Paid Advertisement

Schoop, Castro sidelined as Orioles open Grapefruit League action

Paid Advertisement

Podcast Audio Vault

Paid Advertisement

The Orioles began Grapefruit League play with their most valuable player from a year ago and one of the leading candidates for the No. 5 starter job sidelined for health-related reasons.

Manager Buck Showalter told reporters in Sarasota that second baseman Jonathan Schoop was scratched from Fridayโ€™s opener because of left elbow bursitis. Right-handed pitcher Miguel Castro is dealing with tendinitis in both knees and will not make his scheduled start on Sunday.

Schoop was originally slated to bat second against Tampa Bay before the Orioles released a revised lineup Friday morning with Luis Sardinas taking his place at second base and batting ninth. Showalter said the All-Star selection and 2017 Most Valuable Oriole winner bumped his elbow on something recently, causing it to swell and prompting the training staff to drain it.

The 26-year-old has missed only two games over the last two seasons combined while blossoming into one of the clubโ€™s best players.

With Ryan Flaherty now with Philadelphia, Baltimore is looking for a new utility infielder with Sardinas, Ruben Tejada, and Engelb Vielma considered the top candidates for the job.

Castro is trying to transition from long relief to a starting role, making this a concerning disruption to that schedule. The 23-year-old posted a 3.53 ERA in 66 1/3 innings last season and is competing with the likes of right-handers Mike Wright and Gabriel Ynoa and Rule 5 lefty Nestor Cortes for the fifth starter job behind Dylan Bundy, Kevin Gausman, Andrew Cashner, and Chris Tillman in the rotation.

Share the Post:

Paid Advertisement

Right Now in Baltimore

A good walk with Vaccaro going One On One through Army life with John Feinstein

A good walk with Vaccaro going One On One through Army life with John Feinstein

It's always a pleasure to spend time talking Yankees baseball and college basketball madness with New York Post columnist Mike Vaccaro but this time it was the legacy, writing and relationships of the late, great John Feinstein that fires upโ€ฆ
Ravens offseason has been a kick and a Tuck away from perfection so far

Ravens offseason has been a kick and a Tuck away from perfection so far

If Eric DeCosta could've scripted the Baltimore Ravens' goals and expectations in NFL free agency, it couldn't have gone any better. Luke Jones joins Nestor to discuss Ronnie Stanley, DeAndre Hopkins, Mark Andrews, Ben Cleveland and the always expanding "zeroโ€ฆ
Putting MASN money and Angelos in rear view mirror, what is Orioles and MLB next plan for your screen and wallet?

Putting MASN money and Angelos in rear view mirror, what is Orioles and MLB next plan for your screen and wallet?

Our defending champion of two decades of being the "MASN'spaliner" for Nestor and Baltimore Orioles and Washington Natonals fans, Eric Fisher of Front Office Sports helps piece together the future of new media money for MLB and life after Peterโ€ฆ

Paid Advertisement

Verified by MonsterInsights