026 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery on May 13. Zach Eflin made only one start before undergoing the same procedure on May 8. These two will not recover in time to make an impact this year, but other Baltimore players will. Can any of those players give this team the boost it needs to make a real playoff push?
There’s a few banged up players that (hopefully) do not fall into the long term category. Adley Rutschman made his way to the 7-day injured list after a freak play in Seattle. Rutschman will be eligible to return this weekend. It’s unclear whether he’ll come of the injured list as soon as possible, but the Orioles obviously need a healthy Rutschman to achieve any of their goals this season.
Blaze Alexander has been red hot since May 1. Alexander and Jackson Holliday are both considered day-to-day but have yet to hit the IL.
The true candidates for this exercise have missed a significant chunk of the first half. Dean Kremer and Cade Povich qualify, and both started rehab appearances last weekend.
In a surprising move, the Orioles left Kremer off the Opening Day roster to make room for Eflin and Chris Bassitt in the rotation. Kremer made his season debut on April 13, and he delivered a quality start against Cleveland in his second outing. Unfortunately, Kremer went down with a right quad strain. The righty eventually made his way to the 60-day IL and remained on the shelf for two months. Kremer limited his opponent to one run on two hits, two walks and five strikeouts over 3.2 innings for Triple-A on Sunday.
Povich also failed to make the roster out of camp, but the Orioles recalled the lefty in early April after Eflin and reliever Yaramil Hiraldo went down. Povich made his first appearance out of the bullpen with 5.2 innings of bulk relief in Pittsburgh, but he tossed a gem a week later. Povich held San Francisco to one run over 6.2 innings before returning to Norfolk. He rejoined the Orioles at the beginning of May and made two short starts before suffering from elbow inflammation.
Povich tossed 3.1 innings of one-hit ball for Double-A Chesapeake on Sunday.
Could either of these two be our guy? Shane Baz, Kyle Bradish and Trevor Rogers are all cemented in the rotation. Brandon Young has pitched his way into some job security with a phenomenal first half, but there’s still room in the rotation right now. Trey Gibson appears to have the chops to make it as a major league pitcher, but the rookie holds a 5.81 ERA through six appearances. Gibson has yet to complete six innings in a big league start, and it feels like the Orioles are treading water on days that he takes the mound.
When healthy, Kremer should replace Gibson as the fifth starter. Kremer holds a career 4.26 ERA over seven seasons. He may not wow anyone, but he’ll raise the floor of the rotation. With the Orioles currently sitting under .500, every game counts. Kremer should provide stability and some much needed length to help a struggling bullpen.
Speaking of the ‘pen, the Orioles could use Povich down there. The front office may decide to keep Povich in Norfolk’s rotation, but don’t rule out the club working the lefty into its mix of relievers.
The same can be said for Bassitt whenever he returns. Bassitt didn’t exactly ingratiate himself to Orioles fans in his first season with the club. The 37-year-0ld holds a 5.27 ERA through 12 appearances, and the O’s have yet to provide a timetable for the veteran after he went down with back tightness on June 5. Bassitt played a significant relief role for the Blue Jays team on their way to a World Series appearance last season. A healthy Bassitt would bump Gibson from the rotation, but the team could decide to roll with Kremer moving forward.
What about the offense? The Orioles are somehow carrying three catchers right now even without Rutschman. With respect to Sam Huff and Chadwick Tromp, there’s room for some better bench bats.
Dylan Beavers is working his way back from a right oblique strain. The rookie began a rehab assignment at Double-A last week and is currently at Triple-A. Beavers holds a career .354 on-base percentage over his first 213 at bats. Colton Cowser has come on over the last month, but Leody Taveras is trending down. There’s definitely room for Beavers bat in this lineup, and the 27-year-old could provide a spark from the bottom half of the order.
While we’re mentioning struggling outfielders, the Orioles used Tyler O’Neill as its designated hitter last night. O’Neill is slashing .186/.276/.271 this season, and he’s the guy the Orioles designated to hit. With respect to O’Neill and his 55 OPS+, almost any healthy player would represent an improvement.
Ryan Mountcastle fits that profile. The Orioles kept Mountcastle around after signing Pete Alonso, but the first baseman broke his foot on April 11. Mountcastle isn’t expected back until July or later, but the slugger could make an impact as a bench bat and occasional DH after the All Star break.
The real wild card is Félix Bautista. The Orioles closer underwent surgery last August to repair a torn rotator cuff and torn labrum last August. Bautista was scheduled to throw his first bullpen yesterday, but confirmation had yet to be provided by the time of this writing. The Mountain has a long way to go before rejoining the team, but it’s incredibly exciting to think about what Bautista could add to the bullpen late in the season.
Bautista holds the highest ceiling of any of the injured players, but don’t underestimate what shoring up the rotation could do for this team. The offense could benefit from another quality bat, and the bullpen could use some help with middle relief.
Which injured Orioles player do you think will make the biggest impact this season? Let us know in the comments below.