The Opener: Orioles, Buxton, Matz

As the 2024 regular season continues, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:

1. Who will start today for the Orioles?

The Orioles are looking to secure a four-game series win over the Yankees after winning the first two games but dropping Game 3 last night. With the clubs tied for first in the AL East, the division lead is on the line. Baltimore has yet to announce who will take the mound opposite Yankees southpaw Carlos Rodon (2.48 ERA). The most obvious choice would be right-hander Kyle Bradish, who is expected to make his 2024 debut this week after missing the first five weeks of the season with a UCL sprain. The righty enjoyed a breakout 2023 season that saw him post a 2.83 ERA and 3.27 FIP across 30 starts en route to a fourth-place finish in AL Cy Young award voting.

Things could get tricky for the Orioles if Bradish isn’t ready to go yet. Recently activated lefty John Means would be on just three days of rest if he took the ball. The same goes for right-hander Albert Suarez. Left-hander Cole Irvin would be on regular rest, but he’s started just one game on regular rest this season and didn’t make it out of the fifth inning, allowing two runs in 4 2/3 innings against the Twins.

2. Buxton to undergo MRI:

Oft-injured Twins center fielder Byron Buxton could be staring down another trip to the injured list after he was pulled from yesterday’s game against the White Sox due to a bout of knee soreness. As noted by Bobby Nightengale of the Star Tribune, Buxton is set to undergo an MRI when the Twins return to Minneapolis today according to manager Rocco Baldelli. Buxton suffered the knee injury on an attempted steal of second base.

Buxton has hit .250/.300/.391 for an essentially average 99 wRC+. Even so, he’d be sorely missed by Minnesota in the event he requires a trip to the injured list. After all, his +3 Outs Above Average this season ranks in the 94th percentile per Statcast, making him a valuable player even with a league-average bat. Should Buxton require a trip to the shelf, the Twins would likely turn to Austin Martin in center field. The youngster hit .226/.294/.371 (93 wRC+) in his first taste of big league action earlier this season but was just optioned to Triple-A to make room for Carlos Correa.

3. Matz to undergo MRI:

Buxton isn’t the only player set to undergo imaging today, as The Athletic’s Katie Woo notes that Cardinals lefty Steven Matz is also set to receive an MRI. As noted by MLB.com’s Injury Tracker, the news regarding Matz comes on the heels of manager Oli Marmol noting that the lefty has been dealing with lower back tightness since a brutal seven-run, 4 1/3 inning start against the Diamondbacks on April 23.

The issue seemingly impacted Matz during his start in Detroit earlier this week, as his velocity was down while he allowed four runs in 3 1/3 innings of work on just 73 pitches before being removed from the game. Should Matz require a trip to the IL, the Cardinals could turn to lefty Zack Thompson to round out their rotation as they did while Sonny Gray was on the shelf earlier this season. Another option could be to call up a player on the 40-man roster who has not yet made their MLB debut, such as top prospect Sem Robberse, who’s out to a brilliant start in Triple-A.