O's decline Mountcastle's option; Kjerstad clears waivers, becomes free agent

BALTIMORE -- Two longtime Orioles players have become free agents for the first time.

First baseman Ryan Mountcastle's 2027 team option worth $7.5 million was declined on Monday evening, while outfielder Heston Kjerstad cleared waivers and was outrighted.

Kjerstad -- along with catcher Yohel Pozo and right-hander Yosver Zulueta, who also both cleared waivers and were outrighted -- became a Minor League free agent in the process.

Outfielder Leody Taveras is also now a free agent, as the 28-year-old cleared waivers and elected free agency in lieu of accepting an outright assignment to Triple-A Norfolk. As is left-hander Dietrich Enns, whose $3.5 million team option was unsurprisingly declined.

The O’s began to repopulate their 40-man roster by claiming four players off waivers -- right-hander Josh White (Marlins), left-hander Philip Abner (Mets), catcher Zach Morgan (Giants) and righty Chase Hampton (Cardinals).

Mountcastle played 97 games for Baltimore over the past two seasons, including only eight in 2026, when the 29-year-old was sidelined for the majority of the year by a left foot fracture and a left oblique strain and didn’t appear in a game after April 11. He went 4-for-14 (.286) with one double and one RBI.

It would have been challenging for the O’s to find playing time for Mountcastle, though. After Pete Alonso signed a five-year, $155 million deal last December, the Orioles entered 2026 with three right-handed-hitting first basemen on their roster in Alonso, Mountcastle and Coby Mayo.

Mayo moved back to third base (his position coming up through the Minors) once Jordan Westburg sustained a right elbow injury that eventually led to season-ending Tommy John surgery. But with Alonso serving as the everyday first baseman -- and the designated hitter spot often being filled by either Samuel Basallo or Adley Rutschman early in the season -- Mountcastle didn’t have a natural fit.

If Mountcastle can stay healthy, perhaps he could return to form in 2027, though it seems likely that opportunity will come with another team.

Kjerstad, 27, was Baltimore’s first-round Draft pick in 2020, taken with the No. 2 overall pick. He is a former top prospect who mashed his way through the O’s farm system earlier this decade.

But Kjerstad has struggled to stick in the big leagues, while also dealing with several injuries. The left-handed-hitting outfielder is a career .217 hitter with nine doubles, 10 home runs, 38 RBIs and a .639 OPS in 117 games over four big league seasons.

After missing the final two months of the 2025 campaign due to an undisclosed medical condition, Kjerstad opened ‘26 on the IL due to a right hamstring strain, then got optioned to Triple-A Norfolk. He played 11 games for the Orioles this past season, going 4-for-19 (.211) with one double and two RBIs.

Taveras signed a one-year, $2 million deal with Baltimore last offseason, but he was slated to return because he had another year of arbitration eligibility. Instead, he’ll be back on the free-agent market for the second straight year.

In 139 games this past season, Taveras hit .219 with 18 doubles, six triples, eight homers, 56 RBIs and a .633 OPS. He is a seven-year MLB veteran who previously played for the Rangers (2020-25) and Mariners (‘25).

Enns, 35, had a 3.94 ERA in 13 relief outings for the O's this past season, spending most of the year at Triple-A.

Of the three pitchers claimed off waivers by the Orioles, White and Abner are relievers, while Hampton has exclusively worked as a starter during his pro career.

White, 25, was the Marlins’ 2022 fifth-round Draft pick. He made his MLB debut earlier this year. He’s pitched in only one big league game, but he had a 2.41 ERA in 36 games (one start) for Triple-A Jacksonville this past season.

Abner, 24, has a 6.75 ERA in 18 MLB relief outings for the D-backs and Giants over the past two seasons. The southpaw was Arizona’s 2023 sixth-round Draft pick.

Hampton, 25, was the Yankees’ 2022 sixth-round Draft pick. The righty has never pitched in the big leagues and had an 8.18 ERA in 17 starts across three levels in New York’s system this past season.

With Pozo gone, Morgan becomes the third catcher on Baltimore’s 40-man roster alongside Basallo and Narváez. Morgan, 26, was San Francisco’s 2022 seventh-round Draft pick and has yet to reach the Majors, hitting .248 with a .695 OPS in 52 games between Triple-A Sacramento and Double-A Richmond this past season.