The Orioles have shaken up their 25-man roster prior to the start of a three-game set in Washington.
In addition to officially recalling catcher Caleb Joseph from Triple-A Norfolk to replace the demoted Chance Sisco, Baltimore has designated struggling veteran Pedro Alvarez for assignment and selected the contract of infielder Steve Wilkerson from the Tides.
With Mark Trumbo beginning the season on the disabled list, Alvarez had a good opening month, batting .237 with six home runs, 13 runs batted in, and a .933 on-base plus slugging percentage. However, the left-handed slugger had struggled mightily since May 1 with a .115 average and .424 OPS in his last 57 plate appearances.
In 127 plate appearances this season, Alvarez was batting .180 with eight homers, 18 RBIs, and a .698 OPS.
Wilkerson, 26, was batting .290 with three home runs, nine RBIs, and an .862 OPS in 70 plate appearances for Norfolk since returning from a 50-game ban for amphetamine use. The 2014 eighth-round pick is a switch hitter and was very much on the organization’s radar as a potential utility infielder prior to the announcement of his suspension this past offseason.
He batted a combined .305 with eight homers, 45 RBIs, and a .798 OPS between Single-A Frederick and Double-A Bowie last season and also hit .317 in the Arizona Fall League. Wilkerson has played all four infield positions and both corner outfield spots in the minor leagues, but his most extensive action has come at second base.
Batting .273 with two home runs, 14 RBIs, and a .702 OPS for Norfolk since being demoted by the Orioles last month, Joseph was in the starting lineup against the Nationals on Tuesday. According to STATS, he and younger brother Corban Joseph are now the 28th set of brothers to be teammates in the majors since 1980 and just the second set in Orioles history, joining Cal and Billy Ripken.
First baseman Chris Davis was out of the starting lineup for the sixth consecutive game as he continues to work on making adjustments in a woeful offensive season in which he’s batted just .150 with a .454 OPS. He has started in just two of Baltimore’s last 10 games and hasn’t recorded an extra-base hit in over a month.
