The Orioles used 60 players this season, 10 fewer than last season’s record of 70. That’s still a lot of turnover.
Twenty-one of those 60, more than a third, had bit roles, position players who appeared in fewer than 20 games or pitchers who threw in six games or fewer.
A handful of those 21 are well known. Félix Bautista, Zach Eflin and Ryan Mountcastle combined for 11 games played. Their injury stories are well known.
Inexplicably, Heston Kjerstad played in just 11 September games, though he was in the lineup for last Sunday’s rainout.
Six players appeared in just one game. Eflin, who left his first start after just 3 2/3 innings, which led to Tommy John surgery, relievers Jose Espada and Cameron Weston, pinch-hitter Maverick Handley, infielder Luis Vázquez and outfielder Michael Siani.
Espada also pitched in only game in 2025. Handley, who was lost on a waiver claim to Atlanta, and Vázquez had more extensive playing time last year.
Weston pitched one scoreless inning and later was lost on waivers to the New York Mets. Siani got one at-bat in a 12-1 Orioles win over the Dodgers on June 21st.
Siani’s claim to fame is being the distant cousin of onetime NFL wide receiver Mike Siani, who had a nine-year career with the Oakland Raiders and Baltimore Colts.
Some of those short-time Orioles made themselves valuable. Utility player Weston Wilson hit .231 in 19 games and pitched in three lopsided losses.
Wilson’s Oriole career came to a surprising end when he was designated for assignment and later lost on waivers to Seattle when catcher Samuel Basallo left a game with right abdominal discomfort in Toronto, and the Orioles thought the injury would take several days to heal.
Not wanting to be without a spare catcher, the Orioles hurriedly promoted Sam Huff and cut ties with Wilson.
Basallo recovered quickly, and the Orioles were without Wilson, who had proved useful.
Huff didn’t distinguish himself, hitting just .121 in 14 games, striking out 19 times in 33 at-bats. He filed for free agency last week.
Another catcher, Yohel Pozo, was able to stay on the roster for the final two months of the season, appearing in 19 games, hitting .259. He’ll go into the offseason on the 40-man roster and hopes to make the team as a backup in 2027.
The Orioles tied a franchise record, using seven catchers this season. Chadwick Tromp was one of the seven both last year and this, playing six games last year and nine in 2026. He also pitched in a blowout loss.
Tromp signed with the Dodgers in August but never played in the majors for them.
Outfielder Rece Hinds will be remembered less than fondly by Oriole fans. In what turned out to be the last game of the Orioles’ season, Hinds played what could have been the worst individual game in team history, striking out five times and misplaying two balls in the outfield on September 25th.
The week before, Hinds forgot to take his sunglasses to right field, and lost a ball in the sun, leading to the game’s only run, and earned a lecture from a furious manager Craig Albernaz.
Reliever Lou Trivino has 37 career saves and an 0.96 ERA in nine postseason games. He had an 18.00 ERA in two games for the Orioles. Trivino was hurriedly signed and activated on May 4th and allowed six runs while recording two outs in the eighth inning of a 12-1 loss at Yankee Stadium.
Reliever Nick Raquet was in four games for the Orioles, doubling his number of major league appearances. The 30-year-old left-hander didn’t play professional ball for three seasons while he worked in finance in Washington.
He suffered a serious elbow injury while pitching for Triple-A Norfolk, and his career is again in jeopardy.
Right-hander Cameron Foster came to the Orioles in July 2025 from the New York Mets in the trade for left-hander Gregory Soto. Foster appeared in six games.
He suffered a shoulder injury while pitching for Norfolk in May, threw three times for High-A Frederick, and remains on the 40-man roster.
Infielder José Barrero was promoted when second baseman Jackson Holliday’s season ended in September due to a left shoulder injury. He played in two games.
Outfielder Johnathan Rodríguez was purchased by the Orioles just after Opening Day and played in seven games. Strapped for right-handed hitting, Rodríguez was the cleanup hitter three times in April.
Orioles president of baseball operations Mike Elias was excited about his acquisition of 2023 American League All-Star outfielder Luis Robert Jr.
Robert was selected off waivers from the New York Mets on August 31st, and Elias thought that Robert’s addition could enable the Orioles to get into the postseason.
Unfortunately, Robert injured a hamstring and played just three games. The Orioles owe Robert $20 million in salary for 2027 or a $2 million buyout.
The most interesting cameo might belong to catcher Jake Rogers, who came from Detroit on July 30th.
Rogers came with the reputation of being a good clubhouse guy, but after a weekend with the Orioles was traded to the Boston Red Sox along with Adley Rutschman.
Eleven days later, Rogers was claimed off waivers by the Chicago White Sox, setting a major league record by playing for four different teams in 21 days.
He ended the regular season on the White Sox’s paternity list and isn’t on the roster for the Division Series.
Rogers reportedly likes to complete the challenging Immaculate Grid each day by using only catchers.
I was going to ask him about that pastime while he was with the Orioles, but he wasn’t around long enough for me to ask him about it. I’ll try to use him in the grid the next chance I get.
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