Five Orioles to Watch During Spring Training

Baz will also be looking for some redemption from his performance last season. The right-hander posted a 10-12 record in 31 appearances, with a 4.87 ERA and 1.33 WHIP; playing at Camden Yards should provide a major boost for Baz compared to when he was pitching at Steinbrenner Field last season. If Baz can reach his potential, the O’s have a rotation good enough to go toe-to-toe with anyone in the American League.

Coby Mayo

The next name on our list is Coby Mayo, who looks like he will be the starting third baseman on Opening Day. Another brutal injury to regular infielder Jordan Westburg has opened the door for Mayo to join the starting lineup. Westburg will miss an indefinite amount of time due to a UCL tear in his throwing arm.

As of now, Westburg is hoping to avoid surgery, which could potentially end his season before it even starts. The Orioles are saying that Westburg will be out of action through April, which will provide ample playing time for Mayo. But the key for Mayo is that he needs to produce. The Orioles added infielder Bryan Ramos for the second time off waivers last week, and also added super utilityman Blaze Alexander in a timely trade earlier this month.

Mayo has been underwhelming through his first 102 games at the big league level, and will likely have a fairly short leash before the next man up is called upon.

Zach Eflin

Like Baz, Zach Eflin will be called upon to solidify the starting rotation. The ten-year veteran was limited to just 14 appearances in 2025, posting an inflated 5.93 ERA and 1.42 WHIP after being named the Opening Day starter. In August, it was announced that Eflin would miss the rest of the season with a lumbar microdiscectomy procedure, but Baltimore chose to re-sign Eflin on a one-year deal for 2026.

Before last year, Eflin had never posted an ERA above 4.36, indicating the injury was clearly weighing on him. Whenever Eflin gets the ball this spring, all eyes will be on how he rebounds from the procedure. If he can show signs of returning to the sub-4.00 ERA, double-digit-win pitcher he was before 2025, Eflin can be exactly what Baltimore has lacked at the back end of its rotation.

Ryan Helsley

It may not matter how good the starting rotation is this year if the bullpen is unable to close out games. One of the major injuries that the Orioles are facing is to All-Star closer Felix Bautista; the former AL Reliever of the Year hasn’t played a full allotment of games since 2023, and will be sidelined for most (if not all) of 2026 with a torn rotator cuff and torn labrum in his throwing shoulder.

Last season, the Orioles played musical chairs with their closers. The team addressed that in the offseason by signing former New York Mets reliever Ryan Helsley to a two-year, $28 million contract. Helsley was a highly sought-after closer with the St. Louis Cardinals, but he never lived up to expectations in his short stint with the Mets last year. The Orioles are expected to win their fair share of games this year, and Helsley will be a big part of that.

In his first 20 innings as a Met, Helsley had a 7.20 ERA and failed at handing the game off to Edwin Diaz to finish in the ninth. Helsley blamed predictability in his pitch selection and even believed that he was tipping his pitches. Look for Helsley to have a strong Spring Training this year to prove that his stint with the Mets was the exception and not the norm.

Adley Rutschman

Finally, one of the biggest pieces of the Orioles’ offensive puzzle is star catcher Adley Rutschman. After three productive years to start his career, Rutschman was sidelined with two major oblique injuries last season, limiting him to just 90 games. Rutschman proceeded to put up the worst batting average (.220) and OPS (.673) of his career.

President of baseball operations Mike Elias affirmed that Rutschman will be the primary catcher this season and that Samuel Basallo will be the team’s second catcher. The two will also be splitting DH duties, with Basallo potentially spelling Pete Alonso at first base as well. With both Westburg and Jackson Holliday expected to miss time to start the season, more of the offensive load will fall on Alonso, Rutschman, and Gunnar Henderson.

There is no doubting that Rutschman is back at full health, but this is the first time that he has such a capable counterpart breathing down his neck. If he fails to return to form, it might not be long until his playing time with Basallo turns into more of a 50/50 split, something that was unimaginable for the first three years of Rutschman’s career.

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