Orioles are inching toward a milestone fans never wanted to see again

In 2021, the Baltimore Orioles used a team-record 62 players on their path toward a 52-110 record. For some, that season ended up becoming a breakout affair, as Cedric Mullins used the opportunity to become an All-Star, while Ryan Mountcastle impressed on his run toward becoming a Rookie of the Year finalist. 

But for some others, it became an opportunity to become an immaculate grid answer. Surely you remember Isaac Mattson’s four relief appearances or Nick Ciuffo’s two games behind the plate. At the time, that kind of roster churn could be chalked up to the Orioles tearing the team down to the studs as a part of their rebuild ahead of the next contention window. 

On Tuesday, the Orioles activated outfielder Daniel Johnson, making him the 60th player the team has used this season. While that number is a tangible confirmation of how rough this season has been for the Orioles, it also all but confirms this year’s team is going to eclipse Baltimore’s roster usage from that dreaded 2021 season, which should make every Orioles fan wince. 

Orioles' roster turnover in 2025 is reaching historic proportions

As mentioned above, the Orioles’ roster usage in 2021 was due in large part to the team’s rebuild, as the front office wanted to try out as many players as possible to see who could fit into their contention window. 

That’s not the case this year. After making the postseason in 2023 and ‘24, the Orioles entered the year with high hopes. It didn’t take long for those hopes to come crashing down due to a variety of injuries and underperformance — both of which are reasons why the Orioles have cycled so through many players. 

In a perfect world, Maverick Handley, Alex Jackson and Jacob Stallings never see an inning for the 2025 Orioles. But they were forced to be lineup mainstays for most of the summer due to injuries to Adley Rutschman and Gary Sánchez. 

And they’re a bit unique in that they got some actual playing time. As of Wednesday, the Orioles have used nine players this year who have less than 20 at-bats. In fact, they’ve had three who have gotten exactly one (1) at-bat (Cooper Hummel, Vidal Bruján and Terrin Vavra) alongside David Bañuelos, who struck out and was hit by a pitch in his two at-bats. 

It’s not much better on the pitching side either, as they’ve had eight pitchers who have thrown less than 10 innings on the season. And while that list features some intriguing names like Chayce McDermott and Yaramil Hiraldo, it’s also filled with journeymen like Dietrich Enns and Corbin Martin. It also didn’t help that the Orioles traded away five players from their major league roster at the trade deadline. 

If that wasn’t enough, it seems like that list will only grow thanks to season-ending injuries to Félix Bautista and Zach Eflin, especially since pitchers Kyle Bradish and Tyler Wells are nearing their season debuts. Although adding them to the roster isn’t that bad since they’re pieces Baltimore wants to build around, it seems like this season will still have plenty of “empty calorie” call-ups the rest of the way. 

While this year’s version of the Orioles may not lose 110 games like they did in 2021, this season has been as, if not more, disappointing given the expectations the team entered the season with. 

Maybe in three years we’ll be able to look back and laugh at this year’s roster in the same way we could with their 2021 roster. Or maybe it’ll serve as the first precursor to the end of this iteration of the Orioles. Regardless, it’s a roster that seems destined to set an unfortunate record.