Christian Encarnacion-Strand has been on the map since making the Minnesota Twins’ top 30 prospects list in 2022, ranked 29th. He then joined the Cincinnati Reds and was their seventh-best prospect in 2023 before making his MLB debut that year, posting a .805 OPS (113 wRC+) and 13 homers in just 63 games.
Things started to go south in 2024, though. Injuries limited him to 29 MLB games in 2024, and he wasn’t the same in 2025. The Reds designated him for assignment in early April this year and worked out a trade with the Baltimore Orioles for straight cash. He spent about half the season in Norfolk but then injuries opened up opportunities in Baltimore.
Not many things went right for the 2026 O’s, as you know by now. They missed the playoffs; they were deadline sellers and traded their franchise catcher, and so on. However, they found a hidden gem in CES, one that could have a firm role in the 2027 version of the team.
A Resurgence Season
Encarnacion-Strand showed some signs of life this year, and then some. He slashed a cool .277/.325/.513 with 11 homers in 58 games, putting up a brilliant 133 wRC+.
CES rarely walks, as his below-average 5.2 percent walk rate indicates. He also strikes out a ton, at a 25.8 percent rate. However, two things make him a valuable commodity for the Orioles.
One of them is the fact that he has evolved into a passable fielder at third base. In 411.2 innings in the hot corner, CES had 0 Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) and 3 Outs Above Average (OAA). It doesn’t always look like it, but Encarnacion-Strand can give the Orioles average defense in the corners, since he is also capable of playing first base and spelling Pete Alonso there when he’s injured or resting.
The second one, and perhaps the most valuable one, comes from his ability to mash lefties. CES had a brilliant 179 wRC+ against southpaws this year, stemming from a .290/.372/.638 line and a 1.009 OPS. He did it while not being a liability vs. righties: .270/.299/.444 with a .743 OPS and a 106 wRC+.
So, while CES’s on-base skills are subpar and he is streaky, he does have value on an MLB roster as a lefty-masher corner infielder who can also rotate in the DH spot. There’s a problem, though: the Orioles infield is pretty crowded with next year in mind.
Can The Orioles Fit All The Pieces?
Gunnar Henderson and Jackson Holliday are the starting middle infielders, while Alonso is firmly entrenched at the cold corner. You have to factor in Coby Mayo, Blaze Alexander, and the returning Jordan Westburg, too.
Henderson is a trade candidate, although there’s a very good chance he stays. At this point, Holliday’s long-term future is up in the air, but he is, as of now, the Orioles’ second baseman. Alexander can play left and right field in addition to the infield, so he could help back there, but then the O’s would still have Mayo, CES, and Westburg vying for two spots: third base and the designated hitter slot.
If he’s healthy, and all reports indicate he should be by next spring, Westburg will have a large role. He can play second and third. It’s fair to say that Mike Elias and Craig Albernaz will have a hard time accommodating all the names, though.
Even after his strong 2027, there’s a chance that competition will push Encarnacion-Strand out of the picture. However, his overall body of work this year should give him a leg up.
If he ends up winning a spot in next year’s plans, fans should expect more of the same: passable defense, very few walks, a lot of strikeouts, but impactful power, particularly against lefties. Above-average overall offensive production and a league-average glove seem possible, even likely, and there’s value in that.
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