O's players react to Hyde's dismissal, take responsibility for poor play

BALTIMORE -- When Orioles players arrived at Camden Yards on Saturday morning, they were called into a team meeting with general manager Mike Elias. A disappointing start to the 2025 season meant it was time for a bit of a shakeup.

Elias delivered the news that manager Brandon Hyde had been dismissed, third-base coach Tony Mansolino would be taking over as interim manager and the O’s would now refocus on moving forward and trying to turn things around.

“The message was basically, ‘Obviously, the season hasn't started the way we want to,’” left-hander Cade Povich said, “and that was a difficult change that he felt he needed to make.”

Hyde was a popular presence in Baltimore’s clubhouse since becoming the skipper prior to the 2019 season. The 51-year-old has spent his entire life in baseball, from the time he was a player at Long Beach State University to extended runs as a coach in both the Marlins (2003-11) and Cubs (2011-18) organizations.

As the Orioles endured a rebuild that began with the arrival of Elias and Hyde ahead of the 2019 season, Hyde cultivated relationships with the young players who shaped the club’s future. He was the first big league manager for many of those on the current roster, such as catcher Adley Rutschman and shortstop Gunnar Henderson.

“It's tough. You hear about stuff like this happening, but to be a part of it's definitely different,” Rutschman said. “I build relationships with people in baseball. You become really close and feel like a family with everyone on the team and front office, training staff, coaches and analytics department, all of it. We view it as one, and it’s tough.”

“He’s put me in a lot of great positions to succeed, and I can’t thank him enough for everything he’s done,” Henderson said. “I hate it for him and his family.”

Multiple O’s players insisted Hyde never lost the clubhouse during the team’s disappointing 15-28 start. Many took accountability and blamed themselves for the firing.

Since being traded from Tampa Bay to Baltimore last July, Zach Eflin has repeatedly shared how he always respected the Orioles from afar in recent years and has greatly enjoyed playing for Hyde and the organization.

“He’s a great human. He loves his guys fearlessly. It’s just one of those things where you hate seeing good guys go as a result of us not playing well,” Eflin said. “He did a lot of really tremendous things here. He brought the team up from the depths of whatever they were in here five, six years ago. Great man, great dude, great leader. He’s going to be missed.”

Even the youngest players in Baltimore’s clubhouse realized why this change was made.

Jackson Holliday, a 21-year-old infielder who was baseball’s top prospect at this time last year, was among those who stepped up and took responsibility for the O’s lackluster play in 2025.

“I think everyone understands that. He’s not the one playing the games. We’re the ones playing the games,” Holliday said. “We haven’t lived up to our expectations, and it’s difficult.”

Former top Draft picks such as Rutschman (No. 1 overall in 2019), Henderson (second-rounder in ‘19) and Holliday (No. 1 overall in ‘22) were always going to become pieces of the Orioles’ core. Others with less pedigree credit Hyde for giving them a chance to prove themselves.

From 2019-22, Hyde put plenty of under-the-radar, lesser-known players on the field while the prospects developed. That group included infielder Ramón Urías, who was claimed off waivers from the Cardinals in ‘20 and debuted that year.

“It’s really tough. He’s the only manager I have played for in the big leagues so far, and obviously, I’m so grateful for the opportunity that he gave me,” Urías said. “We’re going to miss him as a person.”

As much as Orioles players admire and respect Hyde, they must now move on without him. They aren’t giving up on the season, even if they’ve never reached the postseason during a year in which they’ve had this challenging of a start.

“A lot of guys know we should have won more games, so it sucks in time, but the reality is, just got to go out there and continue to play baseball,” Henderson said. “Fans are going to come out and support us. We’ve got to play for them, play for the guys in this clubhouse. It sucks, but that’s just the reality of it.”

Added Eflin: “It sucks [that] it’s as a result of us sucking, but we’re going to continue to try to go out there every single day and fight, because the season’s not over. The season’s not lost. We’re going to go out there with our hair on fire and do everything we can to win baseball games.”