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Orioles Outright Corbin Martin

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The Orioles announced that Corbin Martin accepted an outright assignment to Triple-A Norfolk. The right-hander cleared waivers after being designated for assignment on Tuesday. There has not yet been a resolution on Elvin Rodríguez, who was also DFA two days ago.

Martin spent a couple months in Tony Mansolino’s bullpen. He gave up 12 earned runs over 18 innings. Martin recorded a solid 25.8% strikeout rate but was plagued by walks and the home run ball. He gave up three runs apiece in his final two appearances against the Giants, though his defense let him down with a pair of errors in his last outing on August 31. While there was some poor luck in that appearance, Martin was pushed out when the O’s needed 40-man roster spots for Tyler Wells and Jorge Mateo.

Baltimore also ran Martin through outright waivers around the All-Star Break. He elected free agency that time but re-signed one day later. The 29-year-old decided not to try his luck on the open market this time around. It would’ve been too late into the season to be playoff eligible elsewhere. He’d likely have been looking at a minor league contract with a non-contender. It made more sense to stick with the O’s for the final weeks of the regular season. He’ll elect minor league free agency going into the offseason if the Orioles don’t call him back up this month.

Trevor Rogers’ Reemergence

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At the 2024 trade deadline, the Orioles traded upper minors hitters Kyle Stowers and Connor Norby to the Marlins for reclamation starter Trevor Rogers. Many perceived it as an overpay, and the deal immediately went south. Rogers, who was carrying a 4.53 ERA for Miami, allowed 16 runs in 19 innings over his first four starts with the Orioles. Baltimore optioned him to Triple-A within three weeks and he was a non-factor for a postseason bound club.

This season didn't start out any better. Rogers began the year on the injured list with a right knee subluxation. Baltimore optioned him back to Triple-A when he was healthy. Outside of one strong spot start on May 24, the 6'5" lefty wasn't on the radar into the middle of June. Baltimore's big league rotation -- which was without Grayson Rodriguez, Kyle Bradish and Zach Eflin -- pitched so poorly that their season was more or less finished by the time they recalled Rogers on June 18.

Stowers added insult to injury by carrying Miami's lineup with a pair of power barrages in April and July. He's streaky but now looks like the Marlins' best position player. Even if Norby doesn't work out, Miami is thrilled with their end of the deal. As recently as the middle of June, it looked like a complete bust for Baltimore. It wasn't a lock they'd even tender Rogers a contract for his final season of arbitration.

Two months later, Rogers is the favorite to be on the Camden Yards mound for Opening Day 2026. He had a rocky first start after being recalled, giving up three runs without escaping the third inning against Tampa Bay. He has taken the ball 12 times since then and been the best pitcher in baseball.

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Orioles Designate Corbin Martin, Elvin Rodríguez For Assignment

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The Orioles announced that right-hander Tyler Wells and infielder/outfielder Jorge Mateo have been reinstated from the 60-day injured list. Catcher Maverick Handley has been optioned to Triple-A Norfolk in one corresponding active roster move. Right-hander Corbin Martin has been designated for assignment to open a second active roster spot and one 40-man spot. Righty Elvin Rodríguez, who was on optional assignment, has also been designated for assignment as the other corresponding 40-man move. The Wells activation was reported last week.

Mateo has been out since June due to a hamstring injury. The speedy utilityman hit just .180/231/.279 with a homer and 14 steals in 65 plate appearances prior to going on the injured list. The 30-year-old has never provided much in the way of offense, but even by his modest standards, that was well shy of the norm. In 1300 plate appearances from 2021-24, Mateo slashed .225/.271/.371 (79 wRC+) with 29 homers and 90 stolen bases. Mateo has long provided quality glovework at shortstop, though, and he can capably handle second, third or center field — all while providing elite speed on the bases.

