The Orioles spent the waiver deadline day turning over the back end of their roster, claiming four players and losing outfielder Leody Taveras to free agency after he cleared waivers and turned down an outright assignment.
Baltimore added right-handers Josh White and Chase Hampton, left-hander Philip Abner, and catcher Zach Morgan in the flurry of moves. White came over from the Marlins, Abner from the Mets, Morgan from the Giants and Hampton from the Cardinals.
The club also confirmed the previously reported outright of former top prospect Heston Kjerstad. In addition, right-hander Yosver Zulueta and catcher Yohel Pozo were outrighted to Triple-A Norfolk. Kjerstad, Zulueta and Pozo are all eligible to become minor league free agents.
White, 25, arrived as a 2022 fifth-round pick with a tiny big league sample and some obvious command issues attached to it. He has thrown just two-thirds of an inning in the majors and gave up five runs while issuing four walks.
Still, there’s enough in the minor league track record to make him interesting: a 2.41 ERA over 56 Triple-A innings and a 27% strikeout rate there. His 13.5% walk rate in Jacksonville, though, points to real control concerns beyond a rough first impression.
White works at 94.4 mph with his four-seamer and pairs it with a curveball and slider he uses equally often. He also has two minor league option years left.
Abner’s path to Baltimore has been a quick one. He pitched in the D-backs and Giants systems in 2026, and the Mets had only recently claimed him before trying to run him through waivers immediately.
That plan didn’t stick, and now he belongs to the Orioles. The 24-year-old has been hit hard in the majors, allowing 17 earned runs in 22 2/3 innings, but he has shown better bat-missing ability and command in the upper minors, where he owns a 3.72 ERA with a 27.6% strikeout rate and 8.7% walk rate across parts of two Triple-A seasons.
He, too, has two option years remaining.
Morgan, who turns 27 next spring, has not reached the majors yet. He profiles as a defense-first catcher with limited power, but he does enough at the plate to draw walks.
In 52 minor league games between Double-A and Triple-A, he hit .248/.339/.356. For now, he looks like depth behind the plate and could be exposed to waivers again in the coming weeks.
Hampton is the most notable name in the group from a prospect standpoint, even after a rough stretch of injuries and setbacks. The 25-year-old righty, a 2022 sixth-round pick out of Texas Tech, was Baseball America’s No. 72 overall prospect in the 2023-24 offseason. Since then, injuries have taken a heavy toll, including Tommy John surgery in Feb. 2025 that wiped out his entire ’25 season and limited him to 55 innings this year.
The results in 2026 were rough. Hampton posted an 8.18 ERA across three levels and was especially battered at Double-A, where he put up a 9.59 mark and allowed 38 runs in 35 2/3 innings.
Before the elbow surgery, he had already missed most of the 2024 season with a flexor strain. His last healthy full season came in 2023, when he logged a 3.63 ERA with big strikeout numbers.
The Cardinals claimed him from the Nationals, who had picked him up from the Yankees a couple of weeks earlier, the day after the regular season ended.
Taveras, meanwhile, was the most established big leaguer in the group, and his exit was hardly a shock. His .219/.288/.345 line this season made the decision easier, especially with MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projecting a $3.7MM arbitration salary.
Baltimore clearly wasn’t eager to commit that money. The switch-hitter was once a steady center fielder for the Rangers, but over the last two seasons he has hit just .221/.279/.342 in 1191 plate appearances across three teams.
He was better from the left side against righties, but as a right-handed hitter he struggled badly, slashing .193/.258/.228 in 162 plate appearances. He can handle all three outfield spots, though his center-field defense graded below average this season.
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