A day after straining his right hamstring late in a 2-1 win over the Chicago White Sox, first baseman Ryan Mountcastle became the latest Orioles player to go on the 10-day injured list.
Baltimore recalled corner infielder Coby Mayo from Triple-A Norfolk to take Mountcastle’s place on the 26-man roster while also selecting the contract of outfielder Jordyn Adams and designating catcher Chadwick Tromp for assignment.
It’s been a difficult season for the 28-year-old Mountcastle, who has hit just two home runs and batted .246 with a .628 on-base plus slugging percentage in 200 plate appearances this season. Going back to June 8 of last season, Mountcastle has just four homers over his last 467 plate appearances, a far cry from the 33 long balls he clubbed in his first full season in the majors in 2021.
Mountcastle is one of seven position players on the 40-man roster currently on the IL, continuing an extensive run of health woes for the last-place Orioles. However, outfielder Colton Cowser and infielder Jordan Westburg are currently on a rehab assignment at Norfolk and expected to return in the coming days.
“It seems like we’ve been dealing with that for a while now going back to last year,” said Ryan O’Hearn about the team’s injuries. “We’re going to keep rocking. We’ve got guys coming back. We’re looking forward to Cowser and Westburg coming back. I know they’re on rehab assignments right now, and they’re going to plug right in and hopefull be ready to roll. They’re going to be huge for us.”
With Mountcastle on the IL, O’Hearn was starting at first base on Saturday while Mayo was serving as the designated hitter. Widely regarded as one of the best prospects in baseball over the last couple years, the 23-year-old Mayo will aim to establish himself after struggling in only sporadic playing time in previous stints. In 59 major league plate appearances, Mayo has gone 5-for-53 with 28 strikeouts and five walks.
