Orioles Outright Liván Soto

The Orioles announced that infielder Liván Soto has cleared waivers and been sent outright to Triple-A Norfolk. He had been designated for assignment a week ago when the club claimed right-hander Roansy Contreras, though Contreras has since been sent info DFA limbo himself.

Soto, 25 in June, has been in plenty of transactions in recent years. It seems he has been seen as good enough to attract the attention of several clubs, but without ever having a firm grip on a roster spot. In February of 2024, he went from the Angels to the Orioles via waivers, then back to the Angels via another waiver claim that same month. In April, the O’s claimed him from the Angels yet again. They put him back on waivers a few days later, with the Reds swooping in with a claim. At the end of July, just before the trade deadline, he and Austin Slater were traded to the O’s for cash.

Around all of those transactions, Soto has found the time to play baseball here and there. He has appeared in 35 big league games over the past three seasons and stepped to the plate 87 times. He has a strong .351/.407/.494 batting line in that time, though that’s a small sample and it’s inflated by a .441 batting average on balls in play.

Naturally, he has spent more time on the farm. Over the past three years, he’s had 1,390 minor league plate appearances, split between Double-A and Triple-A as well as three different organizations. In those, he has strong walk and strikeout rates of 12.9% and 20.2%, respectively. His .266/.366/.366 batting line translates to a 95 wRC+. He has spent significant time at the three infield spots to the left of first base, as well as a brief stint in center field.

The combination of solid plate discipline and defensive versatility has clearly made Soto an attractive depth player around the league but he has now finally cleared waivers. He’ll give the O’s a bit of non-roster infield depth. They are unlikely to need it, as they have Gunnar Henderson, Jordan Westburg, Jackson Holliday, Ramón Urías, Jorge Mateo, Ryan O’Hearn, Ryan Mountcastle, Coby Mayo, Emmanuel Rivera and Jacob Amaya on the roster. Still, there’s no harm in having a bit more depth, especially when it’s a guy who’s not taking up a roster spot. If Soto gets back on the roster at any point, he still has one option year remaining.