The Orioles' crowded outfield mix gained another member on Monday when the team signed veteran Eric Young Jr. to a Minor League contract with an invitation to Spring Training.
Young, 33, has played parts of 10 seasons with the Rockies, Mets, Braves, Yankees and Angels, most recently appearing in 88 games for the Halos over the past two seasons. Young confirmed the news, first reported by MASN, on Instagram.
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A stolen-base champion with the Mets in 2013, Young has 162 career steals and an 80.6 percent career success rate. The latter number ranks 13th among active players with a minimum of 100 attempts.
From 2017-18, Young hit .233 with a .654 OPS with the Angels, and slashed .302/.368/.451 with 30 steals in 167 games at Triple-A. He also played this offseason for Hermosillo of the Mexican Pacific Winter League.
In O's camp, Young hops into a crowded outfield mix full of questions outside of Trey Mancini, who's slated to start at one of the corners. Cedric Mullins enters camp the favorite to win the center-field job, but Young can offer a similar speed element should Mullins, 24, need more seasoning.
If nothing else, Young profiles as another option in a mix that already includes DJ Stewart, Joey Rickard, Austin Hays and Anthony Santander.