SARASOTA, Fla. — Pete Alonso could’ve taken the rest of the day off.
The Orioles started to empty their bench in the sixth inning of their Grapefruit League opener against the New York Yankees on Friday. Most of the club’s starting position players opted to take a seat for the afternoon, but Alonso decided he wanted on more at-bat.
He made it count. Alonso blasted his first home run in an Orioles uniform, taking Yankees minor leaguer Bradley Hanner deep to left field with for a two-run homer that landed on the concourse at Ed Smith Stadium. The first baseman finished 1-for-3 and drove in Baltimore’s only runs in a 2-0 victory over New York.
Pete for liftoff
pic.twitter.com/AzzANqYhA7
— Baltimore Orioles (@Orioles) February 20, 2026
“I like getting prepped for the season. I think getting as many looks from different arms is always a good thing,” Alonso said. “Tomorrow I got off, so it’s like, what’s three more outs on defense? What’s one more at-bat? For me, I just want to get as many reps in a competitive environment as possible to get ready.
“Obviously, hitting homers feel amazing. Doesn’t matter what time of the year, but yeah, happy to break the seal.”
Alonso, 31, joined the club on a five-year, $155 million deal in free agency to add some much-needed thump to the middle of the Orioles’ lineup. He was already putting on a show during live bullpen sessions, but now fans have gotten an in-person look at the kind of power he brings to Baltimore.
Next stop, Camden Yards.
Rogers leads Orioles into 2026
Manager Craig Albernaz gave the ball to Trevor Rogers to open spring training, a perhaps meaningless decision given that Albert Suárez started the club’s Grapefruit League opener last season. But Rogers pitched like a starter deserving of the real opening day nod, delivering two scoreless innings with one hit the only blemish against three strikeouts.
“The body was really moving efficiently out there,” Rogers said. “My velo was in a good spot this early in camp and probably the biggest thing I was really happy with is the way both of my breaking balls are playing. They were competitive around the zone and now as camp moves on, we can kind of tighten the location, get more strikes out of it, but I got some good swings and misses, weak contact. So, I was really happy with that.”
Rogers, 28, averaged 93.3 mph on his fastball and mixed in a healthy dose of sinkers and sliders with a few changeups. The left-hander is competing for the opening day starter job with Kyle Bradish, though both of them have made the case for the other when asked.
“Bradish, he’s the man,” Rogers said. “He’s got some of the most elite stuff in baseball. So, I don’t really look at as a competition. He’s my teammate. I’ll always root for him and if he gets the nod, I’ll be rooting for him. If I get the nod, that’s great. All I want is I want to pitch in Camden. So, that’s all I care about and whatever gives this team the best opportunity to win, I’m all for it.”
Mayo gets his opportunity
Coby Mayo got the start at third base, the position he expects to return to full time now that Jordan Westburg is going to miss the start of the season with a partially torn ulnar collateral ligament in his elbow. The 24-year-old spent most of the offseason working out at first, but he received a call about a month before spring training to start taking reps at third again.
“I think that’s why you kind of stay ready and you do all the work in the offseason and in spring training, just in case something freakish happens,” Mayo said. “I really do feel horrible, especially for Westy being out significantly more time. But it’s, like you said, it’s an opportunity and it’s about what you can do with it.”
Mayo finished last season strong, posting a .941 OPS with five home runs in September. He was seemingly blocked when the Orioles signed Alonso and retained Ryan Mountcastle over the winter, but the injuries to Westburg and second baseman Jackson Holliday created openings for Mayo, Blaze Alexander and Jeremiah Jackson to compete for in camp.
“It’s opportunity for all of our guys, but Coby in particular, he’s put great work in with [infield coach] Miguel [Cairo] and [third base coach] Buck [Britton] right now, and the intensity, the focus to detail, attention to detail, has been outstanding with them,” Albernaz said. “Obviously, the game is always the biggest indicator of where he’s at, but the work up to this point has been outstanding.”
Mayo’s defense at third has been a major question mark in his game for years, something that prompted the Orioles to move him across the diamond. With Jackson focusing on second base for now, how Mayo looks at his old defensive home will go a long way in determining whether he makes the opening day roster.
“I definitely think that just the footwork aspect keep my feet moving, not getting too tall and upright,” Mayo said when asked where he needs to improve the most. “I just think that I can get better at staying lower to the ground, playing low and I think I got a strong arm and I got to use that to my ability and just be a complete third baseman.”
Around the horn
• Among the other highlights from Friday’s game: Outfielder Tyler O’Neill and catcher Sam Huff both collected two hits apiece, including two doubles for Huff. Relievers Keegan Akin, Rico Garcia, Grant Wolfram and Jose Espada each pitched a scoreless frame and top pitching prospect Trey Gibson finished the shutout with three innings. Gibson picked up three strikeouts, all with his slider, and allowed two hits with zero walks.
• Right-hander Keagan Gillies is out for at least the next six weeks with a “pretty severe quad strain” he suffered during a pitcher fielding practice drill, president of baseball operations Mike Elias announced Friday. Gillies, 28, was the Orioles’ 15th-round draft pick out of Tulane in 2021. He dominated for Double-A Chesapeake before posting a 4.84 ERA in 22 1/3 innings for Triple-A Norfolk last week.
• The Orioles re-acquired third baseman Bryan Ramos from the St. Louis Cardinals on Friday, claiming him off waivers. Baltimore originally traded for Ramos in a cash deal with the Chicago White Sox on Feb. 1 but he was designated for assignment and claimed by the Cardinals five days later. Ramos, 23, is a career .198 hitter in 120 MLB plate appearances who’s slashed .235/.321/.404 at the Triple-A level. The Orioles placed right-hander Félix Bautista (shoulder) on the 60-Day injured list in a corresponding move.
• Former Orioles star Adam Jones arrived to camp Wednesday to begin his stint as a guest coach. He’s spent most of the time thus far on the back fields with the outfielders. Jones gave a glowing review of Albernaz, saying, “He brings energy, brings confidence and he’s letting his coaches coach. He’s letting the experience of his coaching staff take over and I think he’s running a really good camp so far.”
• Orioles closer Ryan Helsley threw a live bullpen session and looked sharp for most out of the outing until the final pitch, which outfielder Leody Taveras smacked over the right field wall for a home run. Helsley is expected to step in for the injured Bautista with the latter expected to be out until after the All-Star break at the earliest.
Have a news tip? Contact Matt Weyrich at mweyrich@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200, x.com/ByMattWeyrich and instagram.com/bymattweyrich. Matt appears as a regular host on The Sun’s “Early Birds” podcast.
