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The Orioles Opening Day game against the Red Sox has been postponed until Friday, apparently due to the Red Sox interpreting weather forecast information very differently than the rest of us. Time will quickly tell who was right as it will either pour in Boston some time from 2-6pm or it won’t.
Even with no Opening Day game being played on Opening Day, the Orioles still announced their roster to begin the season. The last official moves to set the roster at 26 players are as follows:
- DJ Stewart placed on the 10-day injured list (left hamstring strain)
- Shawn Armstrong placed on the paternity list
- Travis Lakins Sr. optioned to Norfolk
That leaves the Orioles ready to go with this roster:
Pitchers (14)
- Paul Fry
- Matt Harvey
- Dean Kremer
- Wade LeBlanc
- Jorge López
- John Means
- Adam Plutko
- Mac Sceroler
- Tanner Scott
- Cole Sulser
- Dillon Tate
- César Valdez
- Tyler Wells
- Bruce Zimmermann
Catchers (2)
- Pedro Severino
- Chance Sisco
Infielders (6)
- Maikel Franco
- Freddy Galvis
- Trey Mancini
- Rio Ruiz
- Ramón Urías
- Pat Valaika
Outfielders (4)
- Austin Hays
- Ryan Mountcastle
- Cedric Mullins
- Anthony Santander
Injured list
- DJ Stewart (10-day)
- Chris Davis (60-day)
- Hunter Harvey (60-day)
It feels like a small victory that Trey Mancini is finally listed with the infielders, though of course there’s still Mountcastle there penciled in to the outfield.
This roster will not be the exact roster for long. Armstrong’s placement on the paternity list means he will miss at least the opening game, but not more than three games. This seems to signal that some pitcher who gets the Opening Day treatment in Boston tomorrow will be headed for the alternate site in Bowie, or even to the great DFA in the sky, within 48 hours. My guess is that either Sulser or Tate will be optioned for Armstrong.
Stewart’s hamstring injury could be resolved as soon as the home opener, as well, so that sets up another move that is pending within a matter of days. Presumably, one of the bench bats will get squeezed out, but we won’t know for sure until the Orioles activate Stewart and make up their minds. They are always capable of surprising me. According to Cot’s Contracts, both Urías and Valaika have minor league options remaining.
The Orioles release announcing this roster notes that eight of these players are making their first Opening Day roster: Kremer, Mountcastle, Sceroler, Tate, Urías, Valdez, Wells, and Zimmerman. Only 11 players on this 26-man roster were on the Opening Day 2020 roster. Six of the 26 will make their Orioles debuts the first time they play. The Rule 5 picks Sceroler and Wells are the only ones awaiting MLB debuts.