The Orioles optioned reliever Donnie Hart before Sunday afternoon’s Grapefruit League game against the New York Mets, trimming the club’s big league spring training roster to 41 players.
Hart, 28, was competing for a left-hander bullpen spot, but allowed opposing hitters to bat .323 against him in eight Grapefruit League innings this spring. He allowed four hits and three walks in 3 2/3 scoreless innings against left-handed hitters.
Last season, Hart struggled to duplicate his 2016 success against lefties that made him a valuable part of the Orioles bullpen. He allowed left-handed hitters a .