Orioles option OF Kyle Stowers to add utilityman Nick Maton from Triple-A
NEW YORK — When Orioles third baseman Jordan Westburg exited Tuesday’s game against the Yankees with a hip injury, prospect Connor Norby was pulled from his game with Triple-A Norfolk.
It appeared that if Westburg’s injury was serious, Norby could be the next man up after he made his MLB debut with Baltimore earlier this month when Jorge Mateo was injured.
Instead, the Orioles selected the contract of utilityman Nick Maton from Triple-A but kept Westburg on their 26-man roster. Outfielder Kyle Stowers, whose playing time has diminished in recent weeks, was optioned to Norfolk, while right-hander Tyler Wells was transferred to the 60-day injured list to make room for Maton on the 40-man roster. Wells underwent elbow surgery Monday.
Norby, a second baseman, can also play the corner outfield, but he’s never played third base in a professional game. Maton, meanwhile, has experience at five positions, including third base, in his three-year MLB career.
Maton, 27, is a career .208 hitter with a .666 OPS across 509 MLB plate appearances. With the Tides this year, he’s slashing .292/.390/.481 for an .871 OPS.
Stowers, who was recalled in mid-May, hit .286 with a .763 OPS with Baltimore as he played sporadically across 17 games. The 2019 third-round draft pick was on the Orioles’ roster for 34 games and received only 36 plate appearances — similar playing time to what fellow outfield prospect Heston Kjerstad received during his stint with Baltimore.
Westburg, an All-Star candidate amid his breakout sophomore campaign, suffered a bruised left hip when Yankees superstar Juan Soto strangely ran into him while the Orioles third baseman fielded a ground ball. Soto was called for interference, and Westburg didn’t appear after the collision.
This story will be updated.