Ramón Urías making his case for a roster spot
Infielder drives in 3 runs in Baltimore’s Grapefruit League win over Twins
FORT MYERS, Fla. — The Orioles’ roster has changed dramatically over the past three seasons, but one under-the-radar constant has been Ramón Urías on the infield.
Urías, 29, arrived in Baltimore in 2020 when the club was mired in a lengthy rebuild. The roster he finds himself competing for in 2024 couldn’t be more different. Despite winning a Gold Glove Award two years ago and proving capable of providing league-average offensive production out of multiple infield spots, the Orioles’ influx of promising young infielders thrust Urías into a fierce spring training battle for a spot on the opening day roster.
He helped his case Wednesday, when he drove in three runs in the Orioles’ 12-3 Grapefruit League victory over the Minnesota Twins. Urías hit his first home run of the spring, a high flyball that traveled 374 feet to left. That wouldn’t be enough for a homer in the spacious confines of Camden Yards, but it was a promising swing for Urías after he hit just four long balls all last season.
“I just let the ball travel, trying to move the runner, [saw] it pop up on the hands and I just was able to put a good swing on it,” Urías said.
Urías is 3-for-8 so far in exhibition play, making starts at both second and third base. While an uptick in power would be a plus, his true value lies in his ability to play multiple positions well.
With the addition of infielder Kolten Wong, a two-time Gold Glove Award winner himself, on a minor league deal Wednesday, Urías now has even more competition for a spot along with Jorge Mateo, who is also trying to become more of a utility player, 40-man veterans Tyler Nevin and Nick Maton, and prospects Jackson Holliday, Coby Mayo and Connor Norby.
“At this point, everybody is ready,” Urías said. “The younger guys, they’re ready to play in the big leagues and it’s a good competition. It makes everybody better.”
Julio Teheran adds wrinkle to Orioles’ pitching mix
In addition to signing Wong on Wednesday, the Orioles also announced they signed veteran right-hander Julio Teheran to a minors deal with an invitation to spring training. Teheran will earn $2 million if he makes the team with a $100,000 signing bonus, a source with direct knowledge of the deal told The Baltimore Sun. The deal also includes an opt-out.
The 33-year-old was a two-time All-Star for the Atlanta Braves in his early 20s but struggled during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season and made just
one MLB start between 2021 and 2022 because of shoulder injuries. He made a triumphant return with the Milwaukee Brewers in 2023 with a 1.53 ERA over his first six starts but couldn’t keep it up the rest of the way; he dealt with a hip injury and was ultimately designated for assignment.
Baltimore’s decision to sign him adds a depth option for their rotation who could also factor into the opening day roster as a long reliever. Delayed starts for Kyle Bradish (UCL sprain) and John Means (elbow discomfort) made Cole Irvin and Tyler Wells favorites to crack the rotation after they appeared to be in competition for a bullpen spot.
Following the row of dominoes, Teheran’s presence reinforces manager Brandon Hyde’s comments from early spring that top
pitching prospects Cade Povich and Chayce McDermott are likely ticketed for Triple-A Norfolk. With Bruce Zimmermann and Jonathan Heasley holding minor league options, the Orioles could add Teheran to the active roster and send all four of Povich, McDermott, Zimmermann and Heasley to Triple-A to maintain a strong stock of starting pitching depth.
“I just think we’re adding depth,” Hyde said after Wednesday’s game. “We’ve talked about it a lot even before this game, you can never have enough pitching. So, to bring in another guy that’s got a lot of major league experience, been a starter in this league for a long time. We’re going to take a look and hopefully he can help us.”
The Orioles also opened a spot on their 40-man
Wednesday when the Colorado Rockies claimed outfielder Sam Hilliard. Between Teheran, Wong and a slew of top prospects, executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias has plenty of options to fill that spot.
Around the horn
Joining Urías in powering the Orioles to their lopsided win Wednesday were prospects Colton Cowser (2-for-3 with a three-run home run) and Coby Mayo (1-for-3 with an RBI double). Cowser’s long ball was his second of the spring; this one traveled a Statcastprojected 428 feet. Mayo, whose liner off the wall in left registered a 109.9 mph exit velocity, has gotten off to a hot start as well with three doubles so far.
Dean Kremer got the starting nod for the Orioles and ran into some immediate trouble, loading the bases with no outs in the first. He managed to work out of it allowing only one run and got through the second inning unscathed. Kremer’s velocity on all of his pitches was a few ticks below his averages from last season, but both he and Hyde stressed that was just a product of it being early in spring training.
Infield prospect Connor Norby (side) said in the Orioles’ clubhouse that he expects to make his Grapefruit League debut this season. Shortstop/ third baseman Gunnar Henderson (oblique) took batting practice for the second day in a row Wednesday and might not be far behind.