Nick

Maton

Maton hit .261 with 16 home runs at Triple-A, but there’s no spot for him on the Orioles. He cleared waivers after he was designated for assignment over the weekend. Maton can refuse the assignment, but either way he’ll become a minor league free agent at the end of the year.

Maton was 0-for-5 in four appearances since being called up Sept. 2. He has had a nice year in Triple-A, batting .261/.368/.477 with 16 homers in 86 games, but he’ll probably clear waivers anyway.

Maton will take on a utility role with Jordan Westburg, Jorge Mateo and Ramón Urías all on the injured list. He had a .262/.370/.477 line with 16 homers in 90 minor league games.

Maton will stick around as extra organizational depth after passing through waivers unclaimed earlier this week. The 27-year-old infielder got into one game this season for Baltimore after appearing in 179 contests between the Tigers and Phillies since 2021.

The move clears a spot on the active roster for Heston Kjerstad but also opens up a spot on the 40-man roster as well. With the Orioles’ starting pitching struggling due to injuries, it’s possible the team could be looking to add another pitcher to the 40-man roster. It should be noted that the team’s 17th-ranked prospect is RHP Chayce McDermott and he is not on the 40-man roster. This move could open up a spot for the Orioles to promote him, should they choose to.

Maton was hitting .292/.390/.481 in 182 plate appearances in the minors this season. He’ll serve as a reserve infielder until Jordan Westburg is feeling better. The Orioles could keep him around afterwards, too, since he probably makes more sense as a seldom-used 26th man than any of the younger players on the 40-man roster.

Maton was designated for assignment Tuesday and went unclaimed. The infielder could see time with Baltimore as a bench option, but the Orioles will need to add him to the 40-man roster in order to make such a transaction.

The Orioles needed to make room to add Tony Kemp, so Maton is the odd man out as the team wraps up Spring Training. The 27-year-old didn’t record a hit in his 29 plate appearances with Baltimore this spring. Maton has been a sub-.260 hitter in his first three seasons in the majors and finished with a career-low .173 batting average with Tigers in 2023.

Maton had been designated for assignment by the Tigers earlier in the week. The 26-year-old had a brutal 2023 season offensively — slashing a woeful .173/.288/.305 with eight homers, 32 RBI and a stolen base over 293 plate appearances with the Tigers. He’ll add emergency depth for the Orioles, but is an extreme longshot to crack their Opening Day roster in a reserve role — even though he is out of minor league options.

The 26-year-old had a .173/.288/.305 slash line with eight homers, 32 RBI and one stolen base across 293 plate appearances for the Tigers in 2023 and then underwent offseason knee surgery. He does possess some good defensive versatility and posted an 8.4 percent barrel rate in 2023, so some team may be willing to take a chance on ironing out his swing-and-miss issues.