This is the final guaranteed season the Orioles have with Mateo, though they can retain him via a club option for next season. They’d need to bring him back at a $5.5MM price point, however, which feels steep given the season he’s had and his prior lack of offensive production. There’s no buyout on the option, making it all the more likely that the O’s will turn it down, though there’s always a chance they’d try to bring him back at a lower rate.

Martin, 29, has been on and off Baltimore’s roster a few times this year. Around the transactions, he has tossed 18 innings, allowing 12 earned runs for an ERA of 6.00. He likely deserved better. His 10.1% walk rate was high but his 25.8% strikeout rate and 44.2% ground ball rate were solid figures. A .353 batting average on balls in play and 65.7% strand rate seemingly pushed some extra runs across. His 3.57 SIERA pointed to better run prevention going forward.

Regardless, the O’s have decided to move on again. Martin doesn’t have options and therefore can’t be easily sent back to the minors. With the trade deadline having passed, he’s destined for the waiver wire. If some club claims him, he can be controlled for four seasons after this one. He cleared waivers back in July, so it’s possible he’ll do so again. Last time he cleared, he exercised his right to elect free agency, which is another thing that could happen again in the coming days.

Rodríguez, 27, signed with the Brewers in January on the heels of some good results in Japan. Unfortunately, he hasn’t been able to have success in North America this year. The Brewers designated him for assignment in July, at which point the Orioles claimed him.

Between those two clubs, he has a 9.15 ERA in 19 2/3 major league innings. He has also tossed 40 1/3 Triple-A innings with a 4.46 ERA, 18.3% strikeout rate and 5.3% walk rate. Though the results haven’t been great, he does still have options, so perhaps he will appeal to a club looking for some extra depth in the minors.

Photo courtesy of Jerome Miron, Imagn Images

Rockies Claim Roansy Contreras

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The Rockies have claimed right-hander Roansy Contreras off waivers from the Orioles, according to announcements from both clubs. The O’s designated him for assignment last week. The Rockies had an open 40-man spot after they optioned righty Nick Anderson and he exercised his right to elect free agency. Contreras is out of options, so the Rockies will need to open an active roster spot for him once he reports to the team.

Contreras, 25, has been in an awkward position for a while now. He exhausted his final option season with the Pirates in 2023 and was therefore out of options going into 2024. He has shown enough potential to draw plenty of interest from other clubs but often just enough to be the last guy on the roster.

The Pirates designated him for assignment in May of last year, which kicked off a rampage through the transaction logs. Over the next few months, via small trades or waiver claims, he went to the Angels, Rangers, Reds, Orioles, Yankees and Orioles again.

The O’s finally passed him through waivers unclaimed around Opening Day 2025, allowing them to keep him as non-roster depth. He tossed 91 2/3 innings for Triple-A Norfolk over 14 starts and 14 relief appearances. In that time, he had a 3.73 earned run average. His 8.4% walk rate and 40.9% ground ball rate were close to average but his 17.8% strikeout rate was subpar. The O’s called him up for one long relief appearance in the majors, in which he tossed 4 1/3 scoreless innings, but then sent him back into DFA limbo.

His previous big league work largely aligns with that recent Triple-A showing. He has thrown 239 major league innings with a 4.63 ERA, 19.6% strikeout rate, 10% walk rate and 39.3% ground ball rate.

He’s a sensible pickup for the Rockies, who almost always need more pitching. That’s certainly true this year, as their collective 6.01 ERA is easily the worst in the majors. The Nationals are second-last on that list but almost a full run better that Colorado at 5.33. They are about to lose Germán Márquez to free agency and released Austin Gomber not long ago.

Contreras is out of options but has just over two years of service time, meaning he can be retained for four seasons beyond this one. The Rockies can get a close-up look at him down the stretch here in 2025 and decide if they want to work him into their plans for 2026 and beyond. He has experience working both from the rotation and the bullpen and could potentially take either role with the Rockies.

