Christian

Encarnacion-Strand

The 26-year-old has been rock solid for the Orioles this season, hitting .260/.306/.486 with eight home runs and 31 RBI in 423 games. We should note that he has hit considerably better against lefties and has a .225/.247/.360 slash line against righties. With Encarnacion-Strand out of the lineup on Tuesday, Coby Mayo will DH and hit cleanup, while Blaze Alexander will play third base and bat seventh.

The homer came off Aroldis Chapman in the ninth, but the Orioles, unfortunately, were down by three at the time and lost by one. Still, it was another impressive showing from Encarnacion-Strand, who could be playing his way into the Orioles’ 2027 plans. He’s hit .269/.314/.508 with eight homers and 30 RBI in 141 plate appearances. That’s as many RBI as Taylor Ward had in 506 plate appearances before being traded, two more than Jackson Holliday has in 316 plate appearances and seven more than Tyler O’Neill has in 260 plate appearances.

Basallo’s return comes at a fortuitous time for fantasy managers with Baltimore kicking off a three-game series at high-octane Coors Field. He’s back in the lineup after missing Sunday’s game with a hand contusion. The 22-year-old backstop’s presence at DH pushes Christian Encarnacion-Strand to the bench with Blaze Alexander getting the nod at third base. Things are only going to get more crowded with Luis Robert Jr. coming over from the Mets off waivers in the next few days.

Four at-bats and four line drives from Encarnacion-Strand, with three of them leaving his bat at 103-106 mph. He also homered and knocked in three on Tuesday, and he’s now up to 27 RBI in 26 starts and five pinch-hit appearances for the Orioles. That he’s been in and out of the lineup makes him a tough play in mixed leagues, but his play this series figures to ensure that he stays in the lineup this weekend for a series against the A’s in Sacramento that offers big-time scoring potential.

Thanks to Tyler O’Neill’s absence, Encarnacion-Strand and Coby Mayo have both gotten to start the last three games. Things are about to get crowded, though, with Blaze Alexander returning from the IL this weekend. CES has done solid work in hitting .238/.278/.485, particularly with his 25 RBI in 101 plate appearances. Still, he’s likely looking at a reduced role or maybe even a trip back to the minors soon.

Encarnacion-Strand was a one-man wrecking crew in this one, connecting for a two-run homer against Rays reliever Tyler Wells in the fifth inning. It was his sixth round-tripper in 24 games since returning to the big leagues last month. The 26-year-old former top prospect has seemingly carved out a semi-regular role against left-handed starters and should continue playing regularly over the final six weeks.

The 26-year-old slugger capped off the Orioles’ scoring in the ballgame with a bases-clearing three-run double in the sixth inning that made it a 10-1 ballgame. He has impressed since joining the O’s, slashing .250/.293/.500 with five homers and 18 RBI in his first 83 plate appearances.

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.