Ramon

Laureano

A few weeks ago, the Orioles reported that Mateo would be limited in camp, but there had been hope he would be ready to start the season. That no longer appears to be the case. With Mateo likely starting the year on the IL, that will give Ramon Laureano and Ramon Urias an even better chance to win bench spots out of spring training.

After signing Ramón Laureano last week, the Orioles have six players competing for four spots in the outfield. Tyler O’Neill and Cedric Mullins seem like locks to start in left field and center field respectively. That leaves Colton Cowser and Laureano as a potential platoon in right field since Cowser bats left-handed and Laureano bats right-handed. That would mean Heston Kjerstad needs to hit well enough to win a backup first base or outfield job or he could also be at risk for demotion. Carlson, who has minor-league options remaining, seems destined to start the season in Triple-A if everybody is healthy.

The deal is now official. Laureano heads to Baltimore as extra outfield depth behind starters Cedric Mullins, Tyler O’Neill and Colton Cowser. The 30-year-old is capable of filling in at all three spots, which makes him an invaluable bench option over someone like former top prospect Heston Kjerstad, who offers limited defensive appeal. He was non-tendered by the Braves earlier this offseason after batting .259/.311/.437 with 11 homers and eight steals across 309 plate appearances between Atlanta and Cleveland last season. He’s a non-factor for fantasy purposes at this stage of his career, but he has landed in an ideal spot with hitter-friendly Camden Yards giving him a shot at rebuilding his long-term value as a lefty-mashing platoon specialist.

Laureano was non-tendered by Atlanta in November despite hitting .296/.327/.505, and now the 30-year-old will spend 2025 with the Baltimore organization. The 30-year-old isn’t likely to be a regular with the Orioles, but he should see playing time against left-handed pitching while getting starts in all three outfield spots. He’s the definition of a player who helps real-life rosters much more than fantasy teams.

The Braves have been known to cycle through — and then recycle — outfielder over the past few seasons, so just because Laureano is getting the boot now doesn’t mean he won’t resurface again with the Braves at some point. The 30-year-old hit .296/.327/.505 with 10 homers, 29 RBI and five stolen bases in 226 plate appearances with the Braves in 2024. He shouldn’t have a problem finding work on the open market.

Laureano’s sixth inning home run brought the Braves within one run after they’d trailed for this entire game. The momentum seemed like it was starting to shift as he emotionally rounded the bases while being cheered on by his teammates. Then, he reached on an error to start the eighth inning and it immediately felt like Atlanta was going to tie this game up until Laureno was caught stealing just a few pitches later. Nevertheless, he’s been a key cog for the injury-riddled Braves and has been playing his best ball of late with five home runs and a .917 OPS over his last 30 games.

That’s now four straight starts for Laureano, who seems to have taken the left field job back from Jarred Kelenic after the Braves, somewhat questionably, decided to give Kelenic another stretch as the starter to begin the month. Laureano is hitting .309 in 44 games since the All-Star break with six home runs, 18 runs, 18 RBI, and four steals. If you dropped him when it seemed like he had been relegated to the bench, you should go ahead and add him again.

Even with the Dodgers starting a right-handed pitcher, the Braves will start Laureano over Jarred Kelenic. Kelenic has been starting regularly against right-handed pitchers, but he’s hitting just .178 in 44 games since the All-Star break with five home runs, 18 runs scored, and 46 strikeouts. Laureano has been the better player and could see a boost in fantasy value if he begins to start regularly.

With the Nationals starting a left-handed pitcher, the Braves finally started Laureano again over Jarred Kelenic, and the veteran responded. He came into today hitting .307 in 38 games since the All-Star break and has been far and away the better player between the two. If the Braves start to play him regularly, he could provide some solid fantasy value.

Jarred Kelenic will continue to start against right-handed pitching despite hitting .190 with 43 strikeouts over 41 games since the All-Star break. In his defense, Kelenic has had a solid five games to start September, but this feels like a short-sighted move for the Braves since Laureano is hitting .307 with six home runs, 16 runs scored, 14 RBI, and four steals in 38 games since coming to Atlanta.