Photo courtesy of James A. Pittman, Imagn Images

Cody Poteet Elects Free Agency

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The Orioles announced that right-hander Cody Poteet, who was outrighted off the roster a couple of days ago, has elected free agency instead of accepting the assignment. He has that right since he has been previously outrighted in his career. Also, the O’s recalled catcher Maverick Handley and reinstated Albert Suárez from the 60-day injured list as their September call-up moves. The 40-man roster had a vacancy but Suárez returning now make it full again.

Poteet’s 2025 has mostly been lost to injuries. He landed on the IL on April 21st due to shoulder inflammation. He began a rehab assignment August 23rd, over four months later. After a couple of rehab outings, the O’s put him on waivers instead of reinstating him from the injured list. Around the injury, he has only made one big league appearances for the O’s.

As a free agent, he’ll be marketing his pre-2025 track record. He came into the year with 83 big league innings under his belt and a 3.80 earned run average in that time. His 20.2% strikeout rate and 10.2% walk rate were both a bit shy of league average, while his 42.1% ground ball rate was right around par. He has also shown a bit more potential in the minors. Last year, he tossed 53 innings over 13 starts in the Yankees’ system with a 3.40 ERA, 28% strikeout rate, 7.5% walk rate and 43.7% ground ball rate.

It’s also been an injury-marred season for Suárez. After many years pitching in Asia, he had a strong campaign for the O’s in 2024. Working in a swing role, he threw 133 2/3 innings with a 3.70 ERA, 19.1% strikeout rate and 7.6% walk rate. This year, shoulder inflammation sent him to the IL after just one appearance and he’s been there until today.

Photo courtesy of Daniel Kucin Jr., Imagn Images

Vinny Nittoli Opts Out Of Orioles Deal

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Right-hander Vinny Nittoli is opting out of his minor league deal with the Orioles, according to a report from Ari Alexander of KPRC2. Nittoli will now head into free agency and be eligible to sign with any of the league’s 30 clubs on a fresh contract.

Nittoli, 34, was a 25th-round pick by the Mariners back in 2014 and has spent his decade in professional baseball largely as a minor league journeyman. After spending a few years in Seattle’s minor league system, Nittoli departed affiliated ball in 2017 and spent two seasons pitching for the independent American Association before making his return to the minor leagues. Over the course of 12-year professional career, he’s suited up for the Mariners, Blue Jays, Diamondbacks, Yankees, Phillies, Cubs, Mets, A’s, Orioles, and Brewers at the Triple-A level. In all that time, however, he’s received only scattered playing time in the majors with 15 big league appearances in total.

In that sporadic MLB playing time, Nittoli has pitched to a 2.41 ERA with a 4.30 FIP across 18 2/3 innings of work. Nittoli has struck out just 17.3% of his opponents while walking 6.7%, but those numbers of course come in too small of a sample size to draw any substantial conclusions from. After spending a great deal of time at Triple-A, looking at his results at that level may tell a more complete story. He’s posted a 4.76 ERA at the highest level of the minors in 223 innings across parts of six seasons. With that said, he’s struck out a much more robust 28.3% of his opponents while walking 8.4%.

Those stronger strikeout numbers have been enough to get Nittoli plenty of interest from all of those aforementioned organizations on minor league deals over the years, but this year’s poor results even in the minors have limited his ability to crack a major league roster. In 39 1/3 innings of work between the Triple-A affiliates of the Brewers and Orioles this year, Nittoli has posted a 4.58 ERA, including a ghastly 6.35 in ten appearances in Baltimore’s organization after opting out of the pact he’d spent the first half of the year with Milwaukee on. Now Nittoli has opted out once again and will look to find a job that provides a better path to the majors ahead ahead of September 1, after which time newly-signed players are not eligible to participate in the postseason with their new club. As for the Orioles, they still have arms like Yaramil Hiraldo, Josh Walker, and Elvin Rodriguez on the 40-man roster as depth options for their bullpen over the season’s final month.

