Orioles could circle back to forgotten bench piece in spring training roster shuffle

The calendar has flipped to February, and the Baltimore Orioles will play a baseball game later this month. With spring training less than two weeks away, the biggest question that Mike Elias and Co. face is which veteran pitcher will be the final addition to the starting rotation. It's no surprise that was the leading question for MASN's Roch Kubatko, but he also pondered a potential free-agent reunion that almost no one would have guessed.

Among his leading questions was wondering if the Orioles would bring back Ramón Urías for a utility role on the bench. Considering there's been virtually no connection between the Orioles and Urías since he was traded to the Houston Astros at the deadline last July, it's odd that Kubatko would have that as one of the things to watch with spring training approaching.

Orioles reunion chatter emerges for Ramón Urías, but the roster fit is...questionable.

Urías had been a staple on the Orioles' roster since making his debut in 2020, but was included in the sell-off last July. His run in Houston was uninspiring, slashing .223/.267/.372 with a 76 wRC+. It's the primary reason he remains on the free-agent market, and also adds to the confusion of why there would even be a question of the Orioles bringing him back.

As currently constructed, the Orioles' bench includes the heavily-priced Tyler O'Neill, first baseman Ryan Mountcastle, utility infielder/outfielder Jeremiah Jackson, and outfielder Leody Taveras.

With Jackson's ability to play the outfielder, perhaps the idea is that Urías could replace Taveras as the final piece on the bench. Though having both Jackson and Urías on the bench feels redundant. If Urías had more experience at shortstop, you can squint and see the fit with him stepping in when Gunnar Henderson has the day off, but he hasn't played the position with any degree of regularity since 2021.

The only other scenario where a reunion makes sense is if Mountcastle is traded. Mountcastle is the odd man out when projecting the Orioles' Opening Day roster, and the case can be made that Urías' versatility would be a better bench option for Baltimore.

Credit Kubatko for sending us down a rabbit hole we didn't know existed. The guess is that the question was used to fill space, but since it came out of nowhere, perhaps the Orioles' insider just teased the team's next move, which would be odd, since their biggest need remains adding a frontline starting pitcher.