Orioles Make Several Roster Moves

The Orioles announced Wednesday morning that they’ve reinstated right-hander Dean Kremer from the 60-day injured list. He’ll start against the White Sox in a couple hours. Baltimore designated minor league catcher Dom Keegan for assignment to clear a spot on the 40-man roster. The O’s also recalled righty Cameron Weston from Triple-A Norfolk and optioned top prospect Trey Gibson and lefty Josh Walker.

Kremer is returning from a nine-week absence caused by a significant strain of his right quadriceps. The 30-year-old righty has made only two starts this season, allowing five runs in 11 innings of work, but he’s been a mainstay in the Baltimore rotation dating back to 2022.

Originally acquired by now-former baseball ops head Dan Duquette as part of the return for Manny Machado, Kremer has been a steady fourth starter for the past half decade. He took some time to find his footing in the majors, evidenced by a sky-high 6.84 ERA through his first 17 starts in 2020-21. Dating back to his 2022 breakout, however, Kremer owns a 3.95 ERA with a 20.6% strikeout rate, a 7.7% walk rate and a 39.9% ground-ball rate. Kremer’s whiff and grounder rates are both a bit worse than average, but he has solid command and a knack for inducing weak contact.

Kremer will bring some needed stability to the back of Baltimore’s rotation. Gibson, widely regarded as a top-100 prospect, has yet to find his stride through seven big league starts. He’s been tagged for an ERA north of 7.00 and has only twice completed five innings in his young big league career. Veteran Chris Bassitt is on the injured list after undergoing surgery to remove a bone spur from his back last week. Zach Eflin‘s season ended after just one start. Righty Brandon Young has stepped up in a big way, and Trevor Rogers has righted the ship after an awful start to his season, but the O’s could still very much use Kremer’s steadying presence to round out the staff.

Keegan, 25, was just claimed off waivers last week. The 2022 fourth-rounder had been designated for assignment by the division-leading Rays. He’s yet to make his big league debut and didn’t even get into a minor league game with the O’s before being designated for assignment.

Entering the season, Baseball America ranked Keegan 19th among Rays farmhands. Their offseason scouting reported touted his raw power and improved blocking ability, giving him the potential for a big league backup who can also provide some thump off the bench. His bat, however, has taken a considerable step back this season. After slashing .241/.306/.429 with 10 homers in 69 Triple-A games last year, Keegan has gotten out to a bleak .191/.327/.303 start in 51 games. He’s boosted his walk rate to a huge 14.5% (up from 8.1% last year) but has also seen an already troubling 30.6% strikeout rate skyrocket to 36.9%.

Teams in need of catching depth can now again weigh a a claim of Keegan. This year’s ugly downturn at the plate is certainly a red flag, but catchers with decent pop typically have broad appeal around the league — particularly when they have a full slate of minor league options, as Keegan does.