Orioles Option Eloy Jiménez, Release Craig Kimbrel
The Orioles announced that first baseman Ryan Mountcastle has been reinstated from the 10-day injured list. Designated hitter/outfielder Eloy Jiménez was optioned to Triple-A Norfolk as a corresponding move. Jiménez has more than five years of major league service time and therefore can’t be optioned without his consent, so he presumably has agreed to this move. The club also announced that right-hander Craig Kimbrel, who was designated for assignment last week, has been released.
Jiménez was acquired from the White Sox at the deadline in a buy-low move. From 2019 through 2023, he had hit .275/.324/.487 for the White Sox, with that production translating to a 118 wRC+. Mounting injuries were becoming a growing concern but he had generally hit when on the field.
Here in 2024, the injury-prone label got branded a little deeper. He twice went on the IL in the first couple of months of the season, once due to a left adductor strain and another for a left hamstring strain. His production had also slipped, as he was hitting .240/.297/.345 for an 82 wRC+ when the Orioles traded for him, sending minor league reliever Trey McGough the other way.
The change of scenery hasn’t helped, as Jiménez has hit .232/.270/.316 for a 68 wRC+ since coming to Baltimore. The club had been battling a number of position player injuries in recent weeks but each of Jordan Westburg, Ramón Urías and now Mountcastle have returned to the active roster in the past few days, which has squeezed Jiménez from the roster.
Though he has the right to reject an optional assignment, it’s understandable why he would accept. There’s only a handful of days left in the season and he wouldn’t be postseason eligible with any other club at this point. Rather than look for other opportunities, he will hold his 40-man roster spot with the O’s and hope to be able to contribute in the club’s postseason run at some point. He came into the campaign with exactly five years of service time and already has enough in 2024 to add another full season to that.
His contract has a $16.5MM option for 2025 with a $3MM buyout that the O’s are sure to decline after a rough season from Jiménez. As part of the trade, the White Sox are covering half of that buyout. That will send him to free agency where he will be looking to market himself as a bounceback candidate. It’s obviously been a rough season but he’s still fairly young, turning 28 in November, and has a strong pre-2024 track record.
As for Kimbrel, a release was the expected outcome after he was designated for assignment last week. He wouldn’t have been postseason eligible with any club claiming him off waivers. Even grabbing him for a few regular season games would be costly as his contract has a $1MM buyout on a 2025 club option. That would be on top of the roughly $400K of his $12MM salary that is still to be paid out in the final week of this season.
Given his 5.33 earned run average on the year, no club was going to pay that price. As a veteran with years of service time, he has the right to reject an outright assignment, so the O’s have simply skipped the formalities and let him go.
It will be an interesting offseason for Kimbrel, who is now 36 years old and coming off a rough showing. Some may expect him to call it a career but he has come back from down years before. In both 2019 and 2020, he posted an ERA north of 5.00, but bounced back with a 2.21 ERA in 2021. He then had two more solid seasons before his 2024 struggles. Some clubs may be interested in taking a flier and hoping for another comeback, though he likely won’t be the first choice of club’s with championship aspirations.
Orioles Activate Jordan Westburg, Ramon Urias
The Orioles announced this morning that they’ve activated infielders Jordan Westburg and Ramon Urias from the 15-day Injured List. Outfielder Daniel Johnson and infielder Livan Soto were optioned to Triple-A in order to make room for the duo’s return on the active roster. Both Westburg and Urias are in the club’s starting lineup for today’s game against the Tigers, with Westburg batting second and playing second base while Urias bats eighth and plays third base.
The reinforcements are greatly appreciated for an Orioles club that that has posted a wRC+ of just 95 in September and ranks 17th in the majors since the start of August, when Westburg was first placed on the IL after suffering a hand fracture on July 31. The 25-year-old was a revelation for Baltimore in 101 games before hitting the shelf, building upon a solid but unspectacular rookie campaign in 2023 to slash .269/.317/.497 (131 wRC+) with 18 homers and 25 doubles in just 420 trips to the plate this year while splitting time between second and third base.
