4 Orioles players who are about to enter spring training already on thin ice

While other teams have caught up recently after quite the flurry of offseason activity, and there is still some offseason left, few teams can say that they overhauled their roster as much as the Baltimore Orioles. The rotation, bullpen, and lineup have all seen significant changes, and that isn't even accounting for Baltimore's prolonged interest in Framber Valdez.

However, with all of those changes comes the reality that those moves have made other Orioles players redundant or, at minimum, more expendable. We have already seen some roster management this offseason, but spring training appears to be setting up to be a massive roster culling for the Orioles out of necessity.

Here are the Orioles entering spring training seriously needing to prove something

This isn't a list of predictions of guys the Orioles will cut during spring training. Instead, this is a look at the guys who have shown promise and who have talent, but will need strong performances this spring to remain in the picture for real playing time in 2026 and beyond.

Coby Mayo

It feels like yesterday that Coby Mayo was considered a can't-miss young hitter and one of the best prospects in baseball, period. However, after combining to post a .201/.285/.349 through his first 102 games in the majors, Mayo's future is anything but certain, and he needs to prove he can produce this spring.

It was bad enough for Mayo's playing time chances that he has hit so poorly in the big leagues so far. However, after the Orioles signed Pete Alonso to anchor their lineup, Mayo's role is very unclear, even if he plays well in spring training, given that spare first base and DH reps will be hard to come by.

Tyler Wells

In some ways, Tyler Wells was one of the better stories for the Orioles to come out of the 2025 season. Coming off his second major elbow surgery, Wells pitched quite well with a 2.91 ERA across 21.2 innings.

The problem is whether or not the Orioles land Valdez, a recently-injured starter, is going to have a tough time cracking the rotation. The current projected rotation for Baltimore consists of Trevor Rogers (duh), Kyle Bradish (duh), new trade acquisition Shane Baz, Zach Eflin, and Dean Kremer. You can make an argument that Wells should be in there over Eflin or Kremer, perhaps, but only if he shows up to spring training and shoves on the mound.

Grant Wolfram

Grant Wolfram has the benefit of being a lefty reliever who is always in demand. However, unlike many teams, the Orioles actually have a strong contingent of lefties with Keegan Akin and Dietrich Enns. That means Wolfram likely has to earn a spot based solely on merit, and that is where things get tough.

There are already some high upside arms that are going to be competing for bullpen spots, like Chayce McDermott and Kade Strowd. However, there is also a chance that the starters that don't make the rotation, like the aforementioned Wells or Cade Povich, could get moved to the bullpen as well. If Wolfram is going to be in the 2026 bullpen, he is probably going to need to at least outperform Enns this spring.

Heston Kjerstad

Finally, we come to Heston Kjerstad, who might be the toughest guy to project in the entire organization. When he is right and healthy, Kjerstad has special raw power and could be a guy who does damage in the majors for years to come.

However, he has not been able to put it together as a big leaguer, and combining that with an unnamed medical issue has many wondering what to expect at all from Kjerstad in 2026 and beyond. We won't even be able to answer that question until he shows up for spring training. If he is healthy and looks good, Baltimore could have the fun kind of roster decisions to make. If not, Kjerstad could fade from the picture entirely.