Mountcastle (hand) is starting at designated hitter and batting cleanup Tuesday against the Tigers, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Mountcastle missed almost a week with the hand issue but is back in the heart of the lineup Tuesday. He is hitting .296 with zero home runs, zero walks and six strikeouts in 29 plate appearances this spring. He has also been hit by a pitch twice.

Mountcastle said Friday that his right hand is "all good" and that he should return to the Grapefruit League lineup Saturday against the Pirates, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

The veteran first baseman departed Wednesday's contest after being hit by a pitch on the hand, but X-rays came back negative and seems set to rejoin the lineup after a couple days off. Mountcastle was limited to 89 games last season due to a hamstring strain and struggled to a .653 OPS when available. He's looking like the odd man out of Baltimore's lineup in 2026 after the club signed Pete Alonso to take over at first base.

Mountcastle is day-to-day after X-rays on his right hand came back negative, Jacob Calvin Meyer of The Baltimore Sun reports.

EDGE Analysis

Mountcastle was pulled from Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Pirates when he was plunked by a pitch, but he's managed to avoid a fracture. The Orioles are idle Thursday, so he could be back in action as soon as Friday. Mountcastle is facing uncertain playing time this season, as he's down the Orioles' depth chart both at first base and designated hitter.

Mountcastle was removed from Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Pirates in the eighth inning after being hit in the right hand by a pitch, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

The severity of Mountcastle's injury isn't yet known, but the Orioles will presumably send him in for an X-ray to confirm whether he suffered a fracture. Though Mountcastle looked like a potential non-tender or trade candidate this offseason, he'll remain with the Orioles for 2026 after signing a one-year, $6.79 million deal to avoid arbitration. However, Mountcastle could struggle to find regular playing time after the Orioles brought in Pete Alonso on a massive long-term deal over the winter to take over as their everyday first baseman.

Mountcastle agreed to a one-year, $6.787 million contract with the Orioles on Thursday, avoiding arbitration, Robert Murray of FanSided.com reports. The deal includes a $7.5 million club option for 2027.

EDGE Analysis

The 28-year-old's standing on Baltimore's roster is a bit murky following the offseason acquisitions of Pete Alonso and Taylor Ward, but Mountcastle still received a modest raise for 2026, plus the club option. The first baseman doesn't have a clear path to playing time after recording a career-low .653 OPS with just seven home runs in 89 games last season, so his name is likely to continue coming up in trade rumors.

Mountcastle went 2-for-3 with a solo home run, two total RBI and an additional run scored in Thursday's 6-5 win over Tampa Bay.

EDGE Analysis

Mountcastle got Baltimore on the board in the third inning with his seventh homer of the year, a two-out, opposite-field blast off Jesse Scholtens, before driving in a second run with another two-out base hit in the fifth. It's the first multi-hit game since Sep. 2 for Mountcastle -- he'd gone 8-for-51 (.157) in 13 contests coming into Thursday. Overall, he's slashing .253/.289/.372 with 35 RBI and 34 runs scored across 353 plate appearances this season.

Mountcastle went 1-for-3 with a home run and two RBI in Friday's 4-2 win over the Yankees.

EDGE Analysis

Mountcastle got the scoring started with a solo shot in the second inning before adding a sacrifice fly in the sixth. While the 28-year-old has hit safely in five of his past six contests, he's gone just 9-for-43 with two extra-base hits in September. For the year, he's slashing .256/.292/.372 with six home runs, 33 RBI, 32 runs scored and three steals across 336 plate appearances.

Mountcastle (finger) will start at designated hitter and bat leadoff in Thursday's game versus the Yankees

EDGE Analysis

Per Rich Dubroff of BaltimoreBaseball.com, Orioles interim manager Tony Mansolino revealed that Mountcastle has been dealing with a finger issue the last two days, though it's unclear whether that's the only reason he's been out of the lineup. The 28-year-old's start Thursday is just his third over the past eight tilts.

Mountcastle is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the White Sox.

EDGE Analysis

Mountcastle is on the bench for the fourth time in five games and looks like he'll be limited to a part-time role down the stretch. Since returning from the injured list Aug. 8, Mountcastle has posted a .702 OPS, nearly 100 points above Coby Mayo's mark during that same stretch (.612 OPS). However, because Mayo is seen as a core building block for the Orioles, he'll continue to be prioritized as the team's everyday first baseman ahead of Mountcastle, who is entering his final year of arbitration in 2026 and could be a possible trade or non-tender candidate this offseason.

Mountcastle is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the White Sox.

EDGE Analysis

The 28-year-old is sitting for the fourth time in the past six contests, as Coby Mayo is operating as Baltimore's primary first baseman. Samuel Basallo and Tyler O'Neill have been picking up at-bats at designated hitter over the past week, which has pushed Mountcastle into a less consistent role. He hasn't helped his cause at the plate in September with a .194/.231/.222 slash line in nine games.