Pair of Baltimore Orioles Sluggers Get Cleared For Rehab Assignments
The Baltimore Orioles, one of the best teams in baseball this year, are set to get better... and soon.
Sluggers Cedric Mullins and Ryan Mountcastle have been cleared for rehab assignments and could make their return to the lineup by the end of the week.
First, on Mullins. This update comes from the Rotowire fantasy baseball portal:
Mullins (groin) is set to begin a rehab assignment Tuesday with Triple-A Norfolk, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.
ANALYSIS
Mullins has been sidelined since late May due to a right groin strain, so he'll probably be asked to play in at least a couple of games on the farm before returning to the Orioles' active roster around the end of this week. Ryan Mountcastle (illness) will join him at Norfolk on Tuesday and looks to be on a similar timeline for activation.
The Orioles were 34-20 when Mullins went on the injured list and are now 44-27 so they more than held their own without him, but getting him back will be a big boost as the team pushes for a playoff spot.
Hitting at the top of the order, Mullins is hitting .263 this season with eight home runs and 39 RBI. He's also stolen 13 bases.
For his career, he's also a .263 hitter. He hit a career-high 30 home runs in 2021 for Baltimore. He made the All-Star team in 2021 and has won a Silver Slugger.
As for Mountcastle, he also will be a big piece back into the O's lineup, especially from a power perspective.
Though he's hitting just .227, he has prodigious power. He's got 11 home runs and 39 RBI this season.
He's in his fourth year with the Orioles after having debuted in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. He's already got 71 career home runs, including 22 or more in each of the last two seasons. He's a lifetime .255 hitter.
The Orioles will take on the AL East-leading Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday at 6:40 p.m. ET.
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