Orioles call up 2021 first-round pick Colton Cowser; outfielder makes major league debut vs. Yankees – The Denver Post

The Orioles’ strong start to the season came with a pair of prospects pounding on the door to make their respective debuts. In a little more than a week’s time, both have arrived in the majors.

Nine days after calling up infielder Jordan Westburg, the Orioles promoted outfielder Colton Cowser, their No. 2 prospect according to Baseball America, to the majors ahead of Wednesday night’s game at the New York Yankees. Drafted fifth overall in 2021, the 23-year-old Cowser was hitting .330/.459/.537 in 56 games with Triple-A Norfolk.

“This year, I came in with some goals I wanted to achieve,” Cowser said. “I didn’t get off to the greatest start, but ultimately, I think turning that around and then really starting to hit my stride was something that I wanted to do. Have some struggles, how quickly can you combat that, and ultimately, I think that I did.”

The Orioles opened space for Cowser on their active and 40-man rosters with a flurry of roster moves, also optioning outfielder Ryan McKenna to Norfolk, designating catcher Anthony Bemboom and right-hander Chris Vallimont for assignment, and selecting the contract of right-hander Eduard Bazardo.

Cowser, who wore No. 17, batted seventh and played left field in his major league debut Wednesday.

He went 1-for-3, including a left-on-left single to right field during the Orioles’ decisive four-run sixth inning. One of his outs was a 108 mph lineout to shortstop. Cowser also walked.

The lineup also included Westburg, the 30th overall pick in 2020, and catcher Adley Rutschman and Gunnar Henderson, Baltimore’s first two selections in the 2019 draft.

“He’s been one of my really close friends for a while now,” Henderson said. “It’ll be really fun to have him out here and kind of joke around with him and just see him get out there. … Hats off to the scouting department. They’ve had a lot of great guys, even down still at the Triple-A level. There’s major league talent there, and now you’re seeing it up here. And it’s really cool to have a bunch of really close friends come up and be able to play together at this stage.”

The Orioles might have brought Cowser up sooner if not for Cedric Mullins’ right groin strain in late May coming as Cowser himself was nursing a right quadriceps injury. Instead, Baltimore signed veteran Aaron Hicks, using a combination of him, Austin Hays and McKenna in center field in Mullins’ absence.

The 2021 All-Star’s return after 20 games seemingly locked down playing time in the Orioles’ outfield, only for Hays to collide with Minnesota Twins first baseman Donovan Solano hours before being announced as a first-time All-Star and miss the next two games with a bruised left hip. Manager Brandon Hyde said before Wednesday’s game that Hays, who was again out of the lineup, is improving and could be available off the bench.

Once Hays is healthy, the Orioles could continue to find playing time for Cowser in all three outfield spots, with Hyde saying he would sort out playing time among Cowser, Mullins, Hays, Hicks and Anthony Santander on a “night-to-night” basis.

“We wanted to get Colton up here,” Hyde said. “These are important games, and every game matters right now. We’re only going to bring guys up here that we feel like can help us win.”

Cowser learned of his promotion after the Tides’ game Tuesday, walking into the visiting manager’s office at Triple-A Durham’s ballpark and seeing Buck Britton smiling broadly. Cowser was scratched from Norfolk’s lineup about an hour before first pitch and spent the game in the dugout, getting an earful from teammates who joked he simply wanted a day off.

After receiving the news, Cowser passed it along in a group call with his parents, Dale and Anna; his brother, Ty; and his sister-in-law, Raegan. They’ll be among the 20 or so family and friends who came to New York for his debut, a collection that also includes a cousin, Emily Tanner, whose former status as a Radio City Rockette prompted one of Cowser’s two previous visits to the city.

Entering the season as baseball’s No. 41 prospect in Baseball America’s rankings, Cowser has shot up to 13th thanks to his performance and the graduations of players in front of him, surpassing right-hander Grayson Rodriguez to trail only 2022 first-overall pick Jackson Holliday among Baltimore’s minor leaguers. Typically serving as the Tides’ leadoff or third hitter, Cowser hit 10 home runs while posting a solid 60-to-48 strikeout-to-walk ratio after striking out nearly twice as often as he walked across three levels in 2022, his first full professional season.

When Baltimore drafted Cowser, a left-handed hitter, fifth overall out of Sam Houston, he went slightly earlier than expected. But he’s backed up that selection by hitting .305 with a .920 OPS in his minor league career. This season, he notably improved his plate discipline and his performance against left-handed pitching.

Cowser had ups and downs in 2022, his first full season of professional baseball. He struggled in High-A Aberdeen before dominating with Double-A Bowie, which earned him a season-ending stint with Norfolk. With the Tides, he struck out plenty early before settling in late, carrying that success into a productive offseason and strong start to 2023.

Cowser’s arrival comes with the Orioles (49-35) scuffling with five games left in the first half. They have lost six of their past seven games — scoring more than four runs only twice and more than four once — and are 16-18 since a 33-17 start.

”Hopefully, he can give us a spark,” Hyde said.

McKenna has served as a late-inning defensive replacement in the Orioles’ outfield throughout the season, with Hyde saying he was a difficult player to send down given how well-liked he is in the clubhouse. Bemboom, who is out of minor league options, has twice served as Baltimore’s backup to Rutschman this season while James McCann was on the injured list. Vallimont pitched two-thirds of an inning Monday in his MLB debut. Bazardo has a 3.51 ERA in 24 outings with Norfolk and pitched well in 14 games for the Boston Red Sox the past two seasons.

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