Utility infielder Ryan Flaherty has started in each of the Orioles' first three games of the season: Tuesday at second base and Monday and Wednesday at shortstop.
The 28-year-old left-handed hitter was on the roster bubble heading late into the spring, but a shoulder injury to starting shortstop J.J. Hardy allowed Flaherty and fellow infielder Everth Cabrera to each make the 25-man roster.
And because Cabrera is a switch-hitter and good basestealer, Orioles manager Buck Showalter prefers to keep Cabrera on the bench for the late innings in case he is needed in various spots –- pinch-running, pinch-hitting –- while taking advantage of Flaherty's defensive versatility in the early innings. Flaherty can play any position adequately -- or better -- besides catcher and center field.
"He's played well defensively. He is a good option for us," Showalter said. "You try to get guys some at-bats. When J.J. gets back you know some of that will go away."
Showalter said Flaherty, who is a .221 career major league hitter in three seasons, has been working on some specific batting techniques with new hitting coach Scott Coolbaugh, and it is paying off.
"What Scott and he are doing right now is pretty interesting to me," Showalter said. "He's in a good spot."
In his first two games, Flaherty is just 1-for-7, with a ninth-inning homer Monday. But that represents a huge improvement over his starts in past seasons.
In both 2013 and 2014, Flaherty began April in 0-for-17 skids. In his first year with the Orioles, in 2012, he was 0-for-10 to begin his big league career.
"Everyone in here wants to get off to a good start. Unfortunately the last three years it hasn't happened that way," Flaherty said. "Fortunately enough, I got the first one out of the way in the first game."
He, of course, heard it from his teammates when he homered Monday and finally got a hit in a season-opener –- or in the season's first week.
"I think everyone in here was wearing me out about it," Flaherty said. "That was pretty funny."