Orioles claim Will Robertson, Drew Romo

The Orioles have claimed the outfielder Will Robertson according to waivers from the Pirates Jake Rill of MLB.com. The O’s also claimed the catcher Drew Romo waivers from the Rockies, according to an announcement from Colorado. There was no previous indication that these players were on the wire, but it appears their respective clubs were trying to sneak them through waivers to open up 40-man spots. Baltimore’s 40-man roster had a vacancy, but they’ll have to open one spot to make those two claims.

Robertson, 28 this month, is a popular bet for a breakthrough late-bloomer. This is the fourth selection he has been part of in the past six months. He was a fourth-round pick of the Blue Jays in 2019 and wasn’t really on the radar as he climbed the minor league ladder. He showed some pop at times, but also struck out about 30% of the time, limiting his overall offensive production. He has played in midfield on occasion, but has usually been a corner-only player, meaning he has to hit to provide value.

In 2025 he seemed to find another gear. He put up good numbers in Triple-A to start the year, enough that the Jays called him up to the big leagues in June. He was designated for assignment in July and went to the White Sox in a cash deal. Between the Jays and Sox, he hit just .129/.173/.143 in the majors, but in a small span of just 75 plate appearances.

In his 354 Triple-A plate appearances between the two clubs, he lowered his strikeout rate to 24.9%, still a high number but a nice drop for him personally. He also walked at a strong 13.6% clip and hit 20 home runs. All told, he had a .289/.387/.571 line at Triple-A this year. That production translates to a 148 wRC+, indicating he was 48% above league average at that level.

Despite that strong production, his age and lack of potential pedigree make him a fringe player. The White Sox placed Robertson on waivers in October. The Pirates claimed him and held him for a few months before attempting to pass him through waivers themselves. The Orioles swooped in to grab him.

His path to playing time in Baltimore isn’t great right now. The Orioles have an outfield mix that consists of Taylor district, Tyler O’Neill, Colton Cowser, Dylan Bevers, Jeremiah Jackson, Leody Taveras, Heston Kjerstad, Reed Trimble and others. Robertson still has options, so he could be stashed as depth in Triple-A, but the Orioles often claim players on waivers and try to pass them on later themselves. If they tried that with Robertson at a later date and were successful, they could keep him in the system in a non-roster role.

There’s more to come.