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Orioles Hiring Jared Banner as General Manager
The Baltimore Orioles are hiring Chicago Cubs assistant general manager Jared Banner as their general manager, per ESPN's Jeff Passan. Banner will work alongside incumbent Orioles president of baseball operations Mike Elias in Baltimore. The 41-year-old Banner has 18 years of baseball operations experience, taking over his most recent role in Chicago in 2024. He got his start with the Boston Red Sox in 2008, where he spent the first 11 seasons of his career in baseball management. The Orioles have now missed the postseason in back-to-back years after consecutive playoff appearances in 2023 and 2024. While Elias has spoken publicly about his desire to add to his own front office, Banner's presence could signal that Elias' job is under scrutiny from ownership heading into 2027.
Source: ESPN - Jeff Passan
Source: ESPN - Jeff Passan
Orioles Hire Jared Banner As New General Manager
The Baltimore Orioles have made a hire in their search for a new general manager, and according to the team, it is Jared Banner, the former assistant general manager with the Chicago Cubs. The Orioles say that Banner will "work alongside President of Baseball Operations Mike Elias, managing the baseball operations department on a day-to-day basis. Banner will lead the organization's player development, coaching, and performance efforts, while also partnering with Elias on strategy, staffing, and talent acquisition, among other duties." Banner recently completed his 18th season in baseball operations and has worked as assistant GM of the Cubs since 2024.
Source: Baltimore Orioles
Source: Baltimore Orioles
Jackson Holliday Needs Wrist Surgery
Baltimore Orioles middle infielder Jackson Holliday (wrist) said he will need surgery to fix his left wrist, either later this week or next week, according to Jake Rill of MLB.com. The good news is that Holliday is not dealing with a complete tear. "Hopefully just go in there and clean it up, and that'll be that," Holliday said. He has been told to expect about a 10-week recovery, so it should not impact his timeline for next season. The 22-year-old was diagnosed with a triangular fibrocartilage complex tear in his wrist. His 2026 season got off to a bad start when he needed surgery to remove a broken hamate bone in his right hand, causing him to get a late start to the campaign. The former first overall pick in 2022 was unable to fully recover, playing in just 98 games for the O's while hitting a disappointing .229/.300/.340 with a .640 OPS, seven home runs, 30 RBI, 45 runs scored, and eight stolen bases in 354 plate appearances. Holliday has yet to reach the potential that made him the first overall pick, but with a fully healthy season in 2027, he could be a deep-league sleeper at middle infield.
Source: MLB.com - Jake Rill
Source: MLB.com - Jake Rill
Jackson Holliday Unlikely to Play in Final Week of Regular Season
Baltimore Orioles middle infielder Jackson Holliday (wrist) is unlikely to play for the Orioles again this season, manager Craig Albernaz told Jake Rill of MLB.com. Holliday is getting more looks and options from doctors about what is going on with his injured left wrist, and the team is expecting to have more information later this week. The 22-year-old former first overall pick in 2022 got his 2026 season off on the wrong foot when he suffered a broken hamate bone in his hand, and he really has not been the same since this year. In his third year in the big leagues, Holliday will end up playing in only 98 games (354 plate appearances) while batting a disappointing .229/.300/.340 with a .640 OPS, seven home runs, 30 RBI, 45 runs scored, and eight stolen bases. There could still be a post-hype breakout coming for Holliday, but he will most likely be avoided in standard-sized fantasy baseball leagues next season until he can get back on track offensively.
Source: MLB.com - Jake Rill
Source: MLB.com - Jake Rill
Jackson Holliday Placed on 10-Day Injured List with Left-Wrist Inflammation
Baltimore Orioles infielder Jackson Holliday (wrist) has been placed on the 10-day injured list due to left wrist inflammation. Infielder Jose Barrero was recalled from Triple-A Norfolk to take Holliday's place on the team's active roster. While Holliday could technically return to the Orioles before the end of the regular season, his 2026 campaign may be over. Across 354 plate appearances this year, the 22-year-old hit .229/.300/.340 with seven home runs, 30 RBI, 45 runs scored, and eight stolen bases. Holliday's season got off to a rough start, as he suffered a broken hamate bone in Spring Training that delayed his 2026 debut until mid-May. The young infielder has struck out in 23.7% of his plate appearances while also posting the worst hard-hit rate of his career (33.1%). With Holliday sidelined, Orioles infielder/outfielder Jeremiah Jackson will likely see an increase in playing time at second base.
Source: Baltimore Orioles
Source: Baltimore Orioles
Gunnar Henderson Back From Foot Injury on Friday
Baltimore Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson (foot) is starting at the 6 and is batting fifth for Friday's contest in Toronto against the Blue Jays and veteran right-hander Max Scherzer, per MLB.com. Henderson will only end up missing one game due to a foot injury that he suffered on Tuesday against the Cleveland Guardians. The former American League Rookie of the Year and All-Star has hit a career-low .219 (126-for-575) on the season with 22 home runs, 57 RBI, 83 runs scored, and 10 stolen bases in his 145 games played. He has also gone just 4-for-29 (.138) with zero home runs, zero RBI, four walks, and eight strikeouts in September so far in eight games played. The 25-year-old has also hit only .216 (83-for-384) against right-handed pitchers on the season. Henderson has hit Scherzer well in a small sample size, though, batting .429 with a 1.071 OPS and two RBI. The left-handed slugger has hit just .208 (37-for-178) with five home runs in 49 games since the All-Star break.
