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Isaac Mattson

Orioles Outright Isaac Mattson

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The Orioles announced this afternoon that reliever Isaac Mattson has cleared waivers and been sent outright to Triple-A Norfolk. The move clears a spot on the Baltimore 40-man roster, which now sits at 39.

Baltimore added Mattson to the roster last offseason to keep him from being selected in the Rule 5 draft. The O’s had previously acquired the University of Pittsburgh product from the Angels as part of the Dylan Bundy trade in December 2019. Mattson made his first four big league appearances last season, allowing three runs in 4 1/3 innings with three strikeouts and five walks.

It was a rough season with Norfolk, where the righty spent the majority of the year. He tossed 17 1/3 innings in 18 outings, pitching to a 6.23 ERA. The 26-year-old had a solid 29.6% strikeout percentage and 7.4% walk rate, but he was plagued by a .447 opponents batting average on balls in play.

Mattson has never before been outrighted and doesn’t have the requisite service time to refuse the assignment. He’ll remain in Norfolk — where he’d already been after the O’s optioned him to start the year — and try to pitch his way back onto the 40-man roster.

Padres Claim Shaun Anderson Off Waivers From Orioles

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The Padres claimed right-hander Shaun Anderson off waivers from the Orioles today, both teams announced. The Padres optioned the right-hander to Triple-A El Paso.

Anderson’s time with the Orioles was brief, as he made just seven appearances totalling 10 innings after being claimed off waivers from the Twins. Anderson surrendered 10 earned runs on 17 hits and five walks while striking out seven. He’ll provide depth for the Padres, whose pitching staff has struggled to stay healthy this season.

As for the Orioles, they made a number of their own roster moves today, reinstating Ryan Hartman from the injured list, recalling Isaac Mattson, and designating Conner Greene for assignment. Greene, 26, made just three appearances for the O’s, yielding six earned runs in 3 2/3 innings.

Orioles Make Five Roster Moves

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The Orioles announced a series of roster moves prior to tonight’s game with the Astros, including the news that right-hander Travis Lakins Sr. is heading to the 10-day injured list due to right elbow pain.  Additionally, infielder Stevie Wilkerson has been designated for assignment and left-handed Alexander Wells was optioned to Triple-A.  Filling the spots on the active roster will be right-handers Isaac Mattson and Spenser Watkins — Mattson was called up from Triple-A, while Watkins’ contract was selected.  USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reported earlier today that Watkins would be added to Baltimore’s 26-man roster.

Lakins was making a rare appearance as a starting pitcher last night when his elbow issue forced him out of the game ( a 13-3 Orioles victory over the Astros) after 1 2/3 innings.  O’s manager Brandon Hyde specified to The Baltimore Sun’s Jon Meoli and other reporters that Lakins suffered an elbow strain, and the righty will undergo further evaluation.  This isn’t Lakins’ first time dealing with elbow problems, as inflammation cut short his 2016 season while pitching in the Red Sox minor league system.

Baltimore claimed Lakins off waivers from the Cubs in the 2019-20 offseason, and the right-hander had a solid 2.81 ERA over 25 2/3 relief innings for the Orioles last year.  Things haven’t gone as smoothly this season, however, as Lakins has a 5.79 ERA and 13.8% walk rate over 28 innings of work in 2021.

With the O’s still in need of some rotation help while John Means is on the IL, it could open the door for Watkins to get a look in the starting five as he gets his first taste of the big leagues.  A 30th-round pick for the Tigers in 2014, Watkins pitched well at the lower levels of Detroit’s farm system but had some struggles at Double-A and Triple-A.  This almost led him to walk away from the game, as Nightengale notes that Watkins had a high school coaching job lined up before he signed a minor league deal with the Orioles this winter.

Wilkerson was another offseason minors signing for the O’s, and the utilityman appeared in 30 games for the team, hitting only .167/.211/.208 over 76 plate appearances.  Wilkerson didn’t see any big league action in 2020, and he has a career .210/.268/.340 slash line in 486 PA over parts of three seasons with Baltimore.

Orioles To Select Zac Lowther, Option Isaac Mattson

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The Orioles optioned Isaac Mattson to Triple-A after Friday night’s game, creating a roster spot for Zac Lowther, per Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com (via Twitter). Lowther will start Saturday’s ballgame.

Mattson was drafted and raised in the Angels’ farm system, but he made his Major League debut last night for the Orioles. He surrendered one earned run on a walk and a hit in 2/3 of an inning. Mattson wrapped the 2019 season with five innings in Triple-A with the Salt Lake City Bees. He came to Baltimore as one of four pitchers in the Dylan Bundy trade.

Lowther will make his second appearance of the season on Saturday, having previously tossed a scoreless inning against the A’s on April 25th. Fangraphs has him as Baltimore’s 18th-ranked prospect coming into the season. Elite extension helps buoy a fairly standard three-pitch mix for the former second round pick. Lowther posted a 2.55 ERA across 148 innings in Double-A back in 2019.

Orioles Designate Renato Nunez For Assignment

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The Orioles are designating infielder Renato Núñez for assignment, per various reporters (including Joe Trezza of MLB.com). Baltimore is also adding six players to the 40-man roster in advance of tonight’s deadline to protect players from the Rule 5 draft: infielder Rylan Bannon, outfielder Yusniel Diaz, right-handers Michael Baumann and Isaac Mattson and left-handers Zac Lowther and Alexander Wells.

Some may be surprised to see the Orioles letting go of Núñez. The 26-year-old has been an everyday player for Baltimore over the past two seasons, slugging .469 and hitting 43 home runs in 815 plate appearances. However, as MLBTR’s Steve Adams explored at length in previewing the Orioles’ offseason, Núñez indeed looked like a potential non-tender candidate. Núnez’s relatively low walk rates have led to a lackluster .314 on-base percentage over the past two years. He’s not well-regarded as a defender at third base, either. Overall, he’s only been worth around one win above replacement the past two seasons combined in the estimation of both FanGraphs and Baseball Reference.

Evidently, Baltimore decided Núñez’s on-base and defensive deficiencies outweighed the power potential he brings, particularly as he enters arbitration for the first time. Núñez is projected for a salary in the $2.1MM – $3.9MM range this offseason, and the Orioles were clearly prepared to non-tender him prior to the December 2 deadline. With that settled, there’s little reason to keep Núñez on the 40-man roster beyond today’s Rule 5 protection deadline.

It’s still possible the O’s find a trade partner involving Núñez in the coming days. He does have some appeal as a potential 1B/DH option and hit better in 2020 than he had in 2019. If another team were to acquire Núñez, they could control him through arbitration for the next four seasons.

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