Baltimore Orioles Get Surprise Visitor at Practice Before Playoffs

The Baltimore Orioles had a surprise guest at practice before the AL Wild Card Round.

Aug 31, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Baltimore Orioles designated hitter Eloy Jimenez celebrates his solo home run. / Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

After the Baltimore Orioles wrapped up the regular season with a 6-2 win over the shell-shocked Minnesota Twins at Target Field on Sunday, they returned home to practice on Monday.

Following Monday's workout, the Orioles will begin their World Series quest in Game 1 of the AL Wild Card Series against the Kansas City Royals on Tuesday, where they'll look to score their first playoff win since 2014 behind ace Corbin Burnes.

While Baltimore practiced on the field at Camden Yards, several players who did not make the postseason roster were still in attendance, including one of the team's big trade deadline additions.

Eloy Jiménez is here at Camden Yards ahead of #Orioles workout. He was DFA’d earlier this month.

Not surprising that O’s would have some extra players around. pic.twitter.com/rCT8gPJlhg

— Jake Rill (@JakeDRill) September 30, 2024

Eloy Jimenez was back at Camden Yards after being optioned to Triple-A last week. While he was sent down to make room for Ryan Mountcastle, he's still on the 40-man roster and could conceivably make the postseason roster at some point as an injury replacement.

Jimenez, who was acquired from the Chicago White Sox on July 30 in exchange for prospect Trey McGough, failed to make much of an impact with Baltimore. In 100 plate appearances over 33 games with the Orioles, he batted just .232/.270/.316 with one home run, seven RBI and more strikeouts (23) than hits (22).

The 27-year-old got off to a hot start with his new team but soon fell into a prolonged slump. His bat disappeared down the stretch as he went just 1-for-24 with eight strikeouts and a .042/.148/.042 batting line in September.

With Baltimore locked in a tight divisional race with the New York Yankees, Jimenez's playing time dwindled. He only earned one start after Sept. 13 and was typically used only in losses, reflecting Brandon Hyde's lack of faith in him.

The Orioles don't need a bench bat who can't hit, so they likely won't have much use for Jimenez in October. However, he still needs to be ready just in case, especially given Baltimore's bad injury luck this year.