According to MASNsports.com's Roch Kubatko, the Orioles will promote outfielder Nolan Reimold from Triple-A Norfolk today. A corresponding roster move has yet to be announced. Perhaps another corner outfielder could be designated for assignment, or maybe Reimold could take reliever Cesar Cabral's 25-man roster spot.
For now, at least, Reimold is back. The move is somewhat of a surprise considering the opt-out date in his minor league deal is July 12, so the O's didn't have to make this decision right now. But they must believe he can help right away, and it's a move that's going to please a number of people who, like frustrated football fans screaming for the backup quarterback, have been calling for the Orioles to promote Reimold or first baseman/outfielder Chris Parmelee. O's corner outfielders have been struggling mightily, and fans are demanding production. So can Reimold supply it?
Let's step back a moment, because a discussion of Reimold is incomplete without mentioning his extensive injury history. A second-round draft pick by the O's in 2005, Reimold's talent was rarely questioned. He was ranked as a top 100 prospect by Baseball America after the 2005 and 2007 seasons, and he hit well at every level of the Orioles' minor league system. But injuries started to pile up in a hurry. He missed a portion of the 2007 season with an oblique strain. In 2009 he was placed on the 15-day disabled list with left Achilles tendinitis, which eventually required surgery and ended his season.
After getting off to a scorching start in 2012, he was placed on the disabled list in May with a herniated disc in his neck (which also required surgery). That injury and the subsequent surgeries caused Reimold lots of pain and frustration, and a lawsuit was filed on Reimold's behalf in April against Johns Hopkins Hospital, alleging "negligent medical care." In 2014, Reimold was also briefly placed on the disabled list with a strained left calf.
Simply put, Reimold has been unable to stay healthy throughout his career. But he is on the comeback trail yet again, and so far he's stayed on the field. In nearly 200 plate appearances with Norfolk, he has amassed a .286/.351/.389 line (and he's been excellent recently). That's not a ton of power for a 31-year-old in the minors, but the Norfolk Tides also play in Harbor Park, which is a friendlier environment for pitchers.
The last time Reimold hit well in the major leagues was with the Orioles in 2012 before his herniated disc issues, when he posted a 158 wRC+. But that only came in only 69 plate appearances, and then he was lost for the season. In his last stint with the Orioles in 2013, he managed a wRC+ of only 53 in 140 trips to the plate. He was selected off waivers in the summer of 2014 by Toronto and then again by Arizona in August, but he eventually re-signed with the Orioles this past offseason.
In his career, Reimold has a 102 wRC+ and it seems unfair to expect much more than that. But that modest level of production could present a slight improvement for O's corner outfielders. Delmon Young currently has a wRC+ of 92. Travis Snider is right behind him at 91. Alejandro De Aza was recently traded to the Red Sox after posting a 72 wRC+. And Steve Pearce (70) and David Lough (52) are scuffling. Also, considering the average major league left fielder has a wRC+ of 96 and the average right fielder has a wRC+ of 110, Reimold could help.
Arguably the most interesting part of Reimold's promotion is how the Orioles plan on using him. Part of that depends on how his roster spot is opened up, but there are still some pressing questions. Is he going to primarily take at-bats away from Young and Pearce, the two right-handed hitting corner outfielders? Is there any way to get him at-bats at designated hitter with Jimmy Paredes around and Matt Wieters batting there every other day? Will Reimold exclusively see playing time in left field? (He hasn't played much in right field in the majors, and he is not a plus defender anywhere in the outfield.)
Whether the O's plan on using Reimold as much as possible, the determining factor will be what he accomplishes at the plate. The Orioles are looking for offense, so if Reimold isn't able to provide that, they'll go searching for another option. But if Reimold does succeed, then it'll be best if he's not playing every day. Counting on him to stay healthy just isn't a smart expectation at this point. Regardless, he's getting another shot in the majors, and sometimes that's all it takes.
Matt Kremnitzer blogs about the Orioles at Camden Depot. Follow him on Twitter: @mattkremnitzer. His thoughts on the O's appear here as part of MASNsports.com's continuing commitment to welcome guest bloggers to our little corner of cyberspace. All opinions expressed are those of the guest bloggers, who are not employed by MASNsports.com but are just as passionate about their baseball as our roster of writers.