Luis De León hasn’t been in the Orioles’ bullpen long, and he hasn’t been in the Majors long either. But over the past couple of weeks, he’s looked like he belongs.
The 23-year-old left-hander has been a reliever since Aug. 19 and a big leaguer since Sept. 1, yet the adjustment hasn’t shown up much on the mound. On Tuesday night at Citi Field, De León delivered two perfect innings in Baltimore’s 7-5, 11-inning win over the Mets. That outing extended his run to 5 2/3 scoreless frames across his last four appearances.
His first two MLB outings were rough enough to leave him with losses in both, as he allowed three runs, two earned, between a Sept. 1 trip to Colorado and a Sept. 3 game against Boston. Even so, the Orioles never saw him lose his footing.
"We kind of had a glimpse of it in Spring Training, how he went about his business, so we’re not surprised by any stretch," manager Craig Albernaz said. "I think what I’m surprised by is you don’t know how guys are going to come out with the third deck and the lights in the big leagues and how they’ll respond, and every time LDL gets the ball, he’s been the same person. Doesn’t matter what it is."
De León said the approach has stayed simple for him.
"I just focus on competing and giving my best effort every time I go out there," De León said via team interpreter Brandon Quinones. "I’ve been working a lot with the coaches here and talking to them and seeing what they need out of me. So I just try to follow that and do whatever the team needs me to do."
Baltimore originally developed De León as a starter, and that role could still be part of his future; he’ll likely return to starting to begin 2027. For now, though, the Orioles needed a left-handed arm for the stretch run, so they moved him to relief while he was still at Triple-A Norfolk.
The transition took a little time. Even so, the raw stuff translated quickly once he settled in. De León works with a sinker that averages 96 mph, along with a splitter and slider that have given him weapons out of the bullpen.
"I feel super comfortable right now, honestly," De León said. "I think at the start, maybe there’s a learning curve, trying to figure some things out in that new role. But yeah, right now, I have a lot of confidence out there and I feel really good."
Tuesday’s performance was his sharpest yet in the big leagues. Asked to protect a 3-2 game, De León handled both the sixth and seventh innings and retired all six batters he faced.
The list included Christopher Morel, Francisco Alvarez, Francisco Lindor, Juan Soto, Bo Bichette and Carson Benge. He finished the seventh by striking out Benge swinging.
"That was a big ask for him, to go two innings and keep the game where it is and ultimately go through Lindor, go through Soto, go through Bichette," Albernaz said. "He did a really great job of navigating that, throwing strikes, trusting his stuff."
Off the field, the first impression has been just as smooth. Before Wednesday’s 7-1 win over the Mets, De León was inside the visitors’ clubhouse at Citi Field playing dominoes with outfielders Leody Taveras and Colton Cowser and right-hander Yennier Cano.
He said the Orioles have made that part of the transition easy.
"They’ve treated me very well," De León said. "If I’m ever lost or need anything, they’ve been very quick to help me figure out where I need to go next.
So, it’s been great. They’ve been very helpful."
His long-term path may still lead back to Triple-A Norfolk and, eventually, a return to the rotation. But this September run has already given him something useful to take into the offseason.
"Just seeing the way they work up here, seeing how my teammates go about their business, I think I have a much better understanding and a much better plan going into this offseason of what’s needed and what I need to do," De León said. "So, I feel like this experience has been good for me."
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