The Orioles’ opening day outfield consisted of Colton Cowser, Cedric Mullins and Tyler O’Neill. All three are now on the injured list.

The Orioles on Friday placed Mullins, the club’s former All-Star center fielder, on the 10-day IL with a right hamstring strain, the team announced before its game against the Chicago White Sox. To replace Mullins on the active roster, the Orioles re-signed outfielder Cooper Hummel.

Mullins joins Cowser (left thumb) and O’Neill (left shoulder) on the shelf as the club’s injury woes worsen. Baltimore has 11 players on the IL, and 21 players on their 40-man roster have spent time on the IL this season.

Mullins missed four consecutive games before returning to the field Wednesday in the Orioles’ 6-4 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals. Interim manager Tony Mansolino said Friday that Mullins’ injury is “very minor” and that he could return from the IL as soon as he’s eligible June 8.

“We are not super concerned,” Mansolino said. “It’s more just right now taking care of Ced and making sure we get him back to 100%.”

The Orioles originally signed Hummel, a switch-hitter, Sunday when outfielder Ramón Laureano was placed on the IL with a sprained ankle. Hummel was later designated for assignment and elected to become a free agent, only for him to rejoin Baltimore on Friday.

“Let’s just say that Monday’s move was an administrative move,” Hummel said. “I knew there was a role here, and it worked out well.”

Without Mullins, the Orioles have Dylan Carlson to man center field. Carlson can play all three outfield spots and has a track record of being a plus defender. Infielder Jorge Mateo can also play center field, though he’s struggled there the few times he’s played the position this year. Hummel is a corner outfielder who can also play first base and catch in an emergency.

Colton Cowser would be the Orioles’ center fielder when he returns from the injured list, which Mansolino said is expected to be next week when the team is on the West Coast. Cowser’s minor league rehabilitation assignment has been impacted by rain this week, but he went 3-for-4 with three doubles Thursday with Triple-A Norfolk. Cowser hasn’t played in a big league game since he fractured his thumb sliding headfirst into first base in the fourth game of the season against the Toronto Blue Jays.

“First and foremost it’s going to be about Colton,” Mansolino said. “Colton has to be ready. We can’t bring him back if he’s not ready. If he’s ready and he feels good and the performance is there and he’s seeing the ball good, then I think there’s a conversation about getting him here maybe a day sooner.”

Until then, Hummel is with Baltimore hoping for another shot at the show. The past 10 days of Hummel’s life have been a whirlwind. He opted out of his minor league deal with the New York Yankees, nearly signed another minor league contract with a different organization and then inked a big league deal with Baltimore. But catcher Adley Rutschman took a foul ball off his mask Sunday and was unavailable for a few days, resulting in Chadwick Tromp joining the team and Hummel being DFA’d. But Hummel, a 30-year-old with 10 years of professional experience, knows the game can at times be strange for players on the fringes of MLB rosters.

“Is baseball ever normal?” he quipped.

Given the surprising season the Orioles are having, no one in Baltimore needs a reminder of that fact.

Baltimore Sun reporter Matt Weyrich contributed to this article.

Have a news tip? Contact Jacob Calvin Meyer at jameyer @baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/JCalvinMeyer.