O's set Opening Day roster with expected group

NEW YORK -- There were no last-minute adjustments to the Orioles’ roster prior to Thursday’s season opener in New York. The club will begin 2019 with the 25-man group it left Sarasota, Fla., with a few days ago.

That group features eight players who are new to the organization and 11 who are on Baltimore’s Opening Day roster for the first time. After swelling their Spring Training roster to 63 at one point, the Orioles emerged with these final 25.

Catchers (2): Jesus Sucre, Pedro Severino
Instead of rewarding Chance Sisco for his white-hot spring, the Orioles opted for the glove-first tandem of Sucre and Severino, giving them one of baseball’s strongest-armed units behind the plate. A non-roster invite, Sucre rose from a crowded field to win the job over Austin Wynns, who will begin the year on the injured list. Severino was plucked off waivers from Washington last week, clearing the way for Sisco to start every day at Triple-A.

First base (1): Chris Davis
Davis didn’t have the spring he wanted, going 7-for-37 (.189) with three home runs and 19 strikeouts in Grapefruit League play. Looking to put his nightmare 2018 season behind him, Davis will remain rooted at first base for the foreseeable future. He is also a candidate to see at bats at DH with Mark Trumbo on the 60-day injured list.

Second base (1): Jonathan Villar
This will be Villar’s first full season in Baltimore after he came over in the Jonathan Schoop deal from Milwaukee last July. The former stolen-base champion should be penciled into the top of manager Brandon Hyde’s batting order most days. Villar could move over to short if needed, but for now, the Orioles prefer him at second base.

Shortstop (1): Richie Martin
The Orioles saw enough from the Rule 5 Draft pick this spring not only to carry Martin north, but to entrust him with the starting shortstop job. He’ll get every opportunity to keep it; the Orioles love the athleticism, defensive potential and speed element he brings enough to go on without veteran Alcides Escobar in the mix. But the offensive side could prove challenging, at least at first for the 24-year-old Martin, who is making the jump straight from Double-A.

Third base (2): Rio Ruiz, Renato Nunez
A December waiver claim, Ruiz leapfrogged Nunez on the depth chart thanks to an impressive spring on both sides of the ball. But there is room for both with Trumbo’s injury opening up at-bats at DH, which is good news for Nunez considering he’s out of Minor League options.

Utility (2): Drew Jackson, Hanser Albeto
The Orioles were impressed enough with Jackson’s progression at Double-A last season to send international bonus pool money to the Phillies after Philadelphia selected the utility man in the Rule 5 Draft. The O’s then spent the spring shuffling him around the diamond, testing him at short, second, third, center and right; he’s a candidate to play just about anywhere this season. Alberto will be limited to the infield, but provides depth at third, short and second.

Outfielders (4): Trey Mancini, Cedric Mullins, Joey Rickard, Dwight Smith Jr.
The 26-year-old Mancini qualifies as an elder statesman on this rebuilding club, and Mullins reclaims the center-field job after his 45-game cameo there last summer. Rickard hit all spring, and Smith never stopped after he was acquired from Toronto on March 8. It’s not difficult to see those two forming a platoon in right. All told, Smith is the only new face in a unit pushed by some of the most robust competition of Orioles camp, during which the club decided Austin Hays and Anthony Santander could use more seasoning.

Starting pitchers (4): RHP Andrew Cashner, RHP Dylan Bundy, RHP David Hess, RHP Mike Wright
A lot more would be settled had Alex Cobb not tweaked his right groin last weekend in his final spring start, forcing him to begin 2019 on the injured list. Cobb is expected back in short time; he, Cashner and Bundy are all bounceback candidates following career-worst seasons in 2018. Hess struggled as a rookie, while Wright has pitched almost exclusively in relief since 2016. How to classify Nate Karns? He was signed to assume the No. 4 spot in this rotation, settled into a relief role after struggling to stretch out … and will start the second game of the season nonetheless, as an “opener.” There figures to be fluidity here -- certainly until Cobb gets back, and probably after as well.

Relief pitchers (8): RHP Mychal Givens, LHP Richard Bleier, RHP Miguel Castro, LHP Paul Fry, RHP Nate Karns, RHP Jimmy Yacabonis, LHP John Means, RHP Pedro Araujo
The Orioles have yet to name a closer, and instead plan to deploy Givens and Castro in high-leverage situations regardless of inning. Same for Bleier, who never had a hiccup in his rehab from lat surgery last June. Karns will start Saturday, but he could easily appear in late-inning situations next week. Fry beat out fellow left-hander Tanner Scott, and he can similarly be summoned at just about any point in a game. Araujo’s holdover Rule 5 Draft status gave him some roster incentive for breaking camp with the big club; he joins Yacabonis and Means as those who can provide length the Orioles will need as they attempt to piece together innings with Cobb on the shelf.

Injured list: Alex Cobb, Mark Trumbo, Austin Wynns