Stevie

Wilkerson

Wilkerson was outrighted off the 40-man roster last month and will now test the open market. The 29-year-old holds a .210/.268/.340 batting line over 486 plate appearances in the majors.

Wilkerson went unclaimed after being designated for assignment by the Orioles on Wednesday. The outfielder has hit just .167 over 72 at-bats this year, and will try and pick things up in Triple-A Norfolk. Baltimore will have to add him to the 40-man roster if they want him back on the MLB team, however.

The Orioles needed to create a spot on the roster for right-hander Spenser Watkins after making several roster transactions on Wednesday. Wilkerson is likely to clear waivers and end up back in the Orioles organization.

The 29-year-old struggled in the majors this season, batting .167/.211/.208 over 72 at-bats with two RBI and five runs scored. Wilkerson will head back to Triple-A where he was off to a great start batting .357 over 42 at-bats.

Called up earlier in the day, Wilkerson doubled and scored the Orioles’ first run of the game in the third inning. He then drove in their second run with a single in the fourth and scored again. The O’s have playing time available at second base and Wilkerson probably earned at least another start there Wednesday. He’ll ultimately probably settle into a utility role, though, and his track record says we shouldn’t expect much with the bat.

Wilkerson missed last season with a fractured left finger before returning to the Orioles on a minor league deal over the winter. The 29-year-old was hitting .357/.438/.476 with one homer and two doubles through 12 games in Triple-A this year. He should play a decent amount, giving him some relevance in AL-only formats.

Ruiz has been sidelined since last week with an undisclosed illness. He’s also gotten off to a frosty start at the plate, hitting .083 (1-for-12) with three strikeouts this spring. It’s unclear whether his grip on the Orioles’ starting job at third base is in jeopardy, but there are several in-house candidates like Yolmer Sanchez, Pat Valaika, Ramon Urias and Stevie Wilkerson who could potentially fill-in at the hot corner this season. The Orioles have also been linked to free agent Maikel Franco in recent days. Fantasy managers, especially those in AL-only formats, should keep a close eye on this situation over the next few days.

The contract includes an invitation to spring training. Wilkerson was released in September not long after it was revealed that the infielder/outfielder was going to miss the rest of the season with a fractured left ring finger. The switch-hitter has a career OPS of .714 with 22 homers and 42 steals in 424 games. He’ll battle for a backup job with Baltimore in the Grapefruit League this spring.

Wilkerson wasn’t going to make it back this season after suffering a fractured left finger near the end of summer camp, so the O’s went ahead and cut him loose on Monday. The 28-year-old is now a free agent.

Orioles manager Brandon Hyde revealed that news to reporters following the team’s exhibition game Monday night against the Nationals and added that he expects Wilkerson to miss “significant time.” The 28-year-old super-utilityman suffered the injury on a diving play in the outfield Sunday in Philadelphia.