Projected Orioles 2026 lineup is a wild departure from last season’s dumpster fire

If you want the cleanest possible summary of what the Baltimore Orioles are trying to be in 2026, it’s about eliminating survival mode. No more “we’ll piece it together at DH.” No more pretending the bottom third of the order doesn’t exist.

Joel Reuter’s projected 2026 Orioles Opening Day lineup for Bleacher Report looks quite loud at the moment. Especially compared to the 2025 Opening Day lineup, a group that had real players but way too many depth pieces taking regular at-bats — the projected 2026 version is a full-on identity switch. And yes, it absolutely reads like the front office looked at last year’s patchwork and turned off hard mode.

Orioles’ projected 2026 lineup is the kind of glow-up fans begged for

Projected Orioles 2026 lineup

1. 2B Jackson Holliday
2. 3B Jordan Westburg
3. SS Gunnar Henderson
4. 1B Pete Alonso
5. C Adley Rutschman
6. LF Taylor Ward
7. CF Colton Cowser
8. RF Tyler O’Neill
9. DH Samuel Basallo

Orioles 2025 Opening Day lineup

1. LF Colton Cowser
2. C Adley Rutschman
3. 2B Jordan Westburg
4. DH Ryan O’Hearn
5. RF Tyler O’Neill
6. 1B Ryan Mountcastle
7. CF Cedric Mullins
8. 3B Ramón Urías
9. SS Jackson Holliday

Two lineups. Two different worlds.

The 2025 lineup wasn’t a bunch of nobodies. It had its pieces. But it also had too many “conditional” bats. Guys who work if the matchup is right, if they’re hot, or if you can hide them in the order.

When your DH is Ryan O’Hearn and your third baseman is Ramón Urías, you’re not doomed. You’re just… limited. And a small reminder when you look back at that 2025 Opening Day card: Gunnar Henderson wasn’t in it because he was hurt. That matters, because it left a crater where the lineup’s tone-setter is supposed to be.

Why the Orioles’ projected 2026 order is a massive step up from 2025

Alonso is the lineup’s statement signing

This is the kind of move that changes how teams have to pitch you. The 2025 version could be worked around. The 2026 version has a middle that actually bites back. Put Henderson–Alonso–Rutschman together and pitchers can’t just dance around any of them and pray the inning ends.

Henderson being healthy flips the identity

Henderson's the guy who makes starters speed up because the margin for error basically vanishes. You could feel the hole left in the 2025 Opening Day Lineup. Put a healthy version of him back and suddenly the Orioles aren’t trying to MacGyver runs together.

Basallo at DH is a ceiling play

O’Hearn at DH is fine. Basallo at DH is the Orioles saying, “let’s not play it safe.” Will there be rookie chaos? Probably. But contenders can live with that if the upside is loud enough.

Ward is the glue that keeps pressure on.

He’s not the splashiest headline guy, but he’s the kind of hitter who keeps innings alive. Put him in the back half and you’re not just handing pitchers free outs anymore. You’re making them throw real pitches as he keeps pressure on until the guy on the mound breaks. Look at the back half of that projected 2026 lineup: Ward, Cowser, O’Neill, Basallo. That’s quite the way to turn the lineup over.

Are there still questions? Sure. O’Neill’s health is always part of the deal. Basallo has to prove he’s ready. The outfield logjam has to sort itself out, and there’s still a real “where do Mayo and Mountcastle fit?” conversation if Alonso is planted at first.

But those are good problems to have if you’re looking to contend. The main point is simple: the 2026 projected Orioles lineup isn’t a tweak. It’s a statement.