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player ready...The Luis Robert Jr. era in Baltimore was short-lived.
The Baltimore Orioles have declined the oft-injured outfielder’s $20 million team option for 2027, the club announced Saturday amid a series of roster moves. The team will instead be on the hook for a $2 million buyout, completing a $5 million gamble that resulted in Robert playing just three games in an Orioles uniform.
Robert, 29, joined the Orioles by waiver claim just before rosters expanded in September. The New York Mets designated him for assignment, and Baltimore scooped him up in a last-ditch playoff push. The Orioles sold at the trade deadline, but the team rallied back to .500 on Aug. 31, and Robert fit the lefty-heavy outfield.
Robert played his first six seasons with the Chicago White Sox before a January 2026 trade to the Mets.
He recorded a two-run double in his Orioles debut and homered in his first game at Camden Yards, but his next contest would be his last as Robert suffered a season-ending hamstring strain. The two-time All-Star is a .256 career hitter with 113 home runs and a .762 OPS, but he’s only appeared in more than 110 games once across seven seasons.
With Robert out of the picture — barring a surprise return in free agency — the Orioles have eight outfielders on their 40-man roster, with the potential for 2023 first-round pick Enrique Bradfield Jr. to join them if they decide to protect him from the Rule 5 draft. Baltimore got its offseason started by re-signing outfielder Rece Hinds to a one-year MLB deal, and more moves are expected to follow after the unit largely underperformed in 2026.
Baltimore also announced that it designated four players for assignment, and they all cleared waivers: right-hander Albert Suárez, infielder José Barrero, right-hander Cody Heuer and right-hander Colin Selby. Heuer and Selby accepted outright assignments to Triple-A Norfolk while Suárez and Barrero elected free agency.
Suárez was the only member of the group to make a significant impact for the Orioles this season, posting a 3.86 ERA in 63 innings as a long reliever. The club released and re-signed him four times throughout the season, shuttling him back and forth between Triple-A and the majors all summer even though he was out of minor league options.
Barrero spent most of the season in Norfolk and hit .202 with 23 home runs and a .702 OPS, appearing in two games for Baltimore as a utility infielder. The Orioles acquired Heuer in a cash trade with the Milwaukee Brewers at the deadline, and he never threw a pitch before being sent down for the rest of the season.
Selby was on the Orioles’ 2024 playoff roster but missed the entire year with a shoulder injury. He’s expected to begin next season on the injured list after surgery in July.
The moves left the Orioles with 33 players on their 40-man roster ahead of free agency opening Monday.