Infielder Kolten Wong informed members of the Oriole beat that he is triggering his opt-out, giving the club 48 hours to decide whether to add him to the roster or release him. Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com was among those to relay the news. Wong is one of 31 veterans on minor league deals with automatic opt-outs at various dates, one of which is today.
Wong, 33, has long been a solid second baseman in the majors but is coming off an awful season. He hit just .165/.241/.227 for the Mariners and got released in August. He latched on with the Dodgers and finished well, line of .300/.353/.500, but in a small sample of just 34 plate appearances. Since he had taken 216 trips to the plate with Seattle, he still finished the year with a poor combined line of .183/.256/.263.
But the O’s took a shot on a minor league deal, a low-risk flier to see if he could bounceback to his previous form. From 2014 to 2022, he hit .263/.336/.401 for a wRC+ of 102. He also racked up 52 Defensive Runs Saved in his career, though Outs Above Average has considered him to be closer to par.
Here in the spring, he’s hit just .185/.290/.296. That’s obviously not impressive production but he might be able to carve out a bench role regardless. Infielders Jackson Holliday and Coby Mayo were reassigned today, meaning they will open the season getting regular reps in the minor leagues. That will push Ramón Urías into a regular infield role alongside Gunnar Henderson and Jordan Westburg.
Jorge Mateo will be present on the bench but it’s possible the club may want a little extra covering on the infield since Mateo has also been playing some outfield lately. But infielders Tyler Nevin and Nick Maton are both on the 40-man roster and each is out of options. Maton is having a rough spring but Nevin is hitting .346/.382/.500.
If Wong doesn’t get a spot with the O’s or elsewhere, he doesn’t seem to have a lot of enthusiasm about signing another minor league deal. “I’ve got 10 years in this already,” Wong said, per Jake Rill of MLB.com. “I don’t plan on going down to the minor leagues after this. Whatever happens, happens.”