Following today’s game, the Orioles have optioned INF/OF Stevie Wilkerson and catcher Austin Wynns to Triple-A Norfolk, per an official team release.
While a corresponding move will be officially announced on Tuesday, Roch Kubatko of MASN adds that Chance Sisco will likely rejoin the team to replace Wynns, with Chris Davis in position to come off the injured list ahead of Tuesday’s series opener in Texas.
In 123 plate appearances with the O’s, Wilkerson has posted a .250/.294/.438 slash line. Those are respectable numbers, especially for an inexperienced player on a rebuilding club, but his unimpressive 6:37 K:BB ratio calls for more seasoning in the minors. Meanwhile, Wynns has played just 15 games for the Orioles and has a .529 OPS in 47 plate appearances.
If it’s indeed Sisco who replaces Wynns on the roster, it will mark his 2019 season debut. He started this season in the minors after struggling through 2018 as a rookie; however, it appears that the 24-year-old catcher has turned a corner at Triple-A this year, boasting a robust .288/.381/.528 batting line thus far, a marked improvement over his numbers in previous stints at the level.
As for Davis, who is slated to make his return from the injured list, it’s unclear just how he will fit into the Orioles lineup upon his return to action. Trey Mancini has received the first base reps in Davis’s absence and has excelled with the bat, while the team would like to give promising youngster DJ Stewart an extended opportunity to play right field. And Renato Nunez, who has quietly emerged as one of baseball’s hottest hitters of late, currently occupies the DH spot and has done nothing to warrant a reduction in playing time.
In that aforementioned quartet, the Orioles have no fewer than four offense-heavy corner bats on the roster, a construction that could make it difficult for Brandon Hyde to allocate playing time. Davis, of course, is the highest-paid of the bunch, but perhaps also the least deserving of at-bats, based solely on production. With that in mind, it will be interesting to monitor Hyde’s handling of the 1B/DH logjam, especially as he attempts to navigate the challenges of managing a rebuilding team, striking a balance between youth and incumbent veterans like Davis.
This gives us 3 1B/DH with Trumbo set to return in a few weeks…. We’re going to have to bite the bullet w either Davis or Trumbo at some point here. The M’s just sold a much more productive player of the same ilk for nothing. There’s no reason to run out some garbage defensive alignment to accommodate trumbo and Davis. Unless we start to play Nunez at 3B again I don’t see how we clear this logjam with all these players here.
This move also leaves us with just 1 CF in Keon Broxton for the time being as well which is also interesting…..
6:37 K:BB rate is actually quite good.
I’m pretty sure it was meant to be the other way around
Davis is the odd man out, sorry. Bench time.
just because you’re paying Davis, doesn’t mean you have to start him. it’s bad to waste all that money, but its worse if your getting more negative value becaue of it.
Why did we option Stevie?
Guess it had to be someone. It was either Ruiz (if he has an option left, honestly not sure) or Stewart who just got called up. I would’ve DFA’d Davis but obviously ownership isn’t there yet.
Could the O’s feasibly finish above the Blue Jays in the Al East? Starting to think that’s a very real possibility.
I’d be shocked if that’s the case. I suppose Toronto could sell Giles and Stroman and be really awful at that point but it’s hard for me to believe that they could be worse.
Wilkersons OPS vs RHP is still .877. Just limit his ABs vs. lefties.
It’s about time to let Dan Straily go as well. I don’t care who it is that replaces him. It could be the next guy that goes on waivers for all I care but there is definitely a guy floating out there who deserves a roster spot over this clown. ERA/FIP both north of 8 and he’s registered over 40 innings. I don’t know how much longer you can let a guy suck this bad. Hess also needs to be optioned or demoted to the pen. I realize we can’t shuttle them both out with our lack of options right now but 1 of the two needs to go right now.
Very disappointed to see them demote Wilkerson. All he has done is play where they wanted him to play…and he did a great job. Oh well.
Yeah.Wilkerson had played his tail off. They got rid of the wrong guy.
Yea i think its a mistake. Kid plays literally every postion and played well and was hitting pretty well. They are keeping the wrong players and demoting the players that should be staying.
3 weeks ago, the O’s announcers were singing praise to Stevie Wilkerson. Now, he’s going back to AAA. I thought he might be given a shot at 3B.
Not sure how this makes sense for the outfield. Don’t see anyone but Broxton on the club who can play CF,. Mullins, Rickert and Wilkerson were the only other options in the past.
. Sisco is a poor choice for number 2 catcher. Would think he would need regular at bats to maintain batting success and he is a poor defender…