Orioles manager Buck Showalter said Alvarez will get to play the field at times this season, MASN's Roch Kubatko reports. "He's not going to be a pure DH," Showalter said. "We think there's some versatility there that can help us."
He already has first base eligibility from last season, but it's feasible that Alvarez could get some starts at third base with Manny Machado shifting to shortstop if J.J. Hardy is underwhelming again at the plate. It's probably not something worth banking on in leagues that require more than a handful of games played to earn eligibility at a new position, but the fact that the Orioles are willing to deploy Alvarez in the field is a positive for his projected at-bats this season. He is expected to get into Grapefruit League action as soon as Sunday.