That strong performance quickly turned Westburg into an anchor for the Orioles lineup alongside superstar Gunnar Henderson and veteran slugger Anthony Santander and allowed him to pick up the slack for catcher Adley Rutschman, whose league average performance (104 wRC+) this year is the worst of his career to this point. Westburg’s emergence also made it easier for the club to take things slow with top prospect Jackson Holliday‘s adjustment to the big leagues as he’s struggled through his first taste of big league action. With Westburg providing an above-average bat at both second and third base as needed, the Orioles were able to spend much of the early part of the season mixing and matching between Jorge Mateo at the keystone and Urias at the hot corner, with Westburg taking over whichever position was open on any given day.
Speaking of Urias, the 30-year-old has once again excelled in a part time role for the Orioles this year with a .252/.327/.427 slash line (117 wRC+) in 275 trips to the plate this year across 95 games, albeit with some questionable work at the hot corner that’s a far cry from the strong defensive performance that earned him a Gold Glove award back in 2022. Still, Urias’s return to the club’s infield should help further boost an offense that will now be able to rely less on Holliday, who has improved somewhat in his second stint at the big league level but is still hitting just .195/.253/.342 (69 wRC+) with a 30.9% strikeout rate in 49 games since rejoining the big league club at the end of July in place of Mateo, whose season ended due to elbow surgery. In particular, Urias’s return figures to help protect Holliday from left-handed pitching, against whom he’s struck out 36.6% of the time with a wRC+ of just 33 since returning to the big leagues two months ago.
Meanwhile, Johnson and Soto head to Triple-A. It was a brief return to big league action for Johnson, who went 0-for-1 in his lone game with Baltimore yesterday but had previously appeared in 35 games with Cleveland during the 2020 and ’21 seasons. The 29-year-old is now headed back to Triple-A, where he’s slashed a decent .259/.320/.448 in 500 trips to the plate this year. He’ll be joined in the minors by Soto, who was claimed off waivers from the Angels by the Reds this offseason but appeared in just one game with Cincinnati before being dealt to Baltimore at the trade deadline alongside outfielder Austin Slater. Since joining Baltimore, Soto has done well in a bench role with a .462 on-base percentage in 13 trips to the plate. While Soto sports an excellent .351/.400/.494 slash line in the majors for his career, that line comes from just 87 plate appearances across the past three seasons. The 24-year-old is a career .266/.362/.385 hitter at the Triple-A level, which is likely more representative of his true talent level.
Orioles Select Daniel Johnson, Option Coby Mayo
The Orioles announced that they have selected the contract of outfielder Daniel Johnson from Triple-A Norfolk. In the corresponding move, infielder Coby Mayo was optioned to Triple-A, as was reported earlier today by Andy Kostka of the Baltimore Banner (X link).
Johnson signed a minor league deal with the O’s during the offseason, and has delivered a solid .259/.320/.448 slash line and 21 homers over an even 500 plate appearances for Norfolk. This production almost exactly matches his career numbers (.255/.324/.446) over 1542 Triple-A PA and even his minor league career as as whole, covering eight seasons in five different organizations. Johnson’s only previous Major League experience consisted over 35 games with Cleveland over the 2020-21 seasons, and he has a .582 OPS over 94 PA in the bigs.
In adding Johnson, the Orioles add a bit of outfield depth amidst some uncertainty over Cedric Mullins‘ status. Mullins collided with teammate Austin Slater during Thursday’s game and then didn’t play yesterday due to neck discomfort. Johnson has almost evenly split his time in the minors as a center fielder and right fielder, so he could step onto the O’s bench to help fill in should Mullins have to miss any more time.
Mayo has hit only .098/.196/.098 over his first 46 plate appearances in the majors, with four singles and four walks. Almost half (22) of those plate appearances have resulted in strikeouts, and Mayo has looked overmatched by MLB pitching to date. In the field, Mayo has mostly played third base to help fill the void left behind by the injured Jordan Westburg and Ramon Urias, but he has also gotten a few looks at first base since Ryan Mountcastle has also been on the IL.
One of baseball’s top prospects, Mayo has now been twice optioned back to Triple-A since his contract was initially selected to the big league roster on August 2. Baltimore initially sent Mayo down to the minors on August 15 before bringing him back on September 1 once rosters expanded from 26 to 28 players. This second visit to the Show didn’t lead to any better results for Mayo, so he’ll return to Norfolk for the tail end of the minor league campaign.