Orioles Outright Cody Poteet

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The Orioles announced this afternoon that right-hander Cody Poteet has been activated from the 60-day injured list and outrighted to Triple-A Norfolk. The club had not previously announced that Poteet was placed on waivers, but he evidently cleared and now will head to the minor leagues if he accepts the assignment.

Poteet, 31, made just one appearance for the Orioles this year where he surrendered five runs on six hits in 2 2/3 innings of work while walking two and striking out just one. A fourth-round pick by the Marlins all the way back in 2015, Poteet did not make his big league debut until 2021. He spent two years in Miami as an up-and-down swing man, with a 4.45 ERA and 5.15 FIP in 58 2/3 innings of work. That roughly league-average work (with below average peripherals) on the mound, but a UCL injury limited him in 2022. He signed with the Royals on a minor league deal while rehabbing from Tommy John surgery but returned to free agency following the 2023 season having made just one appearance for Triple-A Omaha that year.

Poteet signed a big league deal with the Yankees prior to the 2024 season, and it was in the Bronx where the right-hander posted the best numbers of his career. Poteet made only five appearances (four starts) for New York last year, but in those 24 1/3 frames he posted a sensational 2.22 ERA. The right-hander’s peripherals (including a 16.7% strikeout rate and a 4.03 FIP) weren’t quite as impressive as those raw results, but he still demonstrated the ability to be a valuable depth starter and swing man for the Yankees. He was tendered a contract for the 2025 campaign by the Yankees and stuck around on the club’s 40-man roster but was traded to the Cubs back in December as the return for Cody Bellinger.

The right-hander entered Spring Training with the Cubs but did not make the club’s roster out of camp after a strong showing from non-roster invitee Brad Keller. Poteet was DFA’d to make room for Keller on the roster and found himself back in the AL East shortly thereafter when he was traded to the Orioles in late March. After Poteet made his aforementioned single appearance for the Orioles on April 20, he was shelved with right shoulder inflammation that has kept him out of action ever since. Poteet did begin a rehab assignment last week and threw two scoreless innings for the Norfolk Tides, and now that he’s been activated from the shelf and outrighted to the minors he’ll continue pitching for the Tides through the end of the year if he decides to remain in the organization.

Of course, that’s not necessarily guaranteed. Poteet was outrighted to the minors by the Marlins previously in his career, meaning that he has the opportunity to reject Baltimore’s assignment in favor of electing free agency. Poteet will remain eligible for a team’s postseason roster if he signs with another organization prior to September 1, so it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him land elsewhere as a depth option for a pitching-hungry club still in the playoff hunt. Of course, with Poteet only built up to one inning so far and minimal work at the big league level this season, the righty might also simply go wherever gives him the best shot of cracking a big league roster in September, whether that’s staying in the Orioles organization or signing a fresh contract elsewhere.

Orioles Release Matt Bowman

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The Orioles released right-hander Matt Bowman, according to the team’s official transactions page.  Bowman was designated for assignment earlier this week, which marked the fourth time this season Baltimore had sent the righty to DFA limbo.

This time, however, the O’s opted to just release Bowman rather than outright him off the 40-man roster.  Bowman cleared waivers after his previous three DFAs and accepted an outright assignment to Triple-A, even though he had the ability to elect free agency after any of those outrights.  It could be that the Orioles and Bowman agreed to a release this time just to give Bowman a bit more opportunity to catch on with a contender before August 31 (the postseason roster eligibility deadline), or perhaps the O’s are just ready to part ways with the 34-year-old.

Since Bowman is out of minor league options, his last few seasons have been a flurry of moves on and off rosters, with 59 1/3 total innings and 48 appearances with five different teams since Opening Day 2023.  That includes a four-inning stint with the Yankees in 2023, appearances with the Orioles and three other clubs in 2024, and a return to Baltimore in the form of 24 2/3 frames in the majors this year.  With only a 6.20 ERA over those 24 2/3 innings, Bowman didn’t do much to help his case to stick in the Orioles’ bullpen.

