Colton

Cowser

Taveras had started in each of the team’s previous four games, so he’ll get a breather in this one. Colton Cowser will start in his place in center field and will bat seventh for the O’s against Marlins’ right-hander Max Meyer.

The Orioles’ three-through-five hitters combined to go 0-for-12 with 11 strikeouts, as Pete Alonso also fanned four times and Dylan Beavers managed just a weak groundout to go along with three strikeouts. Cowser, who suffered a minor knee injury in a collision with the right field wall Friday, was DHing tonight, though manager Craig Albernaz said he was fine to play the outfield. It kind of seems like a wasted lineup spot with Cowser hitting .178/.269/.200 this season on the heels of batting .196/.269/.385 in 2025. He might be in line for some Triple-A time if the Orioles are able get healthy at some point.

With Eduardo Rodriguez on the mound, all three left-handed hitters will take a seat. Blaze Alexander will stay in the lineup and play centerfield with Johnathan Rodriguez hitting cleanup and playing right field and Weston Wilson hitting fifth and playing left field.

Cowser has now played in just three of the last six games for the Orioles as Tyler O’Neill and Dylan Beavers are both pushing for playing time. Cowser is hitting just .182/.269/.227 with no homers and steals through his first 27 plate appearances and doesn’t necessarily have the look of someone who needs to be rostered in 12-team leagues.

It’s notable that O’Neill has started just half of Baltimore’s eight games on the young season and he’s been out of the lineup for three straight. It’ll be Dylan Beavers and Colton Cowser continuing to get opportunities to play regularly with reclamation project Leody Taveras getting some unexpected run in center field at the moment.

Even with right-hander Bailey Ober on the bump, Cowser will get a Sunday breather for the finale. Dylan Beavers will instead patrol center field and hit eighth in Cowser’s absence.

Cowser is batting .237/.275/.289 with 15 strikeouts in 40 plate appearances. His status as the Orioles’ primary center fielder hasn’t really come into question, but maybe it should, given that he hit just .196/.269/.385 in 92 games during a miserable 2025 in which he suffered a broken thumb and a concussion. Really, though, unless the Orioles want to sacrifice a fair amount of defense by playing Dylan Beavers in between Taylor Ward and Tyler O’Neill, they’re just going to have to hope that Cowser starts making more contact.

Ward is a perfectly solid first-division regular, coming off a season in which he hit .228/.317/.475 with 36 homers and 103 RBI. Still, moving on from Rodríguez’s considerable long-term upside when they could have more easily signed a veteran bat suggests that the Orioles just don’t feel very good about his long-term outlook. Ward, who has one year left of arbitration before free agency, figures to step in as Baltimore’s starting left fielder, leaving two outfield spots and some DH at-bats to be divided among Colton Cowser, Dylan Beavers, Tyler O’Neill and anyone else who might emerge like Heston Kjerstad or Enrique Bradfield Jr. From a fantasy standpoint, it’s a slight downgrade for Ward. Camden Yards sis a less appetizing ballpark for right-handed power hitters, despite recent changes to end the “Walltimore” era in left field. While the Orioles’ lineup is unquestionably stronger than the Halos’, Ward likely hits lower in the order than he would have in Anaheim, which could cap his counting-stat upside in the short term. He’s a top-40 range outfielder heading into fantasy drafts next spring.

O’Neill had the day off on Tuesday as the Orioles continue to manage his at-bats following a right wrist injury. The 30-year-old has gone 2-for-11 in his three games since coming back with three strikeouts and one RBI. It’s hard to trust him right now in fantasy leagues. Colton Cowser will be on the bench Tuesday with Jordan Westburg moving from DH to second base and Jeremiah Jackson shifting to the outfield.

Cowser gave the Orioles a three-run cushion with his two-run shot off Tyler Alexander. It’s the 16th homer of the season for the 25-year-old, and he’s driven in just 38 runs over his 82 games. Cowser has been a disappointment due to health and production (.201/271/.386), but he’s a good buy-low candidate for the 2026 season based on his talent and production in 2024.