This story was excerpted from Jake Rill’s Orioles Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

BALTIMORE -- Sunday marks one month since Opening Day, and, unsurprisingly, the Orioles have started strong in the 2024 season. After finishing 101-61 and winning the American League East last year, Baltimore has begun 16-9.

Not everything has gone perfectly. The O’s are a bit banged up, with numerous key players on the injured list. Others have slumped, including Jackson Holliday in his first MLB stint. There are areas of the roster that may need reinforcements later on.

Still, Baltimore is playing well, proving to again be a good team that can withstand adversity.

As April winds down, let’s examine three big questions facing the O’s.

1. What will the rotation look like when more starters are healthy?
The Orioles have been without right-hander Kyle Bradish (right UCL sprain) and lefty John Means (left forearm strain), and they placed righty Tyler Wells (right elbow inflammation) on the injured list on April 16. Yet the rotation still has a 3.82 ERA (11th in the Majors).

There could be a logjam when nearly everybody is healthy, which may be soon. Means will make his sixth (and likely final) rehab start for Triple-A Norfolk on Sunday. Bradish isn’t far behind after completing three rehab outings. Wells is expected to resume throwing soon.

Corbin Burnes, Grayson Rodriguez and Dean Kremer aren’t going anywhere. Cole Irvin recently had his best start as an Oriole (6 2/3 scoreless innings at Kansas City last Sunday). And Albert Suárez has been a surprise, tossing 11 1/3 scoreless frames over his first two starts -- the 34-year-old’s first pair of MLB appearances since 2017.

Baltimore will have to decide which five starters comprise its best rotation.

“A decision about having too much pitching? Yeah, I’ll take that,” general manager Mike Elias said. “We’re planning for it. We’ve got a trajectory of what things will look like when these guys get back. But the reality is, other players are apt to get hurt, so we’ll deal with it all on a day-to-day basis. No decisions have been made about roles or things like that on the pitching staff.

“But obviously, we’re having planning discussions around different scenarios.”

2. How long should Holliday stay in Triple-A before returning to MLB?
MLB Pipeline’s No. 1 overall prospect had a tough introduction to the big leagues. In 10 games, Holliday went 2-for-34 (.059), with his only two hits being singles. The 20-year-old infielder struck out 18 times over his first 36 plate appearances before being sent back to Triple-A Norfolk on Friday.

Other top Orioles prospects have had a similar experience upon reaching the big leagues. Rodriguez had a 7.35 ERA over his first 10 starts early last year. Outfielder Colton Cowser batted .115 (7-for-61) in a 26-game debut stint last summer.

Now, Rodriguez is one of Baltimore’s top starters (4.45 ERA and 34 strikeouts through five starts this season) and Cowser is emerging as a top AL Rookie of the Year contender (.328/.397/.703 with six doubles, six homers and 17 RBIs in 24 games).

It wouldn’t be surprising if Holliday -- whose long-term future is still incredibly bright -- returns to Triple-A and puts up huge numbers. Then, the O’s will need to decide when to give him his second callup to the Majors, one that could become permanent.

“He’s got a growth mindset, meaning that he’s going to focus on what he wants to do differently and what he wants to do to be better, and I doubt he’s looking in the rearview mirror too much,” Elias said. “He’s going to respond excellently, and I hope he’s back up here really soon.”

3. Are there enough relievers who can be trusted in high-leverage spots?
Baltimore has a 4.03 bullpen ERA that ranks 16th in MLB and ninth in the AL. That’s despite solid starts for closer Craig Kimbrel (1.59 ERA in 12 outings) and setup men Yennier Cano (2.63 ERA in 13 games) and Danny Coulombe (2.79 ERA in 12 appearances).

The Orioles can’t use their top three relievers every night. Some of their other bullpen arms -- Keegan Akin, Mike Baumann, Dillon Tate and Jacob Webb -- have been a little spotty so far as manager Brandon Hyde tries to find fits in earlier high-leverage situations.

“We have confidence in those guys, they’re just a little bit inconsistent right now,” Hyde said. “We’ve got to figure out a way to shorten the game a little bit.”

It could even be an area Baltimore looks to address closer to the Trade Deadline on July 30.