Beginning the final road trip of the season and aiming to clinch a playoff spot in the Bronx, the Orioles activated first baseman Ryan Mountcastle and optioned designated hitter Eloy Jimenez to Triple-A Norfolk on Tuesday.
On the injured list since spraining his left wrist on Aug. 22, Mountcastle went 1-for-11 with six strikeouts in a three-game rehab stint with Norfolk over the weekend, but at the very least, the Orioles will be happy to welcome back his defense at first base and provide a breather to Ryan O’Hearn, who is batting .193 with a .521 on-base plus slugging percentage in September. The streaky Mountcastle, 27, was in the midst of a tough second half at the time of his injury with one home run and a .643 OPS since the All-Star break, but Baltimore hopes he can provide a spark for a lineup that’s really struggled to score runs over the final two months of 2024.
In 485 plate appearances this season, Mountcastle is batting .265 with 13 homers, 29 doubles, 61 runs batted in, and a .730 OPS.
Acquired from Chicago at the trade deadline, Jimenez provided an early lift by going 14-for-32 over his first 11 games with the Orioles, but the power outage that resulted in the White Sox finally giving up on him has continued with his new club as he’s hit just one home run and slugged .316 in 100 plate appearances. Jimenez is 1-for-24 in the month of September.
Barring any injuries to the active roster going into the postseason, the 27-year-old Jimenez may have played his final game with the Orioles as a $16.5 million team option for his services certainly isn’t going to be exercised for the 2025 season.
The Orioles also released former closer Craig Kimbrel on Tuesday after designating him for assignment last week.
Since Sept. 15, Baltimore has activated six players from the IL, a list also including infielders Jordan Westburg and Ramon Urias, relievers Danny Coulombe and Jacob Webb, and outfielder Heston Kjerstad. Starting pitcher Grayson Rodriguez remains on the IL with a right lat strain, and it’s unclear when — or if — he’ll be able to return for the postseason since he hadn’t advanced beyond throwing bullpen sessions as of this past weekend.
The Orioles entered Tuesday with the chance to clinch a wild-card spot with a win over the Yankees and a loss by Kansas City or Minnesota. With six games to play, Baltimore holds a four-game lead over Kansas City and Detroit for the top wild-card spot.
