O's select Stewart's contract from Triple-A
BALTIMORE -- The Orioles continued to bring up the kids, selecting the contract of outfielder -- and former first-round pick -- DJ Stewart from Triple-A Norfolk on Tuesday night.
The move is one of several, as the O's also recalled right-hander Cody Carroll from Norfolk, reinstated catcher Andrew Susac from the restricted list and transferred outfielder Mark Trumbo (right knee surgery) and Pedro Araujo (right elbow sprain) to the 60-day disabled list.
Stewart is ranked as Baltimore's No. 23 prospect, according to MLB Pipeline. The 24-year-old Florida native was selected by the Orioles in the first round of the 2015 Draft and is expected to start Wednesday's game in his Major League debut.
"He's going to be on the [40-man] roster anyway when the season is over," Orioles manager Buck Showalter said of Stewart, who hit .253/.361/.422 in the first half before encountering some struggles.
"Even in late August, September, we kept waiting for him to kind of get it going again and have him come up on a positive note," Showalter said. "I think some of the pressure of that probably weighed on him some, especially when you're sitting there and you see guys go up and you know the opportunity might be there.
"You look at the skill set and the things they bring. Do you throw out everything they've done before the last couple of months? Sometimes, even at the big league level, guys have a really good first half and so-so second half, but the body of work is OK."
Stewart, who went to Florida State, hit .235/.329/.387 with 12 homers and 55 RBIs in the International League this season. The 6-foot, 230-pound slugger bats left-handed and throws right and will wear No. 62 for the O's.
"I just look at it as a guy that's got the potential to have a future in our plans, and let's take a chance," Showalter said. "I mean, why not?"