As always, 46 plate appearances is far too small a sample size to cast judgement on Mayo’s future, and countless MLB stars have struggled in their first tastes of big league action. While obviously the Orioles would’ve loved an early breakout, Mayo remains on the team’s radar for a larger role in 2025. In the interim, with Baltimore heading for the playoffs and still gunning for the AL East title, optioning an infielder in Mayo could hint that Urias or Westburg are nearing a return from the injured list.
Orioles Activate Danny Coulombe From Injured List
The Orioles announced they’ve activated lefty reliever Danny Coulombe from the 60-day injured list. Baltimore placed Burch Smith on the 15-day IL, retroactive to September 18, to open a spot in the bullpen. Smith was diagnosed with a right adductor (groin) strain. The O’s already had a trio of openings on the 40-man roster, which sits at 38 following Coulombe’s reinstatement.
It’s a potentially big boost to Brandon Hyde’s bullpen with a little more than a week before the postseason. Coulombe has been out since the middle of June with an elbow injury that necessitated surgery to remove bone chips. Prior to the injury, the 34-year-old had been one of Hyde’s most trusted relievers. He’d rewarded that faith with 26 innings of 2.42 ERA ball behind a 30.4% strikeout percentage and a tiny 3.3% walk rate.
This was shaping up as a second straight excellent season for Coulombe. The O’s brought him aboard with little fanfare in Spring Training 2023. Coulombe had been in camp with the Twins on a minor league contract. Minnesota didn’t want to carry him on the MLB roster, so Baltimore acquired him for cash considerations and added him to their Opening Day club. He tossed 51 1/3 innings with a 2.81 earned run average and similarly strong strikeout (27.6%) and walk (5.7%) numbers. Coulombe owns a 2.68 mark over 77 1/3 frames in an O’s uniform.
The O’s have had a subpar second half, dropping four games back of the Yankees in the process. The bullpen has played a role in that. Baltimore relievers rank 24th in the majors with a 4.69 ERA since the All-Star Break. They’ve had a generally strong strikeout and walk profile but given up a few too many home runs. Coulombe has done a nice job avoiding the longball throughout his career, allowing less than one home run per nine innings. He joins Keegan Akin, Cionel Pérez and Gregory Soto as left-handed options in the late innings.
Orioles Designate Craig Kimbrel For Assignment
The Orioles announced Wednesday that they’ve designated veteran right-hander Craig Kimbrel for assignment. Baltimore has recalled righty Bryan Baker from Triple-A Norfolk in his place.
Kimbrel, 36, was signed to a one-year, $13MM deal over the winter after All-Star closer Felix Bautista required Tommy John surgery last October. The club banked on Kimbrel’s track record and excellent strikeout rate helping to solidify the ninth inning, even after Kimbrel had a shaky finish to his 2023 stint with the Phillies — including three innings of NLCS work wherein he yielded four runs.
At least early in the year, Kimbrel was generally effective, even while walking a highwire. His walk rate was up, but so was his strikeout rate, and in spite of four blown saves in the season’s first half he pitched to a pristine 2.10 earned run average. As things have gone off the rails since the All-Star break, he’s ceded the ninth inning to deadline pickup and former Phillies teammate Seranthony Dominguez.
Dating back to July 14, Kimbrel has been decimated for 25 runs (23 of them earned) in 18 innings of work. He’s yielded 23 hits (five of them homers), walked 17 batters and plunked a hitter during that disastrous run. The tipping point was a six-run meltdown in last night’s loss to the Giants. Kimbrel faced eight batters, allowed three hits (two singles and a double), walked two hitters and allowed a runner to advance on a wild pitch in what was his worst and likely last outing of the 2024 season.
Kimbrel will be placed on waivers, and he’ll surely clear. He’d be ineligible for the postseason roster with another club, and a claiming team would be on the hook for the prorated remainder of this year’s $12MM salary and the $1MM buyout on next year’s club option. No team is going to make that move. He’ll clear waivers and be released, at which point the club option will be moot (though the O’s will still owe him that $1MM buyout). He could sign with any other club for the final few days of the season, but it’s possible he’ll simply wait until the offseason to seek out his next opportunity.
