The coronavirus pandemic brought with it several challenges for the 2020 baseball season. A week before the virus shut down spring training, the Orioles made a decision that caused them to miss out on potential benefits.
On March 6, the Orioles returned their two Rule 5 draftees, right-handers Brandon Bailey and Michael Rucker, to their original organizations, at the time believing that having two non-optionable pitchers on their staff would make navigating the roster moves required in a 162-season difficult. Then, the virus struck, the season was shortened to 60 games and teams’ rosters expanded from 26 to 28.