Orioles waiting to promote star prospect to maximize potential long-term gains

To say there is a need in the outfield would be an understatement, as Beavers could slide right into the starting lineup and receive regular playing time right away. However, the franchise has opted against making that call-up to this point.

Fans may be frustrated by the delay in seeing the 2022 first-round pick up in the major leagues, but it makes plenty of sense why the Orioles are waiting to make the move: the long-term potential far outweighs the impact he could make in the short term.

As shared by Jacob Calvin Meyer of the Baltimore Sun, there is no incentive for Beavers to be promoted before August 15 because it would ruin their opportunity to land a Prospect Promotion Incentive pick in the 2027 MLB Draft.

One of the qualifications is that a player has to be rookie eligible in 2026, which includes not being promoted to the big leagues before that aforementioned date or receiving 130 at-bats. That player has to be listed among the top 100 in two out of three preseason lists between Baseball America, MLB Pipeline, and ESPN. Last but not least, he needs to win his league's Rookie of the Year Award (in Beavers' case, the AL award).

Outproducing every other rookie in the league in 2026 and taking home some hardware is certainly no easy task. But just having the opportunity to add another draft pick to their cache down the road is more important than getting Beavers some at-bats before August 15. Baltimore can look to call up the 24-year-old after that date, but they'd need to manage his at-bats carefully to make sure he maintains rookie status.

Despite how ugly things have been in the outfield, Beavers helping the Orioles win games in the first half of August isn’t as important for the long-term outlook of the franchise as potentially adding more draft picks in 2027.