SARASOTA, Fla. -- The longer Mark Trumbo has been away from baseball, the more he’s missed it, even though he’s not sure it has missed him. So when Kevin Buck, Orioles director of baseball administration, reached out and asked if he’d be willing to come to Florida and serve as a special instructor this spring, the decision came quickly.

“It's flattering to be considered to come out here and spend a few days and just make some observations and maybe give an opinion here or there,” said Trumbo, an All-Star with Baltimore in 2016 who retired following the ’19 season as persistent knee injuries caught up to him. “Staying relevant is pretty important, and when an opportunity like this comes about, it's smart to not pass on it.”

That is especially true for Trumbo, who has earned praise from Orioles manager Brandon Hyde for his coaching aptitude and has left open the chance of a more full-time coaching assignment in the future. Trumbo will get a taste of that life as he works with O’s hitters through Thursday. So far, that has manifested itself as reunions with old teammates who have taken off since Trumbo retired -- Cedric Mullins and Trey Mancini chief among the bunch -- and introductions to the young crop of hitting talent Baltimore is trying to cultivate.

It’s a welcome reunion for Trumbo, who mashed his way into hearts around Baltimore with an MLB-best 47 home runs in 2016, and the organization. Due to the pandemic, not since Spring Training 2020 has the club been able to rein in a former player as a special instructor, last doing so with J.J. Hardy, who told Trumbo how fulfilling an experience it can be.

“I love having the ex-players around,” Hyde said, “guys that have done really special things in the game. It only benefits our players to have somebody they can relate to and talk the game with.”

Trumbo has already received some on-the-job training. This winter, he joined forces with Mancini to help the latter sharpen his swing and improve his awareness of the pitch types that give him fits. Such in-depth analysis was not as prevalent when Trumbo was rising through the ranks, but it’s an evolution of the game that he acknowledges might be essential should he want to make this special instructor role a full-time profession.

“I think the issue with an ex-player at times can be somewhat of an ego-driven thing, somewhat close-minded [to new information], anyway,” Trumbo said. “I've always been open to just about anything that might make a difference and make it easier to understand a concept. However hokey it may appear on the surface, if it can help someone, it's not invalid. And I think if you want to coach in today's world, you have to be far, far more open-minded than you might have been. For a lot of people, the culture that the game [has had] for a long time, it just is -- it's outdated.”

Wells, there you go

Tyler Wells’ role for the 2022 season may be in flux, but he’s trying not to leave any sort of doubt when it comes to his availability. Wells got the start in Monday’s 10-8 Grapefruit League win over the Twins at Ed Smith Stadium, pitching two unbothered frames and whiffing two before giving way to Grayson Rodriguez’s Spring Training debut. That was wholly positive, but it’ll be what comes next for Wells that the O’s will use to try to determine his exact role.

Wells, a 2020 Rule 5 Draft selection from Minnesota, opened 2021 as a multi-inning reliever before serving as a part-time closer around injuries. While it appears off the beaten path for him to be prepping as a starter this spring, it actually follows the career norm. Wells pitched almost exclusively as a starter in his first three seasons after being selected in the 2016 Draft, but he missed 2019 (Tommy John surgery) and ’20 (pandemic-canceled Minor League season), so the O’s are monitoring his durability.

“It's one of those things where I just want to be used, and I want to be able to help the team in big situations,” Wells said. “That's really my primary focus.”

Bird seed

• John Means will make his Grapefruit League debut on Tuesday against the Pirates in Bradenton, Fla., coming off a back-field simulated game as the O’s have exerted caution while ramping up their staff ace. Jordan Lyles, slated to be the No. 2 starter in the rotation, will get one more back-field experience before he makes his Orioles debut.