"The Orioles announced that outfielder Jhonkensy Noel has cleared outright waivers and been assigned to Triple-A Norfolk. He will stay in Baltimore's system but without taking up a spot on the roster. The O's are one of the most aggressive clubs when it comes to claiming players from the waiver wire and then putting them back out there shortly thereafter. The desired result is that the player clears, allowing the club to keep the player in a non-roster capacity, which has happened in this case."
"From there, the best-case scenario is that the player follows in the footsteps of Ryan O'Hearn. The O's acquired O'Hearn from the Royals in January of 2023 and then passed him through waivers. He hit his way back onto the roster a few months later. He spent more than two years as a productive member of the club before being traded to the Padres alongside Ramón Laureano for a package of prospects at the 2025 deadline."
"Noel, 24, has flashed big power in his career but has been a poor hitter apart from that. In 351 plate appearances with the Guardians over the past two seasons, he launched 19 home runs but his 4.8% walk rate and 32.8% strikeout rate were both significantly worse than league average. He had a .193/.242/.401 batting line and 79 wRC+ in that time. Since he's not an especially strong defender or baserunner, that offense was untenable."
Jhonkensy Noel cleared outright waivers and was assigned to Triple-A Norfolk, keeping him in the Orioles organization without a roster spot. Baltimore frequently claims players and re-exposes them to waivers to retain non-roster depth. The ideal outcome would mirror Ryan O'Hearn, who cleared waivers after being acquired and returned to the majors, spending more than two productive years in Baltimore. Noel, 24, has power but weak plate skills: 19 HR in 351 PA with a .193/.242/.401 line and 79 wRC+. He exhausted his final option in 2025. His Triple-A numbers (.285/.349/.538, 130 wRC+) are better, but a clear path back to the majors is limited.
Read at MLB Trade Rumors
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]