Kimbrel’s second half has been so gruesome that it’s overshadowed his excellent first half, but a run of two bad months shouldn’t torch any and all interest in him over the winter. He’s not the dominant high-leverage force he once was, but he still fanned 31.5% of his opponents this season and turned in a strong 11.8% swinging-strike rate. His fastball is down from an average of 95.8 mph in 2023 to 93.9 mph in 2024, per Statcast. It doesn’t seem likely that he’ll be handed a closing job this offseason, but assuming he wants to continue pitching, Kimbrel should find interest on lower-priced big league deals — perhaps with incentives based on games finished in the event that he ascends back to the closer’s role in his next destination.
Kimbrel currently ranks fifth all-time with 440 saves and is only six behind another still-active closer, Kenley Jansen, for the fourth spot on that list. Either pitcher could still catch Lee Smith for No. 3 all-time (478), but climbing north of 600 alongside Mariano Rivera and Trevor Hoffman isn’t going to happen. In 809 2/3 career innings, Kimbrel has a 2.59 ERA, 56 wins, 26 holds and 1265 strikeouts (38.8%) to go along with those 440 saves.
Nick Maton Accepts Outright Assignment With Orioles
The Orioles announced this evening that Nick Maton cleared outright waivers. He accepted an assignment to Triple-A Norfolk instead of electing free agency. Baltimore had designated Maton and lefty Cole Irvin for assignment on Saturday; the Twins claimed Irvin off waivers.
Maton has had a pair of brief stints on the major league roster. He has picked up five at-bats, going hitless with a couple strikeouts. The 27-year-old infielder has had a strong year with Norfolk. Maton has hit 16 homers with an excellent 13.2% walk rate en route to a .261/.368/.477 slash in 86 games. He carries a .251/.367/.431 batting line in a little more than 1000 trips to the plate at the Triple-A level.
A former 7th-round pick by the Phillies, Maton went to the Tigers as part of the Gregory Soto trade return. He appeared in a career-high 93 games with Detroit last season but struggled on both sides of the ball. Maton hit .173/.288/.305 in 249 plate appearances. That and his out-of-options status have led teams to pass on claiming him for the second time this year.
Maton will stick around as non-roster infield depth. He’d be eligible for minor league free agency at the start of the offseason if the Orioles don’t call him back up.
Twins Claim Cole Irvin
The Twins announced Monday that they’ve claimed lefty Cole Irvin off waivers from the Orioles, who’d designated him for assignment last week. Minnesota opened a 40-man roster spot by designating right-hander Randy Dobnak for assignment. Irvin will join the roster tomorrow, Dan Hayes of The Athletic tweets. The veteran lefty would not be eligible for the Twins’ postseason roster, given that he’s being acquired after Sept. 1.
Irvin, 30, will give the Twins some rotation depth for the final couple weeks of the season and can be controlled for two additional seasons via arbitration if the Twins choose. He’s had an up-and-down tenure with the Orioles after being acquired from the A’s in the 2022-23 offseason in a trade that sent infield prospect Darell Hernaiz to Oakland.
Irvin was initially acquired to help stabilize the O’s rotation. From 2021-22, he gave the A’s 62 starts (359 1/3 innings) of 4.11 ERA ball with a well below-average 16.8% strikeout rate but also a very strong 5.2% walk rate. As a homer-prone lefty who averaged 91 mph with his heater, Irvin had clearly benefited to an extent from the Athletics’ cavernous home park, but his Baltimore tenure got off to a far shakier start than anyone could’ve reasonably expected. Irvin was shelled for 15 runs in his first 12 2/3 innings, and the O’s optioned him to Triple-A after just three appearances. He spent much of the remainder of the ’23 season as an up-and-down swingman.
The 2024 season brought a slew of injuries to the Baltimore staff, and with it came a fresh opportunity for Irvin. He ran with it for a good portion of the season, as he’s rattled off 16 starts and another nine relief appearances — several of them covering three or four innings. In 107 1/3 frames this year, Irvin carries a 4.86 earned run average. He’s fanned 16.2% of his opponents against a 5.3% walk rate — marks that mirror his rate stats from his peak days in Oakland. Home runs have again been an issue (1.43 HR/9), but for an injury-ravaged Twins club that is currently relying on three rookies (Simeon Woods Richardson, David Festa, Zebby Matthews) behind Pablo Lopez and Bailey Ober, Irvin could provide some veteran help to the staff, whether in the rotation or as a long reliever.
