Baltimore Orioles Demote Star Prospect, Make Other Moves During Yankees Series

The Baltimore Orioles have announced some roster moves on Wednesday in the midst of their important series against the New York Yankees.

May 9, 2023; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles outfielder Kyle Stowers (28) reacts to being called out on strikes in the third inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Oriole Park at Camden Yards / Mitch Stringer-USA TODAY Sports

Both the Baltimore Orioles and New York Yankees got a day off on Monday before they entered into a three-game slate that started Tuesday which had the feel of a potential American League Conference Series preview.

Things went against the Orioles in Game 1 as it took until the last frame to score their two runs in the 4-2 loss.

It will only get tougher for Baltimore as they're the first team to face the reigning AL Cy Young winner Gerrit Cole this season as he makes his return from the injured list that sidelined him during Spring Training.

They'll counter with their star prospect Cade Povich.

But ahead of the anticipated showdown, the Orioles made some roster moves that saw them send star prospect Kyle Stowers down to Triple-A as they replaced him with Nick Maton. They also transferred Tyler Wells to the 60-day IL after his UCL surgery per Roch Kubatko of MASN.

This is an interesting decision.

Stowers has played well in his 17-game sample size, slashing .286/.278/.486 with a homer, four doubles and nine RBI across 45 at-bats.

This was easily the best he's looked during his time in the Majors after getting two previous opportunities and looking overwhelmed.

Maton was acquired by Baltimore this offseason in a trade with the Detroit Tigers for cash considerations, and he's spent the entire year in the minors slashing .292/.390/.481 with their Triple-A affiliate.

Maton gives the Orioles a bit more experience at the plate with his 180 career games and 438 at-bats. Plus, he has defensive versatility playing in both the outfield and infield.