Mateo has been experiencing discomfort in his surgically-repaired left elbow since colliding with teammate Heston Kjerstad back on May 31. He underwent an MRI that didn’t reveal any structural damage, which is encouraging. The versatile 29-year-old has hit just .180/.231/.279 with one homer and 14 steals this season, but his absence leaves a significant hole on Baltimore’s bench. There is no timeline for his return at the moment.

Mateo got the start in center field against the White Sox on Saturday and reached in three of his four plate appearances, including a two-run blast in the fifth inning off Davis Martin for his first home run of the season.

Mateo led off the third inning with a single off of Skubal, swiped second base and took third on a ground ball before being stranded there. He also led off the fifth inning with a single off of the star southpaw and again pilfered second, but the O’s were unable to cash him in. With the two-hit effort, the 29-year-old speedster is now hitting .136/.136/.182 with zero homers, zero RBI and five stolen bases in 22 plate appearances on the season.

Mateo gets his first start of the year after coming in as a replacement for Thursday’s opener. The 29-year-old dealt with an elbow injury this spring, but is obviously feeling better. Jackson Holliday slides back to second base, and Ramon Urias will open the contest on the bench.