Irvin is earning $2MM this season after avoiding arbitration over the winter. He’s owed about $151K of that between now and season’s end, and the Twins will assume that in full. If he’s retained via arbitration, Irvin isn’t likely to be a particularly costly option; his modest workload and generally pedestrian results this season should keep next year’s salary in the rough vicinity of $3MM, assuming he’s tendered a contract. He’s out of minor league options, so Irvin will need to stick on the Twins’ roster this year and throughout the offseason or else once again be designated for assignment and likely exposed to outright waivers.
Irvin hasn’t started a game since Aug. 27, when he tossed 60 pitches over 4 1/3 innings. He did toss three innings and 43 pitches on Sept. 2, plus another one-inning relief outing on Sept. 9 (15 pitches). He may not be stretched out to jump into the rotation and throw 100 pitches, but if the Twins need, he should be an option to pitch as many as three to five innings, depending on pitch count. Whether that’ll happen or whether Irvin will simply head to the ‘pen isn’t yet clear. Lopez will start tonight’s series opener in Cleveland, and he’s slated to be followed by Matthews, Ober and Woods Richardson, respectively. Of that group, Matthews has struggled the most. He’s lined up to start tomorrow. Irvin could piggyback with him or replace him outright, depending on how the Twins feel about the matchup.
In order to make room on the roster, Dobnak will be designated for assignment for a second time in his career. The right-hander was a sensational story in 2019, ascending from indie-ball hurler and part-time Uber driver to the Twins’ big league rotation. He pitched well enough in that debut showing and in the shortened 2020 season (combined 3.12 ERA, 15.7 K%, 5.7 BB%, 58.8 GB% in 75 innings) that the Twins signed him to a five-year, $9.25MM contract with a trio of club options.
Injuries and a downturn in performance have soured that modestly priced deal, however. Dobnak was torched for a 7.64 ERA in 2021, removed from the 40-man roster in 2022 and passed through waivers. He posted an ERA north of 5.00 in Triple-A from 2022-23 but has had a rebound in St. Paul this year, logging a 3.90 ERA in 23 starts and four relief appearances for the Twins’ Triple-A affiliate. That prompted a fresh look in the majors, but Dobnak allowed five runs on nine hits and five walks with seven punchouts in 7 2/3 innings.
Dobnak is still owed a bit more than $170K of this year’s $2.25MM salary, plus a $3MM salary in 2025 and at least a $1MM buyout on the first of his three club options. That remaining $4.17MM on his contract will all but assure he clears waivers. He’s been outrighted before, so Dobnak will technically have the opportunity to reject the assignment, but doing so would mean forfeiting the remainder of that salary. There’s no chance he’ll do that, so assuming he indeed goes unclaimed, he’ll remain with the organization in Triple-A but no longer occupy a spot on the 40-man roster.
Orioles Designate Cole Irvin, Nick Maton For Assignment
The Orioles announced this morning that they’ve designated left-hander Cole Irvin and infielder Nick Maton for assignment. The moves open up active roster spots for outfielder Heston Kjerstad and right-hander Jacob Webb, both of whom were activated from the injured list in corresponding moves. The club’s 40-man roster now stands at 38.
Irvin, 30, is in his second season with the Orioles. The lefty was acquired from the A’s prior to the 2023 season to help provide stability at the back of Baltimore’s rotation, and while he’s struggled to keep a consistent hold on a spot in the rotation (or even on the roster) during his time with the club he has offered the Orioles a versatile depth option capable of pitching out of the rotation or bullpen as needed. In his two seasons with the club, Irvin has posted a combined 4.68 ERA with a 4.56 FIP in 184 2/3 innings of work while appearing in 49 games, 28 of which were starts. He struggled in his latest stint with the Orioles, surrendering three runs on four hits (two homers) while striking out five in four innings of work spread across two outings.
