Your MLB questions, our experts. Plus: The state of the Orioles

AL EastBlue JaysOriolesRaysRed SoxYankeesAL CentralGuardiansRoyalsTigersTwinsWhite SoxAL WestAngelsAstrosAthleticsMarinersRangersNL EastBravesMarlinsMetsNationalsPhilliesNL CentralBrewersCardinalsCubsPiratesRedsNL WestDiamondbacksDodgersGiantsPadresRockiesScores & ScheduleStandingsPodcastsThe Windup NewsletterFantasyMLB ProspectsMLB OddsMLB PicksPower RankingsStarting Pitcher RankingsNewsletterYour MLB questions, our experts. Plus: The state of the OriolesThis week, specific writers responded to specific questions based on expertise and experience. Orlando Ramirez / MLB Photos via Getty Images Share articleThe Windup Newsletter ⚾ | This is The Athletic’s MLB newsletter. Sign up here to receive The Windup directly in your inbox. It’s another Windup mailbag takeover, and a bullpen game at that. My job is to give the team one good inning before a bunch of relievers come out of the bullpen, one after another — and we’re playing matchups. This week, specific writers responded to specific questions based on expertise and experience. Three of them are below, and you can read the full mailbag here. (As always, some questions have been edited for clarity.)   Plus: Derek checks in on the Orioles. Welcome to The Windup! First guy out of the pen is our resident Hall of Famer, Jayson Stark. Take it away, Jayson:  With labor Armageddon hovering, it’s unlikely you’ll see anything new next year. You could see tweaks to ABS, but that wouldn’t qualify as a rule “change” in my book. But once the labor clouds lift? Then the league could start implementing — and experimenting with — more impactful and creative rule changes. Such as: High-tech checked-swing calls: Not only is there technology that can do this, but it’s already being used in Triple-A games in the Pacific Coast League. This just started a couple of weeks ago, but there’s an excellent chance you’ll see it in the big leagues sometime. Crackdowns on stalling: Hitters don’t think they’re stalling when they call timeout. Pitchers don’t think of it as stalling when they claim their PitchCom is on the fritz. But if this year’s minor-league experiments tell us anything, it’s that the league wants to tighten timeouts and limit PitchCom chicanery. Moving second base: Did you know that for 100 years, second base has been in the “wrong” place? So, watch for how it goes when the International League (Triple A) inches the bag closer to the plate — and also closer to first/third base — in the second half. We all have that one friend who brings up random thoughts and observations, seemingly plucked out of nowhere, and after about five minutes of discussion, it becomes clear that he’s actually onto something. For me, Stephen Nesbitt is that friend: It’s dreadfully dull to write about the Dodgers in May, and arguably moronic to suggest Shohei Ohtani’s legacy is not yet narratively complete. He will go down as the greatest player in baseball history — a two-way talent the game has never seen. He’s a surefire Hall of Famer, a four-time MVP and two-time World Series champion, and still just 31 years old. Yet until this year, what would history say of Ohtani as a pitcher? I reckon he’d be overwhelmingly remembered as a hitter. The narrative of Ohtani as a pitcher: Struggled to hold peak performance on the mound; couldn’t stay healthy; might have lasted longer as a reliever. Ohtani had an excellent 3.00 ERA through 100 career starts from 2018 to 2025, but he only pitched more than 132 innings once over that span as he navigated injuries. Now, Ohtani is challenging that narrative — just like he did in 2024 by stealing 59 bases just to show he could. Ohtani, who starts Wednesday against the Padres, has breezed through his first seven starts of the season with alarming consistency. Take a look: March 31 vs. CLE: 6 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 6 K April 8 at TOR: 6 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K April 15 vs. NYM: 6 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 10 K April 22 at SFG: 6 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 7 K April 28 vs. MIA: 6 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 9 K May 5 at HOU: 7 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 8 K May 13 vs. SFG: 7 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 8 K That’s a 0.82 ERA through 44 innings. As Ohtani heats up at the plate, watching him waltz to a fifth MVP would not be surprising in the slightest. But winning a Cy Young Award would be his most incredible feat yet. Over to Derek to answer another big question. Injuries played a major role in the Orioles’ 2025 crash; only the Astros lost more Wins Above Replacement than the Orioles did to the IL last season, according to the Baseball Prospectus Injured