Source: MLB.com
Source: MLB.com
Gunnar Henderson Out With Foot Injury on Wednesday
Baltimore Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson (foot) is not in the team's starting lineup for Wednesday's game against the Cleveland Guardians, according to MLB.com. Jackson Holliday is making the start at shortstop for the O's and is hitting fifth against Guardians left-hander Foster Griffin. Henderson will take a seat on Wednesday after fouling a ball off his foot in Tuesday's game against Cleveland. With Baltimore having a day off for travel on Thursday, fantasy managers should expect Henderson to return to the starting nine in Toronto for Friday's series opener against the Blue Jays. Henderson has 22 home runs on the season, but otherwise he has been a disappointment again for fantasy managers after his breakout 2024 campaign in which he hit 37 home runs, drove in 92 runs, and stole 21 bases in 159 games played. He enters play on Wednesday with a .219/.303/.395 slash line with a career-worst .698 OPS, 22 homers, 57 RBI, 10 steals, and 83 runs scored across 145 games and 647 plate appearances. Henderson has really struggled since the second half, hitting .208/.322/.376 with five homers, nine doubles, three triples, 14 RBI, 28 runs, three steals, 27 walks, and 41 strikeouts in 49 games.
Source: MLB.com
Source: MLB.com
Gunnar Henderson Unlikely to Sign With Baltimore Long-Term
ESPN's Buster Olney, who was appearing on Just Baseball, said that Baltimore Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson, who is represented by super agent Scott Boras, "in all likelihood isn't going to sign there long-term." It comes after the Orioles traded away the former first overall pick, switch-hitting All-Star catcher Adley Rutschman, to the division-rival Boston Red Sox on Monday for a giant prospect haul. The 25-year-old Henderson has two years of team control remaining, but after that, Olney thinks he will bolt for the open market. The former second-rounder in 2019 broke out with 37 home runs, 92 RBI, and 21 stolen bases in his second full MLB season with Baltimore in 2024, and although he had a career-high 30 steals the following season, he hit just 17 home runs in 2025. Henderson has continued to decline in 2026, as he's currently slashing .218/.297/.393 with a career-low .690 OPS, 18 home runs, 47 RBI, 65 runs scored, and only eight steals in 114 games and 518 plate appearances. His batted-ball metrics do not point to a turnaround anytime soon.
Source: ESPN - Buster Olney
Source: ESPN - Buster Olney
Orioles Promoting No. 5-Ranked Prospect Wehiwa Aloy to Double-A
The Baltimore Orioles are promoting infield prospect Wehiwa Aloy to Double-A, according to Jake Rill of MLB.com. Aloy is currently viewed as the team's No. 5 overall prospect on MLB.com. He joined the Orioles with the 31st overall pick in last year's draft out of Arkansas and is quickly progressing through the lower levels of the system. He spent the 2025 season at Low-A, where he posted a .288/.356/.500 line, which earned him a ticket to High-A to begin the 2026 season. At High-A (84 games), the infielder continued this pace, carrying a stellar .300/.371/.503 line with 14 doubles, 15 home runs and 12 stolen bases. If he can carry this production to Double-A, an early-season promotion to Triple-A to begin 2027 will be in play. He is a name to continue to closely monitor in dynasty formats.
Source: Jake Rill
Source: Jake Rill
Orioles Place Blaze Alexander on Injured List With Fractured Hand
The Baltimore Orioles announced on Thursday that they placed infielder/outfielder Blaze Alexander (hand) on the 10-day injured list (retroactive to July 13) with a fractured left hand and recalled infielder Christian Encarnacion-Strand from Triple-A Norfolk in a corresponding move. Alexander fractured his hand when he was hit by a pitch in the final game of the first half of the season on Sunday against the Kansas City Royals. It's unclear what Alexander's timetable for a return will be, but fantasy managers in deeper leagues should expect him to be out for around a month or more. It's literally a tough break for the 27-year-old utility man, as the former 11th-rounder by the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2018 was having a career year for the O's before the injury, slashing .312/.368/.439 with an .807 OPS, four home runs, 29 RBI, 31 runs scored, and nine stolen bases in his 221 at-bats in 2026. In mixed fantasy leagues, fantasy managers who have Alexander rostered can probably go in another direction to kick off the second half of the season.
Source: Baltimore Orioles
Source: Baltimore Orioles
Is it Time to Sell Gunnar Henderson?
