Birds Watcher
Fansided

Baltimore Orioles: Not Many Surprises in the 30-Man Opening Day Roster

By Kristen Bentley

WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 21: Manager Brandon Hyde #18 of the Baltimore Orioles visits the mound as Cesar Valdez #62 enters the game during the fourth inning at Nationals Park on July 21, 2020 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 21: Manager Brandon Hyde #18 of the Baltimore Orioles visits the mound as Cesar Valdez #62 enters the game during the fourth inning at Nationals Park on July 21, 2020 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

The Baltimore Orioles released their roster, and honestly, there aren’t many surprises. But, there are a few disappointments.

The Baltimore Orioles are what they are, and unfortunately, they did not decide to add a few names to the 30-man Opening Day roster.

One notable omission is fan-favorite Ryan Mountcastle. You can check out the roster without his name thanks to the team Twitter account:

The other disappointments were the names on the IL. No one wants to see John Means on the 10-day IL, especially as he was scheduled to be the Opening Day starter. Instead, Tommy Milone will get the nod on Friday against the Red Sox. The 32-year-old lefty was a non-roster invitee who spent 2019 pitching a 4.26 ERA in Seattle. O’s fans do not have any ties to this pitcher, so it is a disappointing choice. Hopefully, Milone will do well and get the fans interested.

It was predetermined over a week ago that prospect Adley Rutschman would not be on the 30-man roster, but would continue his development in the off-site location. So, his absence was not a surprise. What was a bit of a surprise was Dilson Herrera, who did all he could to try to get a spot in the outfield.

More from Orioles News

What wasn’t a surprise was Pat Valaika‘s spot as a utility player. Rio Ruiz got the nod at third, despite some struggles in the short summer training. It wouldn’t come as much of a surprise to see Valaika play third, like he did in the first game against the Nationals.

The rotation wasn’t much of a surprise either, but Means missing for at least 10 days stinks. Milone will take his spot for a while. Without Means, the rotation has to really step it up as he was expected to be the ace and carry the team. The Orioles are already expected to be the worst team in the MLB and with the ace on the IL, that expectation is almost certain.

There also weren’t any surprises in the long list of relievers. What also should not come as a surprise is that at least two of them won’t be with the team for the entire season. Mychal Givens and Miguel Castro are valuable commodities that contenders will want – especially now that the playoffs have expanded to 16 teams for the short season.

Next. Adley Rutschman Should Be on the Opening Day Roster. dark

You can watch the 30-man roster in action on Friday at 7:30 ET as the team faces Nathan Eovaldi, JD Martinez, and the rest of the Red Sox in Boston.

Home/Orioles News