The Orioles are taking a swing at upside with their latest bullpen addition, acquiring right-hander Jackson Kowar from the Twins in exchange for cash considerations. To make room on the 40-man roster, Baltimore moved fellow righty Colin Selby to the 60-day injured list due to right shoulder inflammation.
Kowar, 27, has had a turbulent ride over the past few seasons. He was designated for assignment by Minnesota just days after being claimed off waivers from the Mariners. Now, he lands in Baltimore as a potential reclamation project-a hard-throwing arm with intriguing tools but a track record that’s been more frustrating than fruitful.
Let’s start with the numbers. In 2025, Kowar split time between Triple-A and the majors, making 15 appearances (17 innings) at the big-league level.
He posted a 4.24 ERA, with a 21.1% strikeout rate and a 9.9% walk rate-decent surface stats, but the underlying metrics paint a more cautionary tale. His expected ERA (xERA) sat at 5.15, and his FIP ballooned to 5.84, suggesting he may have dodged some bullets.
Since debuting in 2021, Kowar has logged 91 innings across 54 MLB appearances (including eight starts) with the Royals and Mariners. The results haven’t been pretty: an 8.21 ERA, 13.1% walk rate, and 1.88 home runs allowed per nine innings.
Control issues and home run troubles have plagued him throughout his young career. Injuries haven’t helped either-he underwent Tommy John surgery in March 2024 and returned mid-2025, only to miss the final stretch of the season with a shoulder impingement.
Still, there’s a reason Baltimore is taking a flyer here. Kowar’s fastball remains his calling card.
In 2025, Statcast ranked his fastball velocity in the 90th percentile, and the pitch graded out as two runs above average. He leaned on it heavily-throwing it 57.7% of the time-but it still got hit hard, with opposing hitters slugging .476 against it.
The key moving forward will be refining command and limiting barrels.
His slider, though, might be the sleeper pitch. Sitting in the mid-80s, the slider wasn’t dominant in terms of run value last season (-1), but it did generate a 39.1% strikeout rate when used-an eye-catching number that hints at real swing-and-miss potential if he can harness it more consistently.
Kowar is out of minor league options, meaning the Orioles will have to carry him on the active roster or risk losing him via waivers. That raises the stakes a bit, but for a team that’s shown a knack for developing arms and finding value at the margins, this is the kind of calculated risk that can pay off.
As for Selby, the move to the 60-day IL is a setback, but not necessarily a long-term one. The timing of the placement means he could return as early as mid-April.
Acquired from the Royals in a cash deal last July, Selby made a solid impression in limited action for Baltimore-throwing 14 of his 18 total innings for the club in 2025 and posting a 3.21 ERA. Perhaps most impressive was his minuscule 3.3% walk rate, though that number was well below his career norms.
Selby’s pitch mix-featuring a sinker, slider, and knuckle curve-all graded slightly above average in terms of run value, giving him a solid foundation to build on. Like Kowar, he’s out of options, so once he’s healthy, he’ll need to earn his spot to stick around.
For now, the Orioles are betting on upside. Kowar brings big-league experience, a power fastball, and flashes of strikeout stuff.
If the coaching staff can help him sharpen his command and keep the ball in the yard, he could emerge as a valuable bullpen piece. And in a division where every inning counts, that’s a gamble worth taking.