Baltimore Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson looked like the next superstar in 2024 when he hit 37 home runs, drove in 92 runs, and stole 21 bases in 159 regular-season games on his way to his first All-Star appearance. However, he could not run it back last year, finishing with just 17 home runs, 68 RBI, and 30 stolen bases in 154 games played. The 25-year-old left-handed slugger is already up to 16 long balls in 87 games in 2026 in his fifth year in the league, but his numbers everywhere else have come up well short again. Through 399 plate appearances, he's slashing .227/.298/.416 with a career-low .714 OPS, 39 RBI, six steals, and 49 runs scored in a league-high 361 at-bats. Under the hood, his xBA of .235 and xwOBA of .307 don't scream buy low in fantasy leagues. Henderson also ranks in the 63rd percentile in hard-hit rate, the 41st percentile in strikeout rate, the 45th percentile in barrel rate, and the 34th percentile in chase rate. The power has obviously been nice, but fantasy managers shouldn't be buying with the expectation that he'll return to his 2024 form in the second half of 2026.
Source: Baseball Reference
Source: Baseball Reference
Jackson Holliday Back in Lineup for Series Opener Against Nats
Baltimore Orioles middle infielder Jackson Holliday (groin) is starting at second base and batting eighth for Friday's series opener against the visiting Washington Nationals and left-hander Andrew Alvarez at Camden Yards, according to MLB.com. Holliday didn't start the last four games for the O's while nursing a groin injury, but he'll be back this weekend against the Nats as he looks to finally get his bat going in what has been an injury-plagued season for the former first overall pick. The 22-year-old left-handed hitter didn't make his 2026 season debut until May 19 due to a fractured hamate bone in his hand that required surgery back in spring training. Holliday teased 20-20 upside in 2025 in his first full season in the big leagues with 17 homers and 17 stolen bases, but so far in 30 games (99 plate appearances) in 2026, he's hitting .198 (17-for-86) with four homers, 12 RBI, 11 walks, and 30 stolen bases. There's still plenty of upside, but it's hard to recommend Holliday off the waiver wire with the way he's been swinging it, especially at the bottom of Baltimore's batting order. He's currently rostered in under 30% of Yahoo leagues.
Source: MLB.com
Source: MLB.com
Blaze Alexander Returns From Knee Injury on Wednesday
Baltimore Orioles infielder/outfielder Blaze Alexander (knee) is starting at third base and batting ninth for Wednesday's series finale in Anaheim against the Los Angeles Angels and right-hander Jose Soriano, per MLB.com. Alexander had to be pulled from Monday's series opener against the Angels after fouling a ball off his right knee. He missed Game 2 of the series on Tuesday, but he's back in there on Wednesday. The 27-year-old former 11th-round pick by the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2018 has taken over at the hot corner in Baltimore over Coby Mayo with Jordan Westburgh (elbow) out for the entire 2026 season. Alexander is hitting a strong .310 (53-for-171) in his first 67 games with the O's, but he lacks power and won't have much DFS appeal on Wednesday at the bottom of the batting order. He's added three home runs, 23 RBI, eight steals, and 22 runs scored across his 190 plate appearances. In five career at-bats against Soriano, Alexander is hitting .400 with a 1.000 OPS and one RBI.
Source: MLB.com
Source: MLB.com
Jackson Holliday Missing Fourth Straight Game on Wednesday
Baltimore Orioles middle infielder Jackson Holliday (groin) is missing a fourth straight game on Wednesday in Anaheim against the hosting Los Angeles Angels, according to MLB.com. Jeremiah Jackson will make another start at the keystone and will bat eighth against Angels right-hander Jose Soriano. The good news for Holliday is that he was able to do pre-game work with the team before the first two games of the series at Angel Stadium, signaling that he's likely to avoid another trip to the injured list with his groin soreness. The Orioles have a scheduled day off on Thursday, so Holliday's next chance to rejoin the starting lineup will come in Friday's series opener versus the Washington Nationals. Fantasy managers should check back then for an update. The 22-year-old former first overall pick in 2022 is rostered in just 30% of Yahoo leagues at the moment after getting a late start to his third year in the majors due to a broken hamate bone suffered in spring training. Since returning, he has gone just 17-for-85 (.200) with four homers, 12 RBI, 14 runs, three stolen bases, 11 walks, and 29 strikeouts in 98 plate appearances.
Source: MLB.com
Source: MLB.com
Blaze Alexander Out With Knee Contusion Against Angels
Baltimore Orioles infielder/outfielder Blaze Alexander (knee) is sitting out of the starting lineup for Tuesday's contest in Anaheim against the hosting Los Angeles Angels, per MLB.com. Alexander left the series opener on Monday with a right-knee contusion after fouling a ball off his leg, so it's not a huge surprise that he's not starting a day later. For now, fantasy managers in deeper leagues should consider the super-utility man to be day-to-day. Coby Mayo is making the start at third base for the O's on Tuesday and will bat fifth against Angels right-hander Ryan Johnson. The 27-year-old Alexander has been thrust into a much bigger role than expected in 2026 in his first year in Baltimore due to the season-ending elbow injury to Jordan Westburg. He has taken advantage of the opportunity, too, hitting .310 (53-for-171) with three home runs, 23 RBI, 22 runs scored, and eight stolen bases in his 67 games played. Alexander doesn't come with much pop at the plate, though, and his most attractive quality may be his multi-position eligibility in fantasy, as he's eligible at second base, third base, shortstop, and the outfield.
Source: MLB.com
Source: MLB.com
