The Orioles need to ride the hot hand despite their "everyday outfielder" returning

The Baltimore Orioles offense has gotten off to a slow start, and one of the only reasons they're not alongside the Red Sox and Blue Jays at the bottom of the division standings is because Leody Taveras has been one of their best offensive players and has come through time after time with clutch hits and RBI.

With Tyler O'Neill coming back from concussion protocol, the number of true outfielders on the active roster will go back up to five, and it's important that Taveras not be the one who sits in favor of O'Neill getting back in the lineup.

Taveras made the roster out of camp as a depth outfielder, and at the beginning of the season, it was clear the Orioles didn't plan on prioritizing his playing time. He only started three of the Orioles first 12 games. O'Neill going down with an illness/concussion opens an opportunity for Taveras to get a little more burn, and since getting the opportunity, he's made the most of it.

Leody Taveras is the Orioles' latest unexpectedly beloved veteran outfielder

So far this season, Taveras is slashing .327/.426/.500, he's third on the team in RBI, and he's come through in a bunch of big moments when the Orioles were struggling to just put bat on ball. On top of what he has provided offensively, he is also the Orioles best defensive outfielder.

With Taveras in the lineup, the Orioles can move Colton Cowser to a corner, where he is an excellent defender, and have 2/3 of the outfield be plus defenders. You could argue that with Cowser in center and Taveras on the bench, any other combination of the Orioles outfield leaves them with zero plus outfield defenders.

Early in this season, the Orioles' pitching staff has been among the most affected by bad defense, and a lot of that is the trio of Ward, Beavers, and O'Neill in the outfield. The boost that Taveras gives the Orioles' defense cannot be overstated.

With how well Taveras has been playing both sides of the ball. He should be a near constant in the lineup until that is no longer the case. Ward has played well enough to also be a constant, so Beavers, Cowser, and O'Neill will have to share the other outfield spot and the DH position.

The easiest way to divide up the playing time would be to make Ward, Taveras, and O'Neill the outfield trio against lefties and Ward, Taveras, and one of Beavers and Cowser as the outfield trio against righties (the majority of the games. Beavers has hit well enough that he can get DH starts sprinkled in to make sure his playing time doesn't fall off too much.

The Orioles have seen depth signings turn into real contributors several times over the last few years. Taveras appears to be their latest success story; it would be a mistake to throttle back his playing time for the sake of a guy who has been consistently mediocre in an Orioles uniform in O'Neill.

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