Orioles Opening Day Roster Projection, Starting Lineup and Pitchers Prediction

How the Orioles’ 26-man roster could shape up on Opening Day, including lineup, rotation and bullpen projections.

Feb 20, 2026; Sarasota, Florida, USA; Members of the Baltimore Orioles take the field before the start of the spring training game against the New York Yankees at Ed Smith Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images | Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images

Just over a week remains before the Baltimore Orioles take the field at Camden Yards for Opening Day, meaning it is only a matter of time before the final roster cutdowns are made.

Injuries have already created some openings for the club, as they will begin the season without Jackson Holliday (hamate fracture), Jordan Westburg (partial UCL tear) and Andrew Kittredge (shoulder inflammation). Competitions for final spots are still ongoing, but as things currently stand, here is how the 26-man roster may look on March 26:

Starting lineup

1. Gunnar Henderson, SS
2. Taylor Ward, LF
3. Pete Alonso, 1B
4. Adley Rutschman, C
5. Tyler O’Neill, RF
6. Samuel Basallo, DH
7. Coby Mayo, 3B
8. Colton Cowser, CF
9. Blaze Alexander, 2B

With Westburg sidelined through at least the end of April, Coby Mayo will get an extended chance to prove he can handle third base. Defense remains a big question mark for the former top prospect, but there is no denying his offensive upside. In 11 Grapefruit League games this spring, he has gone 13-for-28 (.464) with a home run, three doubles, 10 RBIs and only one strikeout.

Holliday is aiming to begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Norfolk on March 27, so as long as there are no setbacks, he could return by mid-April. Blaze Alexander is expected to fill in at second base in the short term, though after Holliday is back, he could wind up playing more third base and some center field as well.

Blaze Alexander is an infielder by trade, but the 26-year-old picked up the outfield last year while playing for the D-backs.

Starting in center field today, Alexander covered quite a bit of ground to track down this Daulton Varsho fly ball and make a nice play: pic.twitter.com/uqD7qOYj5e

— Jake Rill (@JakeDRill) March 18, 2026

Bench (4): 1B/DH Ryan Mountcastle, OF Dylan Beavers, OF Leody Taveras, UTIL Jeremiah Jackson

The Orioles have a bit of an outfield logjam, with Taylor Ward, Colton Cowser, Tyler O’Neill and Dylan Beavers all candidates to earn regular at-bats. That likely leaves a more limited role for whoever lands the fifth outfield spot between Leody Taveras, Heston Kjerstad and Jhonkensy Noel.

Kjerstad may have the highest upside of that group, but after missing most of last season, he may need some time to regain his footing in the minors. Noel is also an intriguing option due to his prolific power at the plate. That said, the Orioles already exposed him to waivers in January and can now transfer him to Triple-A without risk of losing valuable depth.

Taveras makes the most sense for that role to begin the year due to his speed, switch-hitting ability and defensive versatility. He is also by far the most experienced center fielder (4,124 MLB innings) on Baltimore’s roster, so until Alexander has the freedom to move away from everyday infield duties, they could use another rangy defender to back up Cowser.

The competition for the final infield spot could also get interesting, with Jeremiah Jackson, Bryan Ramos, Luis Vazquez and Weston Wilson all still in camp. While Jackson still has options remaining, he proved in 2025 that his bat translates at the big league level (.775 OPS in 170 at-bats), potentially giving him a slight edge over the others.

Yesterday, it was Bryan Ramos.

Today, it's Jeremiah Jackson's turn.

In his first AB, Jackson nearly homered (100.7 mph EV, 35-degree LA) to LCF. In his second AB, Jackson went deep to RCF (105.7 mph EV, 24-degree LA) for his first homer this spring. pic.twitter.com/nWwipYMOlJ

— Jacob Calvin Meyer (@jcalvinmeyer) March 18, 2026

Starting rotation

1. Trevor Rogers
2. Kyle Bradish
3. Chris Bassitt
4. Shane Baz
5. Dean Kremer

The biggest question surrounding the Orioles’ rotation is whether or not Zach Eflin needs additional time to ramp up from last August’s back surgery. The right-hander said Tuesday that he still has one more outing to complete, and his goal is to be ready for the start of the season.

If Eflin is ready, a six-man rotation would be a strong possibility for Baltimore. But considering the quality of starting depth and the scheduled off days to begin the year, it might be best to play it safe and allow the right-hander extra time to build up on a short injured list stint.

Bullpen (8): Ryan Helsley, Yennier Cano, Keegan Akin, Tyler Wells, Dietrich Enns, Rico Garcia, Grant Wolfram, Jackson Kowar

This offseason, Baltimore signed Ryan Helsley to fill in for Félix Bautista (shoulder surgery) at closer and brought back Kittredge, who is unlikely to be ready for Opening Day. Having Tyler Wells in the bullpen could help offset that loss in the short term, though the overall strength of the group remains in question.

One benefit of allowing Eflin to ramp up on a minor league rehab stint is that it will allow the Orioles to carry an extra reliever. Left-hander Grant Wolfram has put himself in a strong position this spring, tallying eight strikeouts over five scoreless innings in Grapefruit League play.

The final spot could come down to Jackson Kowar and Albert Suárez. While neither pitcher has produced the cleanest stat line this spring, Kowar may have the edge due to his high-90s fastball and lack of minor league options.

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