4 Orioles fighting for their jobs in September

Lou Brown, one of the great baseball movie managers, once said “Over 162 games even tough guys get strains, sore arms, muscle pulls” in the 1989 classic Major League. The Baltimore Orioles certainly have their share of tough guys but they’ve had more than their fair share of injuries. Fortunately several of those injured players are nearing returns.

However, good news for some is often bad news for others. While players like Jordan Westburg, Jacob Webb, Danny Coulombe and others inch closer and closer to health, spots on the current 28 man roster will need to be cleared. Some choices are obvious but others will force the front office to make some difficult decisions.

These four Orioles are at risk of losing their roster spot when injured players start returning

The infield is expected to return three regulars this month, Westburg, Ramon Urias and Ryan Mountcastle. The first two infielders to be sent down will be Livan Soto and Nick Maton, both of whom were signed as depth pieces for this exact situation. The two players battling for final roster spot when Mountcastle returns will be Emmanuel Rivera and Coby Mayo.

The upper hand at this time has to be given to Rivera. He was claimed off waivers in late August after being DFA’d by the Miami Marlins and produced beyond expectations. Rivera waited patiently in a reserve role but the injury to Urias thrust Rivera into a more prominent role. In the month of September, Rivera is batting .281/.343/.563 with a double, triple and two home runs while driving in seven runs and scoring four more through Friday's game. He’s claimed the lion's share of playing time over his counterpart, Coby Mayo.

Mayo, who demolished AAA pitching all season long, struggled in his first stint with the O’s earlier this year and hasn’t performed much better in his second. Known as a bat first player, Mayo has struggled to a .125 batting average in September. His two hits were both singles and he’s failed to drive in any runs. Mayo is only 22 years old and many players struggle when they reach the majors but he’s going to have to really step his game up if he wants to stick around when the regulars return.

On the pitching side of things, the Orioles cannot wait for Webb and Coulombe to return and have several options to choose from when deciding which struggling relievers will be sent down or designated for assignment.

The two pitchers who are battling to stay on the roster in September are are Cole Irvin and Cade Povich. Irvin's transition to the bullpen could give him a slight edge because he has performed well in that role in the past. However the Orioles are likely returning more pitchers to the bullpen than they are the rotation. Irvin has only made two appearances out of the bullpen this season with mixed results, but since Albert Suarez appears to have a firm grasp on a spot in the rotation, Irvin is the Birds only long reliever.

For the time being Povich is the fifth starter in the rotation but Grayson Rodriguez is getting closer to returning too. Povich has had his struggles in his time with the Orioles this season but has had a few notable starts in that time. Povich has starter stuff but his control issues and high strikeout rate profile well as a reliever. He's had trouble keeping his pitch count down and a move to the bullpen could help him unlock his full potential.

These moves could help the O's get a firm grasp on a playoff spot that seems to be slipping away. Once they do lock down a spot in the postseason they will have to cut the roster back down to 26 players, but that's a conversation for a different day.