Maton, 27, has spent most of the 2024 season at Triple-A for Norfolk and while he’s hit quite well at that level with a .273/.429/.455 slash line in 86 games, his track record with the big league club has been far less impressive. Maton has made it into just five games with the Orioles as a pinch hitter this year, and has gone hitless with two strikeouts in those five at-bats. Prior to joining the Orioles, Maton excelled in a bench role for the Phillies with a .253/.330/.434 slash line in 216 plate appearances before being traded to Detroit and struggling in a larger role with the Tigers, for whom he hit just .173/.288/.305 in 93 games.
Meanwhile, Kjerstad returns to the active roster to re-enter the club’s outfield mix. The 25-year-old suffered a concussion when he was struck on the head by a pitch from right-hander Clay Holmes on July 12 and previous attempted to return just over a week later. Kjerstad hit just .111/.238/.111 in his 21 trips to the plate after returning, however, and ultimately went back on the IL on August 1 due to the issue. Overall, Kjerstad sports a strong .261/.370/.420 slash line in 81 trips to the plate at the big league level this year and should provide the club with another quality outfield option behind Cedric Mullins, Anthony Santander, and Colton Cowser over the season’s final weeks. It’s even possible that Kjerstad could make an appearance at first base, where he has 46 games of experience in the minor leagues, given deep slump since the start of August and Ryan Mountcastle‘s wrist sprain.
As for Webb, the right-hander has emerged as a key piece of Baltimore’s bullpen since being claimed off waivers from the Angels last August. In 71 2/3 innings of work with the club since then, Webb has posted an excellent 3.14 ERA with 3.35 FIP and struck out 25.4% of opponents. The righty was sidelined by a bout of elbow inflammation in early August but now figures to return to the club’s late inning mix alongside Seranthony Dominguez and Yennier Cano headed into the postseason.
AL East Notes: Jansen, Yankees, LeMahieu, Webb, Mountcastle
Kenley Jansen enjoyed ten straight years of playoff baseball before signing a two-year, $32MM free agent contract with the Red Sox during the 2022-23 offseason, and barring a late surge from Boston in the last two weeks of play, Jansen is now on pace for back-to-back without any postseason action. As he heads into free agency this winter, it therefore isn’t surprising that Jansen is “always gonna look for winning. Contending,” the closer told MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo. “That’s going to be my priority…I want to be in a situation where we can contend for a title. That’s it.” This doesn’t necessarily mean Jansen wouldn’t consider a return to the Sox, as Jansen praised the team’s young talent and said he “had a blast wearing this uniform, playing for these fans.”
Even as he approaches his 37th birthday, Jansen has no plans to retire, suggesting that he’d like to pitch “at least until I’m 40-42.” There isn’t much on-field evidence that Jansen is running out of steam, as he remains an effective late-game weapon with a 3.48 ERA in 51 2/3 innings and 26 saves in 30 chances for Boston in 2024. Jansen figures to get a lot of attention in free agency this winter, and Cotillo suggests that the Yankees could look at Jansen as a potential replacement for Clay Holmes. The Red Sox and Giants were the only teams publicly linked to Jansen’s market in his prior stint as a free agent, but Cotillo writes that New York “made a serious run at Jansen before he” joined the Red Sox.
More from around the AL East….
- Sticking with the Yankees, DJ LeMahieu discussed his hip impingement with The Athletic’s Brendan Kuty, saying that he received a cortisone shot on Thursday to hopefully aid the healing process. LeMahieu hasn’t played since September 3 but he believes he’ll be able to return to New York’s lineup before the season is over. While players generally have a more optimistic view of their injuries, this does represent a more positive outlook than manager Aaron Boone‘s more non-committal answer earlier this week, when the skipper said “I wouldn’t necessarily rule it [a LeMahieu return] out, but I wouldn’t count on it, either.” In between this injury and the foot issue that cost him the first two months of action, LeMahieu has struggled to a .204/.269/.259 slash line over 228 plate appearances this season. Even if he is healthy enough to play, LeMahieu’s lack of production might well cost him a spot on New York’s playoff roster.
- Jacob Webb‘s activation from the Orioles‘ injured list could happen during the team’s current series with the Tigers, manager Brandon Hyde told MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko and other reporters. Before a bout of elbow inflammation sent him to the 15-day IL on August 4, Webb was one of Baltimore’s more solid relievers, delivering a 3.08 ERA over 49 2/3 innings and 53 appearances out of the Orioles bullpen. Of the many players on the Orioles’ IL, Webb seems closest to returning, though Danny Coulombe is continuing a minor league rehab assignment and might not be far off. Jordan Westburg has resumed baseball activities and is hitting in a batting cage as he works his way back from a fractured hand.
