The Orioles announced that catcher Blake Hunt has been designated for assignment. The move opens a roster spot for right-hander Andrew Kittredge, who has now been officially signed to a one-year deal.
Hunt, 26, still hasn’t made his major league debut. Drafted by the Padres in 2017, he went to the Rays as part of the December 2020 trade that brought Blake Snell to San Diego. He had emerged as an intriguing prospect prior to that deal but his stock dropped after joining the Rays. In November of 2023, rather than add him to the roster to keep him out of the Rule 5 draft, the Rays traded him to the Mariners. The M’s gave him a roster spot but flipped him to the Orioles in May for Mike Baumann and Michael Pérez.
Around all those transactions, Hunt has generally produced middling offensive numbers in the minors. Over the past four years, he has a combined batting line of .231/.302/.395, which translates to an 82 WRC+. That includes a rough .218/.273/.364 line and 60 wRC+ in 2024.
After that performance, Hunt has lost his roster spot. The Orioles will now have a week to figure out what’s next for him, whether that’s a trade or a fate on the waiver wire. The waiver process takes 48 hours, so any trade would need to come together in the next five days.
Despite his down season at the plate, it’s possible some club takes a shot on him based on past prospect pedigree. Going into 2021, FanGraphs listed him just outside the top 100 on that year’s top prospects list. His stock has fallen since then but he still has a couple of option years, meaning he could be an intriguing depth option for a club with a roster spot and a plan for getting him back on track.