Orioles Lose Former Top-5 Pick as Season Continues to Spiral

Orioles Lose Former Top-5 Pick as Season Continues to Spiral originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

The Baltimore Orioles looked like they were headed in a promising direction after making the playoffs the last two seasons, including an AL East title in 2023. However, they're currently last in the division and nine games out of a Wild Card spot with less than two months left.

The Orioles fired manager Brandon Hyde on May 17 after starting 15-28. The squad is 52-63 heading into Friday night's bout with the Athletics, 4.5 games behind the Rays for fourth place in the division. They're also second-to-last in the AL with a -80 run differential.

On top of that, Baltimore announced unfortunate injury news on Friday afternoon, via MASN's Roch Kubatko.

The team placed outfielder Colton Cowser on the 7-day concussion IL and fellow outfielder Tyler O'Neill (right wrist inflammation) on the 10-day IL retroactive to August 6. However, it did reinstate infielder Ryan Mountcastle (hamstring).

Both Cowser and O'Neill are struggling this season. The former is slashing .213/.279/.401 with nine homers and 22 RBI over 56 games, while the latter is slashing .210/.293/.434 with eight homers and 23 RBI over 43 games. The organization recalled outfielder Jordyn Adams in a corresponding move, who is 0-for-3 with one run scored this season.

#orioles reinstate Ryan Mountcastle. Recalled OF Jordyn Adams from Triple-A Norfolk. Placed OF Colton Cowser on the 7-day concussion Injured List, retroactive to August 7. Placed OF Tyler O'Neill (right wrist inflammation) on the 10-day Injured List, retroactive to August 6.

— Roch Kubatko (@masnRoch) August 8, 2025

Colton Cowser Not Living Up to Draft Status for Orioles

Cowser's injury is yet another setback in what's been a disappointing career thus far. The Orioles drafted the 6-foot-3-inch, 220-pounder No. 5 overall in 2021 out of Houston State, but he hasn't been up to par.

Cowser slashed just .115/.286/.148 with four RBI across 26 games in 2023 after getting his first big-league call-up in July of that year. He followed that up by slashing .242/.321/.447 with 24 homers and 69 RBI over 153 games last season.

However, Cowser suffered a broken left hand after getting hit by a pitch in Game 2 of the Wild Card Series against the Kansas City Royals in October and got surgery two weeks later. The 25-year-old then broke his left thumb by diving into first base vs. the Toronto Blue Jays in March, and didn't return until June. He's currently slashing .225/.307/.411 over 235 career games.

Cowser's injury woes only add to what's already been a difficult season for Baltimore. The club's only All-Star this year was first baseman Ryan O'Hearn, who started the All-Star Game at designated hitter for the AL. However, shortstop Gunnar Henderson is following up last year's All-Star campaign by slashing .283/.342/.459 with 13 homers and 47 RBI over 108 games.

While the Orioles have young talent like Henderson, former top MLB prospect Jackson Holliday, and 2024 All-Star Adley Rutschman, they must find a manager who can maximize the roster this offseason.

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This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Aug 8, 2025, where it first appeared.