The Orioles’ final roster battles of spring training: Infield, outfield, bullpen

LAKELAND, Fla. — When Bryan Ramos took the field at second base Tuesday rather than at his usual third base, it added a wrinkle into one of the most interesting roster battles remaining in spring training.

The 24-year-old, who bounced around on waivers this winter before joining the Orioles, has sparingly played at second during his career. He did so once in 2024. In the preceding years, Ramos’ action was equally as limited.

But less than a week ago, infield coach Miguel Cairo popped the question: “Can you play second?” And for a player interested in following any path that may help him stick in the majors, Ramos said certainly. So against the Detroit Tigers in Lakeland on Tuesday, Ramos stood at second. And the ball found him immediately.

“The ball is going to find you,” Ramos said. He made every play on balls hit his direction, and on top of the strong day in the field, Ramos produced his best offensive performance of the spring at just the right time. He finished 3-for-4 with a home run against future Hall of Famer Justin Verlander.

With less than a week to go before the Orioles pack up and board a flight to Baltimore, Ramos’ late surge at a new position and his breakout performance offensively only add intrigue to the final infield spot. But that’s not the only position group to watch closely these last few games.

The final infielder

At this point, most of the infield looks fairly set with Gunnar Henderson, Pete Alonso, Coby Mayo, Blaze Alexander and Ryan Mountcastle. With likely five outfielders breaking camp, that leaves one more infielder (unless a late trade sends Mountcastle to another organization).

The depth is fairly robust, and there are different traits supporting each character. The options are Ramos, Luis Vázquez, Jeremiah Jackson and Weston Wilson. Manager Craig Albernaz has been complimentary of them all, although he noted that the final decisions will be up to the front office more so than him.

Beginning with Ramos, the Cuban potentially has an inside track to break camp with the team because he is already on the 40-man roster and doesn’t have any minor league options remaining. The Orioles tend to be reluctant to expose talent on waivers (a requirement if he doesn’t make the team) because they would rather retain as many depth pieces in the organization as possible.

And Ramos appears to be a coveted depth piece. When he became available this winter, he was claimed each time (and once in a for-cash trade with the White Sox to make him an Oriole).

“I knew this is a business,” Ramos said of his offseason uncertainty. “Whatever they do, I don’t have control over that, because if I did, I would just pay myself $100 million, you know what I mean?”

The knock on Ramos — and the perceived advantage it gave Vázquez, Wilson and Jackson — was that Ramos realistically was limited to third. By giving him a chance at second, he is now on more even footing with the rest of his competition, who each play multiple positions.

Wilson has appeared at third base, second base and left field this spring, and he brings more experience. At 31, he played parts of three seasons with the Philadelphia Phillies, and he’s hitting .286 with a .988 on-base-plus-slugging percentage this spring. Albernaz has lauded Wilson as a “ballplayer” throughout spring, which is ballplayer code for a gritty player who makes up for a lack of flash with his steadiness.

Wilson is not on the 40-man roster, however, which means he can be reassigned to the minors and kept in the organization.

Jackson debuted last year and proved that his bat, at least, belonged at the major league level (.775 OPS in 170 at-bats). He played multiple positions — right field, third base and second base —out of necessity and he did it admirably. He has options remaining, which would allow him to move to the minors at the start of the season.

The best defender of the bunch is Vázquez, who recently returned from playing with Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic. He can play second, shortstop and third base at a high level, which makes up for his bat in some respects (.448 OPS last year in 50 at-bats).

Given the firepower elsewhere in the lineup, Baltimore could especially value a late-game defensive replacement option on the bench. Vázquez isn’t on the 40-man roster and can be reassigned to the minors if he doesn’t make the team. Should he be added to the 40-man, he still has options remaining for further minor league stints.

The fifth outfielder

The Orioles have a bit of an outfield logjam with Colton Cowser, Taylor Ward, Tyler O’Neill and Dylan Beavers. Cowser is the only center fielder in the group, although Beavers has been tested at that demanding position a few times this spring.