List Ledger. The impact of early injuries has again been significant this season (only the Astros, Dodgers and Blue Jays have lost more WAR to injuries this season), with Jackson Holliday (hamate surgery) finally making his season debut last night and Jordan Westburg lost for all of 2026 following Tommy John surgery. On the pitching side, 2025 closer Félix Bautista has been rehabbing and recovering from shoulder surgery since August, and his replacement, Ryan Helsley, has missed all of May with an elbow injury. Zach Eflin made one start this season before tearing his UCL and requiring Tommy John surgery, too, which has put Brandon Young and Cade Povich in the rotation mix. As Britt Ghiroli noted on “Rates & Barrels” yesterday, Baltimore began the week with 70 players on the injured list across its major- and minor-league rosters. Fortunately for the 21-28 Orioles, the window is still open, thanks in part to the state of the American League and a roster that boasts plenty of players on both sides of the ball who are capable of performing closer to their projections from here on out. Adley Rutschman is hitting again (being healthy helps!), Samuel Basallo is contributing consistently and Taylor Ward has been an OBP machine (.416), albeit with reduced power thanks to a mid-April wrist injury. Gunnar Henderson’s career-worst 28.6 percent strikeout rate has pulled his slash line to a chilly .211/.264/.412 line despite 10 homers in 48 games. Henderson, much like free-agent addition Pete Alonso, projects to be at least 20 percent better than a league-average hitter the rest of the way, according to all of the public-facing projections at FanGraphs. The Orioles entered yesterday ranked 29th in runs allowed per game (5.52) — only the Nationals (5.92!) have been worse. The bullpen has managed to get by reasonably well, sitting 14th in K-BB (strikeout-to-walk ratio, 12.4 percent) thus far, thanks to Rico Garcia and Anthony Nunez emerging as viable late-inning options. Rebounds throughout the rotation feel less certain. The winter trade for Shane Baz (a move we really liked for the O’s at the time) hasn’t provided an impactful boost to the middle of a rotation that’s lagging overall, as Trevor Rogers (6.87 ERA) and Chris Bassitt (5.44 ERA) have struggled. Perhaps it’s just going to take a little more time for the core and new faces to mesh with first-year manager Craig Albernaz, but it’s easy to see why Orioles fans feel angsty, sitting 12 games behind the division-leading Rays on May 20. Plenty more from the “Rates & Barrels” crew wherever you get your podcasts. Back to Chad. Under the current system, the 10-day injured list is for hitters and the 15-day IL is for pitchers (and two-way players). The numbers mean what you think they mean: A player on the 10-day IL has to be on the injured list for at least 10 days, and a player on the 15-day is out for at least 15 days. An IL stint can be longer but not shorter. The 60-day IL is for long-term injuries, and the designation matters because players on the 60-day do not count against 40-man roster limits. So, if a team needs to open a 40-man spot, it can do so by moving a player to the 60-day IL, but that player has to miss at least 60 days. (If a player has been on the 15-day IL for 20 days, then goes on the 60-day, he only has to miss 40 more days.) To make sure I wasn’t missing anything important, I texted a longtime executive: 💬 “That pretty much covers it. There’s also a 7-day concussion IL. Also, there is some nuance to the 60-day IL, but that detail may be unnecessary.” More answers on baseball books, draft picks and Cubs trade targets here. A teen umpire went viral for staying cool as he tossed a baseball coach during a youth game. Here’s his side of the story. Gerrit Cole is making his season debut for the Yankees this Friday, providing a much-needed boost for a rotation that just lost ace Max Fried to injury. The Twins are sending third baseman Royce Lewis to the minors for a “reset,” hoping he can “build up confidence” with the pressure off. Another day, another Astros injury. This time, it’s Lance McCullers Jr. heading to the IL with a shoulder issue. The Mets accidentally issued Gary Carter’s No. 8 to rookie Nick Morabito yesterday, briefly breaking a 24-year unofficial retirement of the Hall of Famer’s jersey. Nationals outfielder James Wood hit MLB’s first inside-the-park grand slam since 2022, speeding around the bases in 15.1 seconds. Just watch him run: JAMES WOOD. LITTLE LEAGUE. GRAND SLAM. 🤯😭 pic.twitter.com/UDooLAdTfy — Washington Nationals (@Nationals) May 20, 2026 Most-clicked in our last newsletter: Jim Bowden on where all 30 MLB teams stand and their trade deadline outlook. 📫 Love The Windup? Check out The Athletic’s other newsletters. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms