Dylan Beavers begins rehab assignment with Chesapeake Baysox

Dylan Beavers is working his way back to the Orioles.

Beavers began his rehab assignment with the Chesapeake Baysox in a 9-4 loss to the Richmond Flying Squirrels on Thursday in Bowie.

Although he reached base in all three of his plate appearances, he finished the night without a hit. Beavers went 0-for-1 at the plate, drawing two walks and reaching on a fielder’s choice.

“I thought he was moving really well,” Baysox manager Roberto Mercado said. “He’s seeing the ball well and looked comfortable out there.”

The assignment marks Beavers’ first game action in more than five weeks and is one of the final steps before he can return to Baltimore’s active roster.

Beavers was placed on the 10-day injured list on May 13, retroactive to May 11, with a right oblique strain after feeling discomfort while hitting in the batting cage prior to a matchup against the New York Yankees.

“He’s on track,” said Matt Blood, Orioles vice president of player and staff development. “We’ll see how he’s feeling, and whenever all the benchmarks are checked, he’ll find his way back.”

Beavers last played on May 10 in a 2-1 win over the Athletics, going 2-for-4 with an RBI. In 33 games — 29 of which were starts — with the Orioles this season, he batted .245 with nine extra-base hits and 12 RBI.

At the time of his injury, Beavers had emerged as one of the Orioles’ more productive outfield bats while fellow outfielders Colton Cowser and Tyler O’Neill struggled at the plate. Although Cowser has begun to show signs of improvement in recent weeks, O’Neill’s offensive woes have persisted.

O’Neill has taken on the lion’s share of starts since Beavers landed on the injured list, but he has been unable to consistently provide the offensive production the Orioles expected when they signed him. O’Neill has batted just .184 with seven extra-base hits and eight RBI.

As the Orioles continue to search for offensive consistency, Beavers’ return could provide a much-needed boost. If he is able to pick up where he left off before the injury, Beavers would give manager Craig Albernaz another quality option in the lineup while increasing the team’s outfield depth.

“Depth is a good thing to have. Any given day, there might be a different need for the lineup and Beavers is a very talented player who helps,” Blood said. “The more good players you have, the better. It’ll be good to have him back.”