Vazquez signed a one-year contract with the Orioles on Thursday.
Vazquez appeared in 36 games for Baltimore in 2025, slashing .160/.208/.240 over 53 plate appearances. He put up far better numbers at Triple-A, logging a .756 OPS over 43 contests. The 26-year-old infielder will now officially return for a second year in the Orioles organization, though he figures to remain a depth piece.
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Orioles' Rico Garcia: Re-signs with Orioles
Rotowire
The Orioles re-signed Garcia to a one-year contract Thursday.
Garcia pitched for three different teams during the 2025 season but finished out the year strongly with the Orioles, collecting a 2.84 ERA and 20:6 K:BB over 19 innings. The right-hander will turn 32 in January and should fill a middle-relief role in Baltimore next season.
Orioles' Albert Suarez: Diagnosed with flexor strain
Rotowire
Suarez has been diagnosed with a mild flexor strain in his right forearm, Andy Kostka of TheBaltimoreBanner.com reports.
Suarez suffered the injury during his final appearance of the regular season Sept. 14. He's expected to begin a throwing program in the coming weeks. Suarez was limited to just 11.2 innings for the Orioles this season, with most of the missed time occurring due to a right shoulder strain.
Cowser was diagnosed with two fractured ribs after colliding with the outfield wall during a June 12 game against the Tigers, Andy Kostka of The Baltimore Banner reports.
Cowser missed three games with what the Orioles referred to simply as general soreness at the time, but the outfielder has now revealed that he had a more serious diagnosis. While Cowser homered three times in the first four games after returning from the rib fractures, he finished the season slashing a disappointing .196/.269/.385 with 16 homers and 14 steals over just 92 contests. Cowser also missed time with a fractured thumb and a concussion, but he entered the offseason with a clean bill of health.
Orioles' Jose Barrero: Returns on minor-league pact
Rotowire
Barrero agreed Thursday to a new minor-league contract with the Orioles, Francys Romero of BeisbolFR.com reports.
Barrero split time in 2025 between the Cardinals and Orioles organizations and appeared in 22 games at the big-league level, all of which came with St. Louis. After being dropped from the Cardinals' 40-man roster in late June, Barrero elected free agency and caught on with the Orioles on a minor-league pact. He proceeded to spend the rest of the season at Triple-A Norfolk, slashing .190/.261/.344 with eight home runs and nine stolen bases across 218 plate appearances. While his new minor-league deal could include an invitation to major-league spring training, the 27-year-old utility man should be viewed as a long shot to win an Opening Day bench role with Baltimore.
Orioles' Adley Rutschman: Viewed as top catcher over Basallo
Rotowire
Orioles president of baseball operations Mike Elias said Monday that Rutschman remains "front and center" as the organization's top catcher, Andy Kostka of TheBaltimoreBanner.com reports.
Though Baltimore signed Samuel Basallo to a $67 million extension in August, the 21-year-old is regarded as a bat-first prospect who won't yet be entrusted to handle a full-time catching role in the big leagues. Basallo instead projects to see most of his reps at first base and designated hitter in 2026 while occasionally mixing in behind the plate, so long as Rutschman maintains health. When available this past season, Rutschman continued to provide value defensively, but his offensive production continued its downward trend from his 2022 rookie campaign. Over 365 plate appearances in 2025, Rutschman turned in a .673 OPS and supplied underwhelming counting statistics (nine home runs, zero steals, 37 runs and 29 RBI) in his 90 games. Set to turn 28 in February, Rutschman still has time to regain his prior form at the plate, but investing in him in 2026 fantasy drafts may require some blind faith on the part of fantasy managers.
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Orioles' Grayson Rodriguez: Will ramp up throwing in October
Rotowire
Orioles president of baseball operations Mike Elias said Monday that Rodriguez (elbow) will begin ramping up his throwing program in October, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.
Rodriguez missed the entire 2025 season due to multiple issues with his pitching arm and eventually had a right elbow debridement to remove a bone spur in August. Barring setbacks, Rodriguez is expected to be ready for the beginning of spring training. Even if he stays healthy in 2026, Rodriguez is likely to have some workload restrictions in place following a lost season.
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Orioles' Tyler Wells: Expected to be in 2026 rotation
Rotowire
Orioles president of baseball operations Mike Elias said Monday that the team plans for Wells to be a starting pitcher next season, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.
It's possible Wells opens next season in the bullpen if the Orioles make multiple high-impact starting pitcher acquisitions this offseason, but the righty set himself up well to be a member of the 2026 rotation after collecting a 2.91 ERA, 0.88 WHIP and 18:2 K:BB over 21.2 innings in four September starts following a return from UCL revision surgery. Because he's totaled just 62.1 frames over the last two seasons, Wells' workload will likely be monitored closely in 2026.
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Orioles' Heston Kjerstad: Receiving treatment for medical issue
Rotowire
Orioles president of baseball operations Mike Elias said Monday that Kjerstad has been undergoing treatments for a medical condition, Matt Weyrich of The Baltimore Sun reports.
Kjerstad last played at Triple-A Norfolk on July 25 due to what the team had described as fatigue. Elias declined to say whether the treatments were related to myocarditis, a condition Kjerstad was diagnosed with shortly after being drafted in 2020, which delayed his professional debut until 2022. Kjerstad has responded well to the treatments and is expected to be ready for spring training. It's possible Kjerstad's medical issue affected his performance in 2025, as he slashed a woeful .192/.240/.327 in 54 games for the Orioles and an even-worse .149/.225/.248 over 27 contests with Norfolk.
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