Already in last place in the AL East, the Baltimore Orioles have now taken another major hit. At 25–37, the O’s trail the first-place New York Yankees by 14 games and have struggled to find any sustained rhythm through the early part of the 2025 season. Now, they’ll have to navigate the next 8–12 weeks without one of their most experienced bats in the lineup.
Ryan Mountcastle’s hamstring strain, suffered during a May 30th game against the Chicago White Sox, was confirmed by an MRI and has since landed him on the 10-day IL. However, with the moderate severity of a Grade 2 tear, the injury is significant enough that Baltimore will likely move him to the 60-day IL soon. MLB.com’s Jake Rill went to X, formerly known as Twitter, and broke the news.
“Ryan Mountcastle has a Grade 2 right hamstring strain and will miss 8–12 weeks, per interim manager Tony Mansolino.”
This latest Baltimore Orioles news couldn’t come at a worse time. The first baseman had been heating up in May, batting .298 with seven hits in his last 12 at-bats before the injury. Overall, his season slash line sits at .246/.280/.348 with just two home runs—numbers that represent the lowest production of his career.
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With Mountcastle out, the O’s are turning to a new mix at first base. Ryan O’Hearn, who has outplayed Mountcastle in 2025, will continue to start. Meanwhile, top prospect Coby Mayo has been called up to split time at first base and designated hitter. Mayo, the Orioles’ No. 2 prospect and ranked No. 17 overall by MLB Pipeline, brings fresh potential at the plate.
Beyond first base, the Orioles roster update includes encouraging news. Ramón Laureano is back from the IL and starting at DH, while Gary Sánchez, Cedric Mullins, and Jordan Westburg are each progressing in rehab assignments. Despite the adversity, the Orioles had won six straight games heading into the weekend.
Still, the loss of Mountcastle affects both the on-field production and his trade value, making this one of the more unfortunate storylines in current Orioles news.
