Baltimore Orioles expected to activate Rule 5 draft pick Anthony Santander
The Baltimore Orioles are reportedly expected to activate Rule 5 draft pick, Anthony Santander, this week as the Orioles return to Oriole Park at Camden Yards for a three-game series vs. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.
After months and months of rehab and shelved on the Baltimore Orioles 60-day disabled list, Rule 5 draft pick Anthony Santander is expected to join the Orioles baseball team later this week when the Orioles take on the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Not to mention, this weekend the Orioles will be celebrating the 25 year anniversary of Oriole Park at Camden Yards.
According to Rich Dubroff of PressBoxOnline.com, the Orioles are expected to add Santander to the Major League roster on Aug. 17 upon completion of his 20-day rehab assignment.
Santander, 22, has yet to make his debut with the Orioles in 2017 due to ligament damage in his right elbow. However, the switch-hitter resumed baseball activities and began his rehab assignment on July 27 at Double-A Bowie.
Fifteen games into his rehab reassignment, the 6-foot-2 outfielder is hitting .380 with five home runs and 14 RBIs with the Double-A Bowie Baysox baseball team, including a two-home run game on Aug. 9 against Harrisburg.
According to MLB.com, a player selected in the Rule 5 draft must remain activated on an MLB roster for at least 90 days. As a result, Santander will remain on the Orioles MLB roster for the remainder of the season and into the 2018 season, that is if the Orioles decide to keep him.
Santander is the ninth-ranked Orioles prospect according to MLB Pipeline. Here’s the analysis on Santander’s switching hitting ability:
"Santander didn’t begin switch-hitting until 2010, but he took to it quickly and has made steady progress as he’s moved up the ladder. A consistent hitter from the left side of the plate who possesses above-average raw power and makes hard contact to all fields, Santander is more pull-oriented and exhibits greater swing-and-miss tendencies as a right-handed hitter, although he does draw his share of walks from both sides. Defensively, Santander has spent much of his time in left field, where his modest athleticism, speed and arm are all strengths. He’s also proved to be a capable first baseman."
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Despite the impressive numbers in Double-A Bowie, Showalter revealed that Santander will most likely begin his role with the Orioles as a bench player with opportunities to play in the outfield, at first base, or as a designated hitter per Jon Meoli of The Baltimore Sun.