BALTIMORE — In a spring that’s already been riddled with injuries, the Orioles suffered their biggest one to date with outfielder Colton Cowser expected to miss at least six to eight weeks with a fractured thumb.
Cowser injured his left thumb on a head-first slide into first base trying to beat out a grounder in the seventh inning of Sunday’s 3-1 loss at Toronto. He remained in the game until the ninth when backup catcher Gary Sanchez batted for him, a sign that something was wrong with the 25-year-old who batted .242 with 24 home runs, 24 doubles, and 69 runs batted in in his first full season in the majors last year.
Baltimore announced the injury hours ahead of Monday’s home opener as Cowser was placed on the 10-day injured list and outfielder Dylan Carlson was recalled from Triple-A Norfolk to take his place on the 26-man roster. With All-Star shortstop Gunnar Henderson starting the season on the IL, Cowser had batted atop the order in each of the Orioles’ first four games, going 2-for-16 with a homer, a walk, and six strikeouts.
“It’s a big loss,” manager Brandon Hyde said. “It’s a guy who was second in Rookie of the Year last year. … It’s going to be at least a couple months. It gives other guys opportunity. It’s not going to be the last injury we have this season. We’re going to have things pop up. It’s why you create depth, and it gives other guys opportunities. But it’s a blow because Colton’s a really good player.”
Looking at the platoon splits of Baltimore’s outfielders entering 2025, Cowser was widely regarded as the closest thing to an everyday player, especially factoring in his ability to play above-average defense at all three outfield spots. In the short term, his absence figures to lead to more opportunities for lefty-swinging outfielder Heston Kjerstad, who started only once against the Blue Jays and was serving as Monday’s designated hitter despite left-hander Sean Newcomb starting for Boston.
In line to potentially see more playing time against left-handed starters in Cowser’s absence, center fielder Cedric Mullins said the Orioles can’t afford to feel sorry for themselves even as the early injuries mount.
“For him, it’s coming back healthy. We’re going to continue to play our game and continue to have that winning mentality every single day,” Mullins said. “Injuries happen. We know it’s the worst part of this game. We continue to move forward.”
That said, moving forward without Cowser is a tough blow, especially when it came on a head-first slide in the fourth game of the season. He isn’t the first player to be injured on the kind of play that many dislike because of its injury potential.
“Everybody in that room knows the risk you take when you go head first, but it’s also an instinctual baseball play,” Hyde said. “He’s doing everything he can. I thought he was safe too. He’s trying to beat the guy to the bag, and he’s hustling. It’s just kind of a freak, unfortunate thing.”
NOTES: After sitting out Sunday’s game with an undisclosed ailment, infielder Jordan Westburg returned to the lineup and was leading off against the Red Sox on Monday. Hyde said Westburg “was dealing with some minor things” toward the end of spring training and wanted to avoid having him play a fourth straight day on the Rogers Centre turf. … Placed on the 15-day IL with right shoulder inflammation Sunday, reliever Albert Suarez began receiving treatment for his shoulder late in spring training and had difficulty getting loose in the bullpen in Toronto. Hyde said the Orioles are being “cautious” in hopes that the 35-year-old won’t miss too much action, but the timetable for his return is unclear.
