Notes: Ruiz's big return; Harvey's start

Despite the opportunites up and down their roster, Orioles camp has been relatively light on position battles.

Yes, Austin Hays and Cedric Mullins continue to compete for reps in center field, but both are penciled into the Opening Day roster. There could be enough roster space for both Pat Valaika and Ramón Urías, the leading super-utility candidates. And on the mound, Hunter Harvey’s oblique injury cleared the way for extra starting depth to head north in the bullpen, potentially in the form of Wade LeBlanc.

But two weeks from Opening Day, the Orioles’ 26-man framework is largely already in place. The exception is at third base, where the O's are planning to welcome Maikel Franco into the fold at some point soon. What will that mean for Rio Ruiz? That would leave him on uncertain footing for the first time since he became the club’s primary starter at the hot corner two seasons ago.

“I’ve just got to worry about the things I can control,” Ruiz said after Monday’s 12-3 win over the Pirates at Ed Smith Stadium. “I don’t make decisions around here. Nobody in the clubhouse really does. As long as you play your game and worry about yourself, I think everything will be fine.”

To that end, Ruiz made an immediate impact in his return to the lineup, doubling twice and completing a diving defensive play against the Pirates. Ruiz had been sidelined since March 6 due to illness, having gone 1-for-12 at the plate previously this spring. He’s hit .229/.299/.393 with 21 homers (85 OPS+) since the start of 2019, showing increased power but regular defensive lapses during his Orioles tenure.

“I definitely worried about being out for the whole week that I was, but luckily we did everything we needed to do,” Ruiz said. “I don’t think anyone is really content with what they’ve showed and what they’ve done. Everybody is striving for more and I’m no different.”

Even if Ruiz catches fire in camp, the question is how the Orioles grade that against his overall body of work. Franco will become one of the O’s just two Major League free agents signed this offseason; he’s going to play, with an eye toward materializing into a trade chip come July. He and Ruiz both feature career reverse splits, making a platoon more sensible in theory than practice. Ruiz does retain a Minor League option, meaning he could slide into a bench role, battle for at-bats at designated hitter or begin the season at Triple-A.

Consider it something to track over the final two weeks of Grapefruit League play.

“I think Rio has had real positive moments in the last couple years and some negative moments as well,” manager Brandon Hyde said. “But for the most part, he’s done a nice job at third base for us and is continuing to improve. He’s going to continue to get opportunity.”

More from the game

Right-hander Matt Harvey showed marked improvement in his second Grapefruit League start, holding the Pirates to two runs over four innings on Monday. Harvey settled down after yielding a first-inning homer to Bucs prospect Ke’Bryan Hayes. Harvey finished with four strikeouts and no walks. This after Harvey surrendered three runs in his two-inning spring debut against the Blue Jays on March 5.

The progress was also positive for rotation hopeful Keegan Akin, as the rookie left-hander struck out five and issued no walks in three innings of one-run relief. Akin had coughed up three runs and walked five in 3 1/3 Grapefruit League innings entering Monday's game.

O’s pitchers were supported by a team-wide breakout at the plate, highlighted by RBI hits from Anthony Santander and Gunnar Henderson, and Jahmai Jones’ first spring homer in an eight-run seventh inning.

Hold on another minute

Richie Martin’s Grapefruit League debut was pushed back a day to give the infielder more reps in simulated action on Monday. He's expected to return to the lineup on Tuesday, Hyde said. Martin will have about two weeks to compete for a utility job after missing all of 2020 with a broken right wrist, and the first month of camp recovering from right hamate surgery.

From the trainer’s room

Hyde said that subsequent tests on Hunter Harvey confirmed his left oblique strain sustained in Saturday’s loss to the Phillies. Hyde said there is no timetable for Harvey, who is expected to be sidelined for several weeks. Generally speaking, oblique injuries can often take six weeks to heal, and sometimes longer for max-effort pitchers like Harvey.

Behind the scenes

The Orioles continue to utilize simulated games and back-field work to stretch out various bulk-inning candidates. The following pitchers threw in a simulated game on Monday morning, per Hyde: Rule 5 Draft picks Mac Sceroler and Tyler Wells, Thomas Eshelman and Dillon Tate.

Up next

Félix Hernández (0-1, 9.64 ERA) will try to turn his rough spring around when the Orioles take on the Rays at 1:05 p.m. ET on Tuesday in Port Charlotte, Fla. Left-hander Ryan Yarbrough starts for Tampa Bay.