Christian

Encarnacion-Strand

Encarnacion-Strand has typically been sitting against right-handed pitchers, but he went 3-for-4 with a home run on Tuesday, so the Orioles are gonna give him a chance to stay hot. We should note that, in 40 plate appearances against righties this season, CES is hitting .211/.250/.342, so the results haven’t really been there. However, it’s just a 15 percent strikeout rate in those plate appearances, so maybe the hits will start to fall. Coby Mayo is on the bench on Wednesday.

It’s the fourth stolen base of the season for Encarnacion-Strand, while the homer was also his fourth. It’s a small sample of 59 at-bats, but a .271/.328/.525 slash reminds that it wasn’t that long ago that he was considered one of the up-and-coming power bats in the sport. It’s understandable to have skepticism, but weirder things have happened than a 26-year-old with his track record breaking out.

Encarnacion-Strand has become a fixture in the middle of the O’s lineup since his arrival, but he’ll get a breather in this one against tough right-hander Nathan Eovaldi. Coby Mayo will cover the hot corner in his absence while Tyler O’Neill serves as the Orioles’ designated hitter and will bat cleanup on Friday.

Encarnacion-Strand continues to leave a strong impression with the Orioles since getting called up. The righty smacked a two-RBI double off Grant Holmes in the bottom of the second inning to give the Birds an early 2-0 lead, and in the bottom of the 10th, he blasted a two-run homer to cut the Braves’ lead to 7-6. CES has now driven in eight runs in his first five games with the Birds while registering four extra-base hits.

Encarnacion-Strand is now 6-for-12 with two homers in three games since joining the Orioles. His homer today was a 424-footer off Jake Bennett and was one of three hard-hit balls in the game. He figured to play mostly against lefties, but with Samuel Basallo joining Blaze Alexander and Adley Rutschman on the IL, the Orioles don’t have anything to lose by giving him regular at-bats between third and DH for now.

Both hits came off Payton Tolle. Jackson Holliday then batted for him as soon as the Red Sox brought a righty into the game. The funny thing there is that CES entered tonight with a career .750 OPS against righties and a .469 OPS versus lefties. There’s still some hope for Encarnacion-Strand as a productive corner guy in the majors, but his role with the Orioles figures to be pretty limited.

Basallo suffered a right shoulder injury in Sunday’s win over the Astros. This is the second time this summer that Basallo appeared to grab his arm in discomfort after a swing. He didn’t miss time the first time it happened, but it’s unclear if that will be the case now. Coby Mayo will DH and bat fifth, and Christian Encarnacion-Strand will start at third base and bat eighth.

Encarnacion-Strand will get a chance to make an impact for the Orioles while Blaze Alexander is sidelined with a fractured left hand. The 26-year-old former prospect has always possessed impressive raw power, but he’s never been able to parlay it into an everyday role at the highest level during his time with the Reds. He’s in a great spot with Camden Yards being an ideal spot for right-handed pop. A wait-and-see approach is preferable here, but he’s the type of hitter that could get hot and make some noise in a hurry.

The 26-year-old slugger, who was acquired from the Reds in mid-April, gets his first chance with the O’s with Blaze Alexander (hand) heading to the injured list. Encarnacion-Strand has hit .273/.309/.555 with 17 homers, 48 RBI and a 77/12 K/BB ratio in 257 plate appearances at Triple-A Norfolk. He’s unlikely to see enough playing time initially to gain relevance from a fantasy perspective.

Encarnacion-Strand now has 16 home runs and 46 RBI to go along with a .292 average and .924 OPS. His swinging strike rate at Triple-A with Baltimore is almost 16 percent, which is not ideal, but his zone contact rate remains around league average. He’s also sporting a nearly 50 percent hard-hit rate. He’s just 26 years old, so it may not yet be time to fully write him off.