It is no surprise that Pete Alonso’s raw power has been too valuable for the Baltimore Orioles, yet his calf has forced them to tread carefully. An example of that came this Tuesday when Craig Albernaz pulled him as soon as the victory was secured.
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Alonso went 4-for-4 against the St. Louis Cardinals that day. However, this cautious approach brought the lingering calf issue back into the conversation, but the Orioles manager was quick to frame it differently.
“So nothing’s bothering him?” the reporter asked the manager, looking for some insight, as another reporter asked whether it was the “same calf that was bothering him in Tampa?”
“Please don’t put words in my mouth,” the 43-year-old responded. “Thank you.”
Although he smiled at the end of the sentence, it was clear that Albernaz wasn’t happy with the way the questions came at him.
Earlier this month, the Orioles faced the Tampa Bay Rays in a four-game series.
While they won, there appeared to be an issue with Alonso’s calf during the second game.
Tyler O’Neill’s RBI single had just put the Orioles ahead 4-3 in the 10th inning, and Pete Alonso stepped into the batter’s box right after him. Soon enough, though, Alonso appeared to be experiencing some discomfort while running to first after his single.
The medical staff checked him, and it turned out to be a cramp in his right calf.
Fortunately, it wasn’t too big an issue, and Alonso was able to continue. But Albernaz didn’t like the way the reporter asked about the calf issue.
“I didn’t say anything was bothering him,” he said, with visible discontent on his face. “Just said, ‘Took him off his feet because of the Tampa outing.’”
Fortunately, the Polar Bear doesn’t have a long and worrying injury history. While there was nothing in 2025, the previous season he suffered a bone bruise that didn’t even require an MRI, and the slugger was initially day-to-day. He only missed one day and returned to action.
Probably this time will also be the same, if not like the 11-day IL in 2023.
Coming to their ongoing series against the Cardinals, Alonso hit a three-run homer to give the Orioles a 3-0 lead in the third inning. He followed that with a single in the fifth and then an RBI double in the same inning.
As a result, the Orioles built a 12-1 lead.
Given that comfortable advantage, Albernaz decided to pull Alonso after his at-bat in the fifth. Naturally, reporters asked about the decision.
“Precautionary,” the Orioles manager told the reporters after the game, per Thirst Round Pick MD on X.
“Game state, get him off his feet. Obviously, he was dealing with his calf, so there’s no point to push him there, and we had the guys to go mix and match with Sammy (Samuel Basallo) going to first and to get Narvy (Carlos Narváez) behind the plate.”
Aside from the questions, though, the manager hardly has anything to worry about regarding Alonso. The 31-year-old is batting at .276 with an .881 OPS, and he has already recorded 91 RBIs, including 32 HRs this season.
The team, however, is a different story. The Baltimore Orioles are fourth in the AL East with a 65-68 record. They have a slim chance of making it to the playoffs, as they are 2.5 games behind the last American League Wild Card spot. Interestingly enough, they have won 4 of their last 5 games and successfully triumphed over the St. Louis Cardinals in their previous matchup.
While the debate over Alonso’s calf issue continues, the team will try to maintain that momentum for a better result at the end of the regular season.