Orioles promote outfield prospect Colton Cowser to major leagues

NEW YORK — The Baltimore Orioles promoted outfielder Colton Cowser to the major leagues Wednesday, the second top prospect they've called up in the past couple of weeks.

The 23-year-old Cowser was batting .330 with 10 home runs and 40 RBIs for Triple-A Norfolk this year. He was the fifth pick in the 2021 amateur draft.

“I don’t think it’s really, truly hit me yet,” Cowser said after joining the Orioles at Yankee Stadium.

With his parents smiling in the stands, Cowser made his big league debut against New York, starting in left field and batting seventh. He laced a line drive up the middle his first time up that was caught by Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe.

“It was awesome. A cool ballpark, kind of soaked it in and once I did that, I took a moment and then was like, all right, let’s go,” Cowser said after his team's 6-3 win. “Honestly, I was more nervous the wait before the game. Once I got through my daily schedule, I was like, same game, just go out and play.”

Cowser got his first hit with an RBI single in the sixth inning off reliever Nick Ramirez that trimmed Baltimore's deficit to 2-1. Cowser scored the go-ahead run when fellow rookie Jordan Westburg followed with a two-run triple, sending the second-place Orioles to just their second victory in eight games.

“That was awesome. I wish he would have split the gap a little bit more so I didn’t have to stop, but he put a good swing on it," Cowser said. "He’s a great guy, a great guy in the clubhouse. Just glad that he’s here with me.”

The young Orioles are in position for the top wild card in the American League, and their farm system has remained loaded with hitting prospects. Late last month, they called up Westburg, the No. 32-ranked prospect by MLB Pipeline. Cowser is No. 14 on that list, and Baltimore also has the No. 1 prospect in Class A shortstop Jackson Holliday.

“It’s awesome, especially to see some familiar faces right when you get here," Cowser said. “It puts your mind at ease a little bit, like OK, I’ve played with these guys a little bit.”

The Orioles selected the contracts of Cowser and right-hander Eduard Bazardo from Norfolk and optioned outfielder Ryan McKenna to their top farm club. They also designated catcher Anthony Bemboom and right-hander Chris Vallimont for assignment before Wednesday night's game.

Cowser faced a tough path to playing time with the Orioles, with Cedric Mullins, Anthony Santander and All-Star Austin Hays in the Baltimore outfield — but Hays bruised his hip this week and was out of the starting lineup Wednesday for the third consecutive day. Cowser played left field in Hays' place.

“It’s hard not to smile when he’s on the field. It was a special night, not only for him but just to be reunited with him," Westburg said. “I know it was kind of a short time off, but really special night. So happy for him. I’m happy that he’s here and we’re both excited and hoping to make an impact on this team.”

Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said Hays is getting better every day and hopefully will return to the lineup in a day or two.

In the meantime, Cowser went 1 for 3 with a walk Wednesday night and took full advantage of his first big league opportunity.

“We’re not scoring a ton of runs over these last couple weeks, so hopefully he can give us a spark offensively,” Hyde said before the game. “We could use a little energy.”