The Orioles made room for returning catcher Welington Castillo on the 25-man roster by outrighting outfielder Craig Gentry to Triple-A Norfolk ahead of Tuesday’s series opener in Detroit.
Castillo had spent the last two weeks on the 10-day disabled list while dealing with right shoulder tendinitis, but the Orioles surprisingly elected to keep No. 3 catcher Francisco Pena on the 25-man roster — at least for one night. Manager Buck Showalter indicated to reporters that keeping a third catcher would not be a long-term plan as the Orioles have been using a six-man bullpen for quite some time.
Pena is out of minor-league options and would have to be removed from the 40-man roster, leaving his future with the organization in doubt. He hit two home runs in Saturday’s loss in Kansas City and was 4-for-7 serving as the backup to Caleb Joseph while Castillo was out.
Showalter had been dealing with a crowded outfield picture since the return of Joey Rickard from the DL late last month, which had relegated Gentry to limited duty as a late-inning defensive replacement and pinch runner. The Orioles have been primarily using Rickard and rookie Trey Mancini as the corner outfielders against left-handed starters.
Gentry was hitting just .162 with one home run, four RBIs, and three stolen bases despite appearing in 33 of Baltimore’s 36 games. With Rickard missing action with a finger injury in April, the 34-year-old had served in the leadoff spot against left-handed starters, but he had not continued the spring success that won him a spot on the Opening Day roster.
Castillo was back in the starting lineup against the Tigers on Tuesday night and is hitting .314 with one homer, six doubles, six RBIs, and a .776 on-base plus slugging percentage.
