Orioles place Ryan Mountcastle on injured list, release Nick Avila

The Orioles placed the first baseman Robert Lewandowski on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to August 23, tonight. Baltimore brought the utility infielder Livan Soto from Triple-A Norfolk in a corresponding move. The O's also released right-handed Nick Avilawhich they had designated for use last week.

Mountcastle left last Thursday's game with soreness in his left wrist. He sat out the final three games of Baltimore's weekend series against the Astros. The O's announced the injury as a sprain. Baltimore had an off day tonight. Although it's rare for a team to make an IL placement on an off day, the maximum length of time for a retroactive IL placement is three days. If the O's had waited until tomorrow to bench Mountcastle, the retroactive start date would have been pushed back to August 24.

That seems to indicate that it is a minor issue. It would not be a surprise if he were back in the game in a week when he is eligible to play for the first time. Baltimore will likely Ryan O’Hearn on first base with Eloy Jiménez as designated hitter in the interim. O'Hearn is having a strong season as the primary DH. Baltimore still acquired Jiménez in a surprise deadline trade. Since the trade, he's batted .304 in 18 games, but it's a pretty empty average. The former White Sox slugger has yet to hit a home run and has only issued a single walk in 57 plate appearances in the O's uniform.

Mountcastle has been a good but not elite prospect in Baltimore's lineup over the past four years. In his first full season in 2021, he hit 33 home runs. Since then, he's established himself as a 20-home run hitter. Mountcastle hits good averages without issuing many walks, which generally results in slightly below-average on-base marks. It's been a similar story in 2024. He's batting .265/.305/.425 with 13 home runs in 485 plate appearances. Despite decent overall performance, he's been in a major slump of late. Mountcastle hit .225 with a .257 OBP and no home runs this month.

Avila, 27, lost his spot on the 40-man roster when the Orioles called Cole Irvin back to the majors. Baltimore acquired the 6'4″ reliever from the Giants in June. Avila debuted earlier in the season for San Francisco, allowing 12 runs in 11 2/3 innings. He did not make the major leagues with the Orioles. Avila was battling a shoulder injury when he was released by San Francisco. He did not return from the minor leagues injured list until mid-August. He has yet to return to his pre-injury form, allowing an incredible 10 runs while recording just four outs in three appearances for Triple-A Norfolk. Avila allowed just three earned runs per nine in 72 Triple-A innings last season.