That is part of the reason Leody Taveras makes the most sense on the opening day roster. While he may not be as adept of a defender anymore — the 27-year-old recorded negative-1 outs above average last year, per Statcast, which was down from plus-4 in 2024 — he is a natural center fielder with speed, and more playing time could help him recover some of his range.

He hasn’t lit it up at the plate this spring, with three more strikeouts Tuesday to give him a .595 OPS. Albernaz doesn’t put much stock in spring training stats, but it is a noticeable continuation of the poor batting results that ended his time with the Texas Rangers midway through 2025.

Still, from a defensive perspective, Taveras is the most versatile. He’s capable of playing all three spots and is also a switch hitter who signed a major league deal over the winter. That may give him an edge over other candidates for the fifth outfield role. (While Alexander could play center, the absence of Jackson Holliday and Jordan Westburg will require Alexander to play primarily in the infield at the beginning of the year.)

Other options are Heston Kjerstad, Wilson, and Jhonkensy Noel. Enrique Bradfield Jr. is still in camp — and he is a defensive wizard — but Bradfield has played just 15 games in Triple-A so far. Kjerstad, Wilson or Noel do not play in center.

Of that group, Kjerstad may have the highest upside, but he missed most of last season, and the club will likely choose to give him time to regain his footing in the minors. Noel can be a formidable presence at the plate if he can make contact at a regular enough clip, but the Orioles already designated him for assignment in January and can now transfer him to the minors without exposing him on waivers again.

The last reliever

There are two ways this can go.

In one version, right-hander Zach Eflin is fully ramped up after back surgery in August and is on the opening day roster (On Tuesday, he said he still has one more outing to complete, and his goal is to be ready). The second version is that Eflin needs additional time and begins the year on the injured list.

The reason most of this hinges on that is because Eflin’s presence results in six starters and seven relievers, and his absence leads to five starters and eight relievers.

So, let’s begin with Eflin making the opening day roster.

There are a few near-locks in the bullpen already: Ryan Helsley, Tyler Wells, Keegan Akin and Yennier Cano. With the way Rico Garcia performed last year, he is a frontrunner as well. Left-hander Grant Wolfram’s impressive spring makes him a likely reliever, and left-hander Dietrich Enns’ major league deal — even with a rough spring — likely gives him an edge over others.

That group makes seven right there. That theoretically leaves out right-handers Jackson Kowar and Albert Suárez.

For the purposes of calling this a battle, let’s now assume Eflin begins on the injured list and there’s room for one more reliever. Kowar, Suárez, Yaramil Hiraldo and Jose Espada are the strongest candidates.

Suárez’s case is potentially the most interesting. He signed a minor league deal to return to Baltimore, and that deal includes an opt-out clause at the end of spring training, two sources with direct knowledge of the deal said. Multiple teams are keeping tabs on whether Suárez makes the active roster or opts out and becomes available, two other sources said.

Suárez hasn’t performed particularly well this spring (eight earned runs in 6 2/3 innings). He starts for the Orioles on Wednesday against the Toronto Blue Jays. The value Suárez brings, though, is a do-it-all pitcher. Before he got injured and missed most of 2025, he was capable of starting or relieving, and his numbers the last two seasons were great (a combined 3.59 ERA in 37 games).

Espada, who also competed for Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic, is on the 40-man roster and has options. He has allowed two unearned runs in four spring training innings for Baltimore.

Kowar arrived as a waiver claim and would require another exposure on waivers should he not make the roster. His velocity, especially, has grabbed eyes this spring. But the 29-year-old hasn’t produced the cleanest stat line. In four innings, he has allowed four hits, three runs (one earned), walked two and hit a batter.

And finally, Hiraldo retains options. He, too, hasn’t had the brightest spring, with three runs against him in five innings (although his seven strikeouts and one walk are intriguing). Hiraldo also showed signs of success in his first taste in the majors last year.

It may come down to a decision between which pitcher the Orioles are willing to potentially lose, be it Kowar on waivers or Suárez via an opt-out he may choose not to exercise anyway.