Yacabonis among latest round of roster cuts

SARASOTA, Fla. -- The Orioles continued to pare down their spring roster on Thursday, optioning reliever Jimmy Yacabonis to Triple-A Norfolk before their 10-7 win against the Red Sox.
"Yac's going to take some extended innings. ... We got some people who would like to see him potentially start," Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. "As you get him extended innings, he's gotten more in line with his delivery and taken less stress off his shoulder. One of his points of emphasis for us and him coming into spring was working down a lot, getting counts in his favor, getting early contact for outs. And he's done that for the most part."
Yacabonis appeared in eight Grapefruit League games, pitching eight innings and posting a 3.38 ERA. He gave up eight hits and five walks, allowing three earned runs. The righty also struck out seven.
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Yacabonis entered camp as a bullpen candidate and still could be an option for the club down the road. With the O's still having two Rule 5 Draft picks in camp, along with several players out of options, he became the odd man out in a stiff competition for the final few roster spots.
The club also optioned pitching prospect Tanner Scott. The lefty appeared in seven games for the Orioles this spring, most recently going an inning on Saturday against Toronto.
Scott allowed three earned runs total over seven innings, striking out seven and walking two. The lefty, whose fastball can hit the triple-digits, is an intriguing arm for the organization. Scott is listed as the O's sixth-best prospect to start the season by MLB Pipeline.

Cobb's arrival sparks big buzz in camp
Alex Cobb may have appeared to be just another Oriole in uniform on Thursday morning, with a locker and jersey No. 17. But Cobb, unveiled on Wednesday to the media, is a big boost to the Orioles' rotation. The news had the clubhouse buzzing.
"Oh, man, it's a good day, it's a good day for the Orioles," said Tim Beckham, Cobb's teammate with the Rays. "You've got a professional pitcher coming in here, a professional guy. He's a great teammate and he's definitely going to help out our club a lot."

Players like to talk out on the back fields of Spring Training. Especially this year, with so many top players still available on the market as camps began.
"When you see [Lance] Lynn sign, you're like, 'OK.' When you see what he signed for, you just think we could have done that," said center fielder Adam Jones. "I don't understand the business side of it, but we all think as competitors. Then you see, 'OK he's off the market.' Now you think to yourself, 'Could something happen where we really get this dude?'
"We hear people talk in the clubhouse, on the field and various things just about what kind of guy this would be for our club. And we ended up getting him. Finally one of our thoughts we spoke into existence kind of thing."
Cobb will not break camp with the team and will remain in Minor League camp until it ends. Since Cobb isn't hurt, he can't stay in extended spring camp, so he's expected to head to one of the O's affiliates after that to get stretched out.
"He's had good success over here in the American League East, and it's not an easy division to pitch in," Beckham said. "I'm sure that after waiting for so long he's ready to get after it, and I'm sure he's just ready to play baseball. And that's what we're going to do here, is play winning baseball. We're a lot more confident with him in the rotation.
"He's a competitor and everyone here will see it soon enough. And just watching him do his thing is impressive."
Wright ends spring on poor note
This was not the final spring impression Mike Wright Jr. wanted to make. But the righty, who was charged with seven runs (six earned) over 4 1/3 innings in Thursday's game against the Red Sox, has no choice now but to await his fate.
"I'm disappointed in my last two outings. Obviously, we're about to start the season, so I'm not trying to give up 10 hits in [4 1/3 frames]," said Wright, who is trying to make the Opening Day roster as a starter or reliever. "I feel like I'm in a good spot. All my pitches are working pretty well. I thought I was making pretty good pitches."

Wright is out of options, meaning he will be exposed to waivers if he doesn't make the team. Further complicating matters is the team's signing of Cobb. While Cobb won't be ready to start the season, the fifth-starter spot is essentially for just a week before the team will have to make another move or put that fifth guy in relief.
These are scenarios Wright cannot worry about. But the righty chided himself for his recent Grapefruit League outings, and he will end the spring having allowed 15 runs (14 earned) and 26 hits in 19 innings over six games.
"It's good for the Orioles," Wright said of the Cobb signing. "Obviously we are trying to compete and trying to compete in the AL East. ... We are playing in the AL East, we got to make moves. And I think that was a good move for us.
"It's not my decision to make. I just hope what I did early in spring gets me on the team."