As Brandon Hyde rattled off a series of injury updates this week the morning after a long travel day from Denver, the manager sipped coffee.
“Am I looking and sounding exhausted?” Hyde asked. The answer was yes. “I need to pick up my energy level,” he conceded with another sip.
It has been that sort of season, with routine injury briefings in addition to the usual baseball questions. The Orioles have been especially stricken by afflictions, and perhaps it’s so stark because of the abundant health of 2022 and 2023. As things stand, Baltimore has 14 injured players, although one is on the minor league injured list, and another might grind through the pain of a 103.1-mph line drive off the forearm.
Hyde could be forgiven if some of the information blurred together, especially after a long night.
“We got so fortunate the past two years,” Hyde said, “that it all kind of caught up with us all at once this year.”
A complicating factor is the timing of the season. The Orioles play their final regular-season game Sept. 29, and Triple-A Norfolk’s season ends Sept. 22. Should players require build-up through rehab games, the clock is ticking on fitting the games into the remaining schedule.
Plus, as Hyde points out, there’s no guarantee a player comes back and performs at the level he played before the injury.
“I do know all the dates that are possible with a lot of these guys [to return], but I’ve been around long enough to know sometimes things don’t work out well and there’re setbacks and a guy doesn’t feel good after throwing, or whatever it may be,” Hyde said. “So, I’m hopeful, but I’m also realistic in that we’re running out of time a little bit, too.”
With that in mind, here’s a breakdown of each injured player and his outlook.
Infielders
Ramón Urías
A pitch grazed his nose, and then, a few innings later Saturday, Ramón Urías rolled his ankle on third base while covering the bag. The ankle injury was the severe one — it was a sprain, he landed on the injured list and Urías walked with the assistance of crutches for several days.
It’s hard to place an exact timeline on Urías’ injury because sprains heal at different paces. But Hyde guessed that Urías could miss two to four weeks. At best, then, Urías could return in the middle of September; at worst, he could miss the remainder of the regular season.
On Friday, Urías said he hopes to return before the end of the regular season and Hyde said Urías has made “huge strides.” Urías is walking without crutches.
Ryan Mountcastle
The first baseman is in a similarly cloudy situation with a sprained left wrist suffered while sliding into second base Aug. 22. Ryan Mountcastle hasn’t begun swinging, but Hyde said Monday that the wrist is feeling better.
Still, Mountcastle is eligible to return from the injured list but hasn’t made significant progress in baseball activities. Hyde said Friday that Mountcastle has hit off a tee, but Mountcastle said he hasn’t made much progress offensively.
Jorge Mateo
The Orioles will be without Jorge Mateo’s electric speed and standout defense for the rest of the year. Mateo, who dislocated his elbow in July when he and Gunnar Henderson collided on defense, underwent Tommy John elbow reconstruction surgery on his nonthrowing arm. Hyde hopes Mateo can return by opening day in 2025.
Jordan Westburg
A key member of the infield, Jordan Westburg could be approaching a return from a fractured hand, suffered when he was hit by a pitch. The signs are positive.
Westburg played catch with that injured right hand Tuesday and Wednesday. That was in addition to the pregame fielding work he has been doing with his left glove hand (with his right hand in a protective splint). Hyde said Westburg has also done one-handed batting work in an attempt to be ready before the end of the regular season. The Orioles project Westburg to return in the latter half of September, barring a setback.
Outfielders
Heston Kjerstad
On the injured list with a concussion since Aug. 1, Heston Kjerstad is moving in the right direction.
Kjerstad was cleared by MLB officials Wednesday to begin baseball activities again, and on Saturday he is set to begin his rehab assignment with High-A Aberdeen. A source said Kjerstad will likely require buildup before playing a full nine innings.
Starting pitchers
Grayson Rodriguez
Right-hander Grayson Rodriguez was scratched from an early August start in Toronto shortly before first pitch, and he was diagnosed with a minor lat/teres strain in his shoulder and upper back. At the time, the Orioles and Rodriguez expressed optimism that he would return before the end of the season, and his progress seems to support that.
Rodriguez has thrown on the field before games for about a week and on Wednesday took it a step further, pitching off a mound for the first time. He threw approximately 20 pitches in the session. Rodriguez deferred to the medical staff on whether he would require a rehab start. Hyde said the timeline for a return remains roughly in the mid-to-late September range, like many others.
John Means
Left-hander John Means’ season ended after he threw 20 2/3 innings for the Orioles. He underwent his second Tommy John surgery since 2022 and will be a free agent after this season. It remains to be seen whether Means will return to Baltimore, where he began his career and with whom he threw a no-hitter in 2021.
Tyler Wells
After being a key piece in the first half of 2023, right-hander Tyler Wells struggled with injuries late last year and early this season. He underwent UCL repair surgery after pitching 15 1/3 innings. Wells isn’t a free agent until 2028 and will enter his first year of arbitration eligibility this offseason.
Kyle Bradish
After suffering an elbow injury in the winter, right-hander Kyle Bradish made a return to the rotation in May and looked as good as ever. But the platelet-rich plasma injection Bradish received to help a partially torn UCL didn’t last; he was shut down in June and underwent Tommy John surgery.
Bradish was the largest blow of the trio of starters lost for the season. He finished 2023 receiving Cy Young votes for his 2.83 ERA and looked like a burgeoning ace.
Chayce McDermott
Right-hander Chayce McDermott made his major league debut this season when he pitched against the Marlins in July, but that was a one-start cameo. The Triple-A Norfolk starter continued a strong season in the minors before he suffered a scapula stress reaction in his right shoulder. McDermott is unlikely to return to the majors this season, and it’s questionable whether he will pitch again for the Tides before the end of September.
Relief pitchers
Danny Coulombe
Left-hander Danny Coulombe faced live batters for the first time last week before the Orioles game, when he took on a few of his teammates. Coulombe, who underwent surgery to remove bone chips from his left elbow in June, is on pace to return in mid- to late September.
The positive news for Coulombe continued Sunday, when pitching coach Drew French said the southpaw will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Norfolk on Wednesday.
Jacob Webb
Right-hander Jacob Webb, who had appeared more than any other reliever when he hit the injured list with elbow inflammation, threw well in his first rehab assignment for Triple-A Norfolk, needing nine pitches to retire the side.
Webb’s next outing didn’t go as well. Transferred to Double-A Bowie to be closer to Baltimore, Webb threw 21 pitches and allowed four runs on two hits on Wednesday. French said Webb will perform his third rehab outing Tuesday for Triple-A Norfolk.
Félix Bautista
The most difficult injury to overcome could be the one to closer Félix Bautista. When he injured his UCL and required Tommy John surgery last year, he missed the end of the campaign — and the postseason — and will miss all of 2024.
Bautista is throwing off the mound as he continues his rehab work in Sarasota, Florida, but executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias said the focus is to have Bautista healthy for the beginning of spring training in 2025. If he returns to the dominant form, he showed for much of 2023, that would be a huge lift for the bullpen.
