The Orioles have claimed outfielder Luis Robert Jr. off waivers from the Mets, SNY reports.
The 29-year-old Robert Jr. has been limited to just 58 games played this season because of a back injury that cost him almost three months, but he's turned in a solid season when healthy.
Since returning from the injured list, Robert Jr. has slugged .454. He's also still capable of playing a solid center field, and he's not far removed from a 2025 campaign with the White Sox that saw him steal 33 bases. In 2023, Robert Jr. earned an All-Star selection and won a Silver Slugger.
In claiming Robert Jr., the Orioles will owe him roughly $3 million for the remainder of the 2026 season. His contract includes a $20 million club option or $2 million buyout for 2027, for which Baltimore will be on the hook. The Mets, meanwhile, will no longer be responsible for that remaining pay and the 100% luxury tax penalties, and have now cleared more playing time for young outfielders Carson Benge and A.J. Ewing.
Less than a month ago, the Orioles were deadline sellers, and in the outfield in particular, they dealt away Taylor Ward to the Mariners. While Baltimore is still below .500 on the season at 68-69 going into Monday's slate, they've been trending upward since July. More to the point, the third wild-card spot in the American League presents an opportunity to teams that would be non-entities in most MLB seasons. Right now, the Orioles are only one game behind the Guardians for that final playoff spot on the AL side, which helps explain why they're now taking steps to address an outfield situation that they made weaker with the Ward trade on Aug. 3.
Colton Cowser may remain in center even after the Robert Jr. addition, or he could shift to a corner. However they sort that out, the cascading effect will likely be to return Leody Taveras to the bench role that best suits him and thus strengthen the outfield offensively for the final stretch of the regular season.
Robert Jr. isn't the future star he looked like back in that breakout campaign of 2023, but as late August waiver claims go, he's potentially a useful addition. That's especially the case given the Orioles' post-deadline outfield situation.
