Mike Elias offered updates on several injured Orioles in a Friday media appearance.
One of the early storylines for the Orioles season has been just how many players have gotten injured, especially pitchers. The road to recovery continues for everybody. Ahead of Friday’s game against the Royals, Mike Elias addressed the media on a number of topics to do with the team’s tough start. He also provided injury updates on several of the O’s who could bolster the team in the near future.
Among the injured, the quickest return could be either outfielder Tyler O’Neill or infielder Jordan Westburg. Elias told reporters that those guys are “days away” rather than “weeks away” from making a return. O’Neill has not played since April 23 due to neck soreness, while Westburg’s hamstring strain has kept him on ice since April 26. According to Elias, the O’s are discussing whether a rehab stint will be necessary for either. I think they should get at least a couple of games to shake off the rust, but I’m not expecting to be included in the discussions.
For anybody who has been wondering whether the rough beginning of the season would mean that manager Brandon Hyde is on the hot seat, Elias’s comments would seem to put that to rest, at least for now. Expressing that he is “very confident” about Hyde, Elias added:
Mike Elias gave a vote of confidence to manager Brandon Hyde: “When we’re experiencing failure, it’s very important in that job — and my job too — to be consistent with your approach. And he’s doing that.”
— Andy Kostka (@afkostka.bsky.social) 2025-05-02T20:08:13.044Z
It’s a running joke that the “vote of confidence” actually ends up being a precursor to a firing, and maybe it will turn out that way for Hyde too. Elias does a lot of dodging of expressing what he actually thinks. Still, that doesn’t sound like a guy who’s on the fence.
Elias also updated on injured Orioles pitchers. The big piece of news there is that starting pitcher Zach Eflin and reliever Andrew Kittredge are each set to begin a minor league rehab assignment with Aberdeen this weekend. It will have been nearly a full month since Eflin pitched by the time he starts that rehab. The O’s need him back but they can’t rush him; at least three starts seems reasonable to me.
Kittredge, who was Elias’s lone offseason addition to the Orioles bullpen, has barely pitched, since he had only one outing in spring training before needing knee surgery. It’s encouraging that he’s already able to get into a rehab outing, but that’s maybe more likely to stretch for the full month that a pitcher is allowed to rehab in the minors. Only after that can we start to discover whether this was a signing that will make a positive impact on the bullpen.
Less encouraging was this update about Grayson Rodriguez:
Elias said he expects Grayson Rodriguez to pitch this season. Could begin throwing by end of month but has a long way to go after that #orioles
One of my rules of thumb is that once the goalpost gets moved to “I think he’ll pitch this season,” that’s not good. Elias told reporters that it will still be a few weeks before Rodriguez even undergoes further imaging on his lat strain, and only once that gets cleared could he possibly start throwing again around the end of the month.
Once the shoulder is better, getting through all of this building back up will test whether Rodriguez has actually resolved the elbow inflammation that put him on the shelf in the first place.
Finally, for the Coby Mayo fans (or haters) out there:
Does #Orioles GM Mike Elias think Coby Mayo is close to ready for return to MLB?
“I think he’s really close. I’m really happy with where he is. … He’s going to be a big part of this team.”
Elias said O’s are looking for “right opportunity,” want Mayo to have “right pathway.”
— Jake Rill (@jakerill.bsky.social) 2025-05-02T20:12:01.748Z
It could be true that Elias believes Mayo will be a big part of the team or not. In the short term, the thing that really matters is what Elias thinks is the “right opportunity” or “right pathway.” If Ryan Mountcastle’s struggles at the plate continue, that would seem to be the most obvious way to clear a path for Mayo to come up and get regular playing time, but that’s no guarantee that Elias will see it that way.