- Ryan Mountcastle is still in the early stages of a hitting progression, but Hyde wasn’t sure if the Orioles first baseman will be back before the regular season is over. Mountcastle’s IL stint due to a sprained left wrist began on August 23, and he has hit .265/.305/.425 with 13 home runs in 485 PA. As Kubatko writes, the loss of Mountcastle’s steady production has been more glaring since first base replacement Ryan O’Hearn has been caught in an ugly slump.
Orioles Notes: Rodriguez, Coulombe, Camden Yards
It has been just over a month since the Orioles placed Grayson Rodriguez on the 15-day injured list due to a right lat/teres strain, and pitching coach Drew French provided reporters (including MLB.com’s Jake Rill) with an update on Rodriguez’s recovery process. Rodriguez threw his first bullpen session earlier this week, and French said “we’re hopeful that we’ll get a live [batting practice session] in and a rehab assignment started pretty soon.“
This would seem to put Rodriguez on pace for the late-September return that was projected by GM Mike Elias last month, though French left some wiggle room in stating whether or not Rodriguez would return as a starting pitcher. “We’re very hopeful to have him back in that capacity,” French said, but “obviously everything is on the table at this point, so [we] just kind of take it day-by-day and see where we’re at at the end.”
The calendar is naturally the issue, as the minor league season concludes on September 22. The Orioles don’t want to rush Rodriguez’s throwing progression for fear of aggravating his injury or causing a setback, yet as French put it, “we know we’re coming up against it right now” in terms of having enough time for Rodriguez to build up his pitch count through minor league rehab starts. On paper, Rodriguez could perhaps bank a minor league start and then continue his ramp-up in the majors, perhaps as a piggyback starter at first.
Since this would all have to come amidst the Orioles’ battle for the AL East title, it wouldn’t be an ideal situation for either the team or the player. While Baltimore is a virtual lock to reach the playoffs, winning the division and earning a first-round bye is the Orioles’ preferred method of entry. That bit of extra break would allow the O’s to line up their ideal postseason rotation, and gauge whether or not Rodriguez is fully fit enough to be part of said rotation.
Rodriguez’s spot as a playoff starter was all but assured at the time of his injury, as the second-year right-hander has a 3.86 ERA and above-average strikeout and walk rates over 116 2/3 innings. Corbin Burnes and Zach Eflin have playoff rotation spots booked, and any of Rodriguez, Albert Suarez, or Dean Kremer could be line for other starts depending on health, effectiveness, matchups, or however long Baltimore’s playoff run lasts.
Another pitcher’s timeline is a little clearer, as Danny Coulombe is set to start a rehab assignment this Wednesday with Triple-A Norfolk. Coulombe went on the 60-day injured list in June after undergoing surgery to remove bone chips from his left elbow, and appears to be on pace to return to the Orioles’ relief corps before the season is over. Coulombe has been nothing short of outstanding since joining the O’s in March 2023, becoming a trusted setup man on the strength of a 2.68 ERA in his 77 1/3 innings in a Baltimore uniform.
Seranthony Dominguez has emerged as the Orioles’ top closing candidate since he was acquired from the Phillies at the trade deadline, helping stabilize a Baltimore bullpen that has been a relative weak link in terms of its overall middle-of-the-pack performance. Losing Coulombe for a big chunk of the year didn’t help the bullpen’s cause, but his return should help further bolster the reliever depth chart heading into October.
In other Orioles news, chairman and CEO David Rubenstein shared some details on the renovations planned for Camden Yards as part of an interview with FOX 5’s Steve Chenevey (hat tip to Matt Weyrich of the Baltimore Sun). The process is tentatively slated to begin during the 2025-26 offseason and “take about four years before it’s completed….hopefully by the end of ’28 we will complete all the retrofit of the stadium,” Rubenstein said. The exact range of renovations isn’t yet known, though Rubenstein suggested that the work will add a few more modern touches and amenities to Camden Yards.