Orioles Select Anthony Bemboom, Designate Anthony Castro

The Baltimore Orioles have begun their offseason quickly, selecting catcher Anthony Bemboom from Triple-A Norfolk and designating right-hander Anthony Castro for assignment.

Bemboom joined the Orioles on a minor league contract in the offseason, making the Opening Day roster for the 2022 season before being designated for assignment with the arrival of Adley Rutschman. He passed through waivers unclaimed and was outrighted to Triple-A Norfolk where he spent the rest of the season.

Bemboom had a poor showing in his limited time in the Majors this season, slashing .115/.207/.212 in 52 at-bats for a .418 OPS and throwing out three of eight runners attempting to steal.  This production was nothing unusual for the 32-year-old, with Bemboom posting a combined .160/.231/.265 slash line in 181 at-bats over parts of four seasons. In Norfolk, Bemboom produced a marginally better .228/.292/.350 line in 123 at-bats, but he is a career .247/.340/.392/.732 hitter in Triple-A.

This transaction prevents Bemboom from becoming a minor league free agent, and, with just over one year of Major League service time, the Orioles can retain him as a cheap backup to their star catcher if they keep him on the 40-man roster all winter. Current backup Robinson Chirinos is a pending free agent, and recent waiver claim Cam Gallagher is a non-tender candidate.

Castro joined the Orioles off waivers from the Guardians on September 3rd and was sent straight to Triple-A, not appearing at the Major League level with the Orioles. Nevertheless, he has pitched in each of the last three MLB seasons, all with different teams — the Tigers in 2020, the Blue Jays in 2021, and the Guardians in 2022.

In 2022 with the Guardians, Castro pitched to a 7.43 ERA in 13 1/3 innings with a poor 18.5% strikeout rate and a high 15.4% walk rate. Castro has had more success in Triple-A Norfolk, authoring a 2.16 ERA in 8 1/3 innings, striking out eight but walking eight. Castro will hit the waiver wire in the next couple days. If he goes unclaimed, he’ll be eligible for minor league free agency this winter and will likely sign another minor league deal with a Spring Training opportunity.