Colton

Cowser

Cowser had his OPS over .700 for a couple of days late last month, but he’s back down to .674 now. He’s 1-for-21 with a 10/1 K/BB in his last seven games. Unfortunately, nothing at all has gone right for the Orioles since his incredible, game-saving home run robbery Monday against the Rockies.

While there haven’t been any rumblings of Robert dealing with any sort of injury, it’s interesting that he’s sitting for a second straight game, especially with a left-hander on the mound for the Red Sox. The Orioles also added another outfielder to their roster in Rece Hinds on Sunday, which could mean that Robert is dealing with a minor issue. Colton Cowser will again start in center field and bat ninth for the O’s on Sunday against Payton Tolle and the Red Sox.

The dynamic 29-year-old outfielder started and hit in the middle of the Orioles’ lineup in each of his first three games since coming over from the Mets. He’ll get a breather here though before likely returning for Sunday’s series finale. Colton Cowser will start in his place in center field and bat ninth against Red Sox’ right-hander Sonny Gray.

This will be Robert Jr.'s first start with the Orioles since being claimed off waivers. This game is against a right-handed pitcher, and Leody Taveras has been moved to the bench with Colton Cowser in center field and Dylan Beavers in right field. This is great news for Robert Jr.'s fantasy value, and also implies that Beavers and Cowser could stay in strong-side platoon roles. With the Orioles facing three lefties against the Red Sox this weekend, Robert Jr. could be in for a nice week.

The Rockies should have had an inning-ending double play on Cowser’s grounder to second in the seventh, but Connor Norby did an underhand flip from a mile away and Cowser, thanks to an overturned call, ended up beating out the relay, allowing the go-ahead run to score. Cowser, though, still had more in store. With two outs in the bottom of the ninth, Jake McCarthy crushed a ball to center, only for Cowser to make an outstanding jumping catch while crashing into the wall, denying what would have been a two-run walkoff homer and giving the Orioles a 2-1 victory. It brought the Orioles, now 69-69, to .500 for the first time since they were 15-15 on Apr. 30.

This is a bit of a surprise. Robert is hitting well in August, slashing .267/.321/.520 with six home runs, 10 runs scored, and 11 RBI; however, the Orioles have been getting solid production from Dylan Beavers, Colton Cowser, and Leody Taveras in the outfield. Their DH spot has also been filled by Coby Mayo since Christian Encarnacion-Strand has emerged as the regular third baseman. Somebody who is playing well is going to be bumped from the starting lineup now, and you have to wonder if this is a sign that the Orioles plan to pick up Robert’s $20 million team option for 2027.

Cowser’s home run was his 13th of the season. He hit a solo shot off Jack Perkins in the fifth inning. Cowser is 15-for-44 (.341) with five home runs and eight RBI in his last 17 games. He’s hitting .228 with a .709 OPS and 36 RBI this year.

Cowser accounted for the only two hits the Orioles could muster on the afternoon, one of which was a solo home run off Bryan Baker in the bottom of the ninth. The 26-year-old entered Sunday with a career wRC+ below 100, as he continues to fall short of some lofty prospect expectations that preceded a productive 2024 campaign. Given he’s still a strong-side platoon bat, he’ll need to improve in a big way to have much fantasy value heading into 2027.

Cowser tagged left-hander Steven Matz for a 392-foot (103.6-mph EV) two-run shot in the sixth inning that extended their lead to 5-1. For the season, the 26-year-old outfielder is now hitting .217/.317/.364 with 11 long balls and 33 RBI in 294 plate appearances.

Cowser sent one for blast-off in the second inning, as it traveled 441 feet to the batter’s eye in center field. It was his first homer since way back on June 21. He was later credited with an RBI on a bases-loaded walk in the ninth inning, but it was his fifth-inning single off Jordan Montgomery which was more intriguing. He entered Sunday’s action just 5-for-32 (.156) against southpaws this season.