Nolan Reimold, 2009 Topps Heritage Chrome #CHR168

Hey, I think Nolan Reimold's back, and something tells me that he'd rather not return to Norfolk. After his awful 2010 season, the outfielder was finally healthy when he came to spring training this year. He had a strong showing in the Grapefruit League, batting .315/.448/.537 with 14 runs scored, 3 home runs, 10 RBI, and 12 walks in 66 trips to the plate. Of course, since the Orioles manufactured a roster crunch by signing Vlad Guerrero to DH and moving Luke Scott back to left field, Nolan was caught in the numbers game and optioned to the AAA Tides. Last week, injuries to Cesar Izturis, Derrek Lee, and Brian Roberts created some roster vacancies, and the 2009 Rookie of the Year candidate was brought back to Baltimore. Here's what he's done since:

-Singled in his first at-bat of the year on Friday after entering as a defensive replacement in the eighth inning.

-Belted a game-tying two-run homer in his first trip to the plate Saturday, helping the O's come back to win 8-3.

-Went 4-for-4 today with a walk, a double, 2 home runs, and 4 RBI to key a comeback from an early 4-0 deficit. The Orioles beat the Royals 6-5 in 12 innings to claw back to .500 (24-24) for the first time since the beginning of the month. His double in the 11th might have scored Mark Reynolds with the winning run, but it bounced out of play and Reynolds had to stop at third base.

So in 11 at-bats this week, Reimold has already matched the home run output of his 2-month, 116-AB scuffle of 2010. It's good to know that he didn't just turn into a pumpkin overnight, and that Nolan still has the potential to contribute to a winning Orioles team long after Guerrero and Lee are gone. Now it's up to Buck Showalter to keep finding at-bats for him when the roster returns to full strength. Not a bad problem to have.