Bradfield won’t light up a box score with extra-base hits. But he makes up for that with his glove and speed, and he flashed both in Sunday’s game against the Boston Red Sox.
The results in late February matter far less to Adley Rutschman than the refinement of his overall routine. But he won’t turn his nose up at Saturday’s performance.
Ryan Helsley, the new Orioles closer, added a splitter to his arsenal this winter. On Tuesday, Helsley tested it against an opponent for the first time.
Orioles infielder Jordan Westburg told reporters Sunday he felt frustration over the partial tear of his ulnar collateral ligament. He received a platelet-rich-plasma injection Friday in an attempt to avoid elbow surgery and is likely out until the end of April, at least.
Trey Gibson showcased his “death ball” — which is listed as a slider on Statcast’s pitch log — during three scoreless innings for the Orioles on Friday.
There are many reasons the Orioles sputtered out in 2024 and disappointed badly in 2025. Missing Westburg, to me, is always going to be one of the largest contributors, with his fractured hand in 2024 and hamstring and ankle injuries limiting him to 85 games in 2025.