His 4.10 ERA, 21.8K%, and 5.5% walk rate over 26 1/3 innings at Triple-A Norfolk has been better, even if his ERA has been inflated by home runs.  Bowman could possibly parlay these solid numbers into another minor league contract elsewhere, and a return to Baltimore’s organization probably can’t be ruled out if Bowman can’t find a deal with a new club.

Orioles Outright Vimael Machín

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The Orioles announced that infielder Vimael Machín, who had been designated for assignment earlier in the week, has cleared waivers and been outrighted to Triple-A Norfolk. He had the right to elect free agency since he has a previous career outright but has accepted the assignment.

Machín, 31, signed a minor league deal with the O’s in the offseason. He was selected to the roster a week ago when Jordan Westburg landed on the injured list. He hit a home run in his first game but didn’t do much apart from that. That homer was his only hit in 12 plate appearances, with one walk as well, leading to a .091/.167/.364 slash line.

He also got some criticism from fans for a play against the Red Sox on Sunday, seen in this video from MLB.com, where he either forgot how many outs there were or simply didn’t act aggressively enough to turn a double play. Playing third base, he fielded a sharp grounder, lightly jogged to tag the bag for a force out but then threw too late to record the out at first. Instead of the inning being over, a wild pitch and double followed to knock in two more runs.

He was designated for assignment the next day. The 29 other clubs passed on the chance to grab him off waivers. By accepting the assignment, he’ll continue to provide the O’s with non-roster depth. He has a .204/.286/.264 line in 373 big league plate appearances but a .289/.367/.449 line in 1,341 Triple-A plate appearances since the canceled 2020 season. He has minor league experience at every position on the diamond, though just one inning at catcher, two on the mound and just one in center field.

Photo courtesy of Gregory Fisher, Imagn Images

Orioles Designate Roansy Contreras For Assignment

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The Orioles announced Thursday morning that right-hander Roansy Contreras has been designated for assignment. His spot on the roster goes to righty Shawn Dubin, who has now been added to the roster after being claimed off waivers out of the Astros organization.

It’ll be a one-and-done stop on the big league roster for Contreras, a former top prospect with the Yankees and Pirates who landed in Baltimore by way of the waiver wire this past offseason. He’s pitched well in Triple-A this season and gave the O’s 4 1/3 innings of scoreless long relief yesterday in his team debut. That lengthy appearance obviously renders him unavailable for the next few days, however, and Contreras is out of minor league options and thus couldn’t be sent down without first passing through waivers.

Some fans will bristle at the notion of a pitcher being called up, pitching as well as Contreras did, and then being removed from the 40-man roster. This type of transaction is common among today’s baseball operations departments, however, and Contreras’ camp likely knew it’d be a one-off appearance due to his lack of minor league options. The O’s could have subtracted Dietrich Enns instead, as he’s also out of options and unavailable for a few days after tossing 34 pitches yesterday, but Enns has pitched well overall in nine total outings with strong rate stats.

Designating Contreras leaves the Orioles with a mostly full slate of relief options, and based on his minimal MLB track record, there’s a good chance he’ll clear waivers and could thus stick around as a depth option despite the DFA. Contreras, after all, was on waivers five times this past offseason before the Orioles succeeded in passing him through at the end of spring training.

In 239 big league innings, Contreras has a 4.63 earned run average. He’s fanned 19.6% of his opponents against a 10% walk rate. He was effective in Triple-A Norfolk this year, tossing 91 2/3 innings of 3.73 ERA ball with a sub-par 17.8% strikeout rate but a solid 8.4% walk rate. That generally aligns with his career numbers in Triple-A (3.83 ERA in parts of four seasons). The O’s can hope to pass Contreras through waivers within the next couple of days, though he’ll be available to the other 29 teams and would have the right to reject an outright assignment even if he does clear.

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