jesus liranzo

The Orioles are giving the clearest indication yet that their transition of right-hander Jimmy Yacabonis from reliever to starter is for real with his first big league start Thursday, an indicator of both the path they want him to take and the state of the organization's high-minors pitching.

The Orioles have a history of putting short leashes on players they add to the 40-man roster to protect from the Rule 5 draft.

Left-hander Tanner Scott and right-hander Jesus Liranzo worked as starters in 2018, but project as the premier power relief arms in the Orioles' system.

Gabriel Ynoa is coming off the best start of his career and is hoping to be considered in the mix for a rotation spot next spring.

Power relievers Tanner Scott, Miguel Castro, and Jesus Liranzo are all being eyed as future starters, a reversal of typical player development trends.

The closer retired all three batters he faced on just 14 pitches (eight strikes) in an outing that included a groundout to second and two swinging strikeouts.

Orioles closer Zach Britton will pitch Thursday at Bowie and Friday at Frederick as he continues to rehab his strained left forearm.