LOS ANGELES — The Orioles claimed outfielder Forrest Wall off waivers Wednesday and designated reliever Dillon Tate for assignment in a corresponding move, the club announced. Wall, who was optioned to Triple-A Norfolk, will be postseason eligible for Baltimore since he was acquired ahead of the Sept. 1 deadline.
Tate, 30, posted a 4.59 ERA in 29 games for the Orioles this season, his first year back on the mound after missing the entire 2023 campaign with elbow and forearm injuries. The right-hander was a key setup man in the Orioles’ bullpen in 2022 with a 3.05 ERA in 67 appearances, but he was unable to return to form as Baltimore shuttled him back and forth between the majors and minor leagues. Tate will be placed on outright waivers, giving the other 29 MLB teams a chance to claim him.
“Last year was really tough for him, missing all of the year,” manager Brandon Hyde said. “I thought spring training, he was trying to find the stuff that he had when he was really lights out for us two years ago and a big part of our bullpen, and you saw the mid-to-high 90s sinker that had a lot of power behind it. I’m hoping for the best for D-Tate because I know how hard he’s worked here to kind of get back to that form and hope he latches on or we keep him in the organization, and he’s got a lot of years left.”
He’s replaced on the Orioles’ 40-man roster by Wall, a 2014 first-round pick of the Colorado Rockies who has spent time with five organizations. Wall has 50 career plate appearances at the big league level with the Miami Marlins and Atlanta Braves, hitting .311 with one home run and nine stolen bases. The 28-year-old is slashing .282/.380/.396 in 64 Triple-A games this season.
With prospect Heston Kjerstad nursing a concussion and on the injured list, Wall is the lone healthy outfielder in Norfolk currently on the Orioles’ 40-man roster. Hyde said Wednesday that Kjerstad is ramping up baseball activities but he wasn’t ready to commit to a timetable for his return.