McKinney, Texas (Tuesday, August 9, 2022) – The Taylor Hooton Foundation announced today that Adley Rutschman of the Baltimore Orioles has joined its “Advisory Board” of active players from throughout Major League Baseball. The Taylor Hooton Foundation is widely acknowledged as the leader in the advocacy against the use of Appearance and Performance Enhancing Substances by the youth of America.

The Orioles catcher joins 26 other members of the Hooton Foundation’s “Advisory Board,” which will include at least one player from all 30 major-league teams.

“We’re thrilled to have Adley join an incredible group of major-league players who have stepped up to serve as positive role models,” said Taylor Hooton Foundation President Donald Hooton, Jr. “We’re also very proud of the support that Major League Baseball and these elite athletes provide in sending a positive message to kids that they, too, can accomplish all of their dreams without the use of drugs. The participation of these players in our efforts to educate young people that using these substances is not the right choice cannot be overstated.”

As members of the “Advisory Board” – formed in 2014 and fully endorsed by Major League Baseball – the players are participating in the THF’s 2022 public-service campaign, ALL ME®. For the campaign, a print PSA featuring each of the Foundation’s “Advisory Board” members has been created – with images provided by THF national partner, Getty Images – and will be made available to each player’s respective team for its program/magazine and other team platforms for the ‘22 season. In addition, ALL-ME-themed print PSAs will appear in Major League Baseball’s 2022 All-Star-Game, League-Championship-Series and World-Series programs. 

In addition to their participation in the public-service-ad campaigns since 2015, members of the “Advisory Board” also take part in the THF’s educational activities in their local communities. Board members have also provided their input on the most-effective ways to educate North America’s young people about the dangers of anabolic steroids and other appearance and performance enhancing drugs.   

Lottery’s contestants clean up with $107,000 in winnings!

The Orioles have been hot as of late, capping a series sweep of the Texas Rangers with a 6-3 win in Arlington on Aug. 3. And as the temperatures have headed up in the dog days of summer, so have the Birds’ bats.

Anthony Santander leads the team with 19 home runs this season. Other home run leaders Ryan Mountcastle with 14 and Austin Hays with 12 have formed the heart of an Orioles lineup that has helped the team accumulate 25 home runs in July.

This is a great news for fans that have been taking part in the Maryland Lottery’s Home Run Riches Bases Loaded FAST PLAY Second-chance promotion. With a total of 109 home runs to date in 2022, the Lottery has awarded $107,000 to Contestants of the Game selected in this year’s promotion.

There is still time for you to be selected for an upcoming game. The Lottery will select this year’s final Contestants of the Game in the promotion’s final drawing on Aug. 30.  To enter, submit any winning or non-winning FAST PLAY Home Run Riches Bases Loaded ticket purchased between March 7 and August 29 into you MY Lottery Rewards account for a chance to win. Not yet a member of My Lottery Rewards? Click here to start your free account today!

The $5 FAST PLAY Home Run Riches Bases Loaded game was introduced to coincide with the 2022 Oriole’s baseball season. The ticket has prizes from $5 to $5,000 and a progressive jackpot that starts at $40,000 and continues to grow with each ticket sold until someone buys a jackpot-winner!

The Orioles have made the following roster moves:

• Activated OF Brett Phillips. He will wear No. 66.
• Optioned OF Yusniel Diaz to Triple-A Norfolk after yesterday’s game.

The Baltimore Orioles today announced that they have acquired outfielder BRETT PHILLIPS from the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for cash considerations. The Orioles’ 40-man roster currently has 40 players.

Phillips, 28, slashed .147/.225/.250 (27-for-184) with four doubles, five home runs, 21 runs scored, 14 RBI, and seven stolen bases over 75 games with the Rays this season. He ranked in the top two percent of Major League Baseball with 10 Outs Above Average, according to Statcast. In 347 career games between Tampa Bay, Kansas City, and Milwaukee, Phillips has hit .190/.276/.350 (147-for-774) with 22 doubles, nine triples, 28 home runs, 112 runs scored, 92 RBI, and 36 stolen bases. He was originally selected by the Houston Astros in the sixth round of the 2012 First-Year Player Draft.

The Washington Nationals announced the following roster moves on Tuesday. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcements.

• Selected the contract of first baseman Joey Meneses from Triple-A Rochester
• Recalled outfielder Josh Palacios from Triple-A Rochester
• Transferred left-handed pitcher Evan Lee to the 60-day Injured List
• Designated left-handed pitcher Josh Rogers for assignment
• Optioned shortstop CJ Abrams to Triple-A Rochester

Meneses, 30, leads Washington’s Minor League system with 20 home runs and 64 RBI, 107 hits and 183 total bases. He ranks among Nationals Minor Leaguers in slugging percentage (2^nd, .489), OPS (2^nd, .830), batting average (3^rd, .286) and extra-base hits (T3^rd, 35).

After 10 Minor League seasons, Meneses will make his Major League debut with his first appearance. He is a career .281/.338/.431 hitter with 174 doubles, 25 triples, 87 home runs, 439 RBI, 272 walks, 10 stolen bases and 381 runs scored in 894 career Minor League games. He was originally signed by the Atlanta Braves as a non-drafted free agent on May 9, 2011.

Palacios, 27, hit .299 with 11 doubles, two triples, seven home runs, 44 RBI, 30 walks, 18 stolen bases and 39 runs scored in 72 games with Triple-A Rochester. He ranks among Nationals farmhands in on-base percentage (2^nd, .378), batting average (2^nd, .299), OPS (5^th, .815), slugging percentage (8^th, .437), stolen bases (7^th, 18) and RBI (9^th, 44).

Palacios made his Major League debut in 2021, appearing in 13 games with the Toronto Blue Jays. He went 7-for-35 (.200) with four RBI, three walks and seven runs scored. Palacios was acquired off waivers from the Blue Jays on April 15 after six seasons in their organization. He was originally selected in the fourth round of the 2016 First-Year Player Draft out of Auburn (AL) University.

The Washington Nationals have acquired top prospects shortstop C.J. Abrams, left-handed pitcher MacKenzie Gore, outfielder Robert Hassell III, outfielder James Wood and right-handed pitcher Jarlin Susana as well as Major League first baseman/designated hitter Luke Voit from the San Diego Padres in exchange for outfielder Juan Soto and first baseman Josh Bell on Tuesday. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement. 

Abrams, 21, was San Diego’s No. 1 prospect and the No. 9 prospect in all of baseball entering the 2022 season, according to both Baseball America and MLBPipeline.com. He was cited by Baseball America as being the “best hitter” and having the “best speed” in all of Minor League baseball entering the 2022 season.

Abrams made San Diego’s Opening Day roster and his Major League debut this season, starting the second game of the season at shortstop. He hit .232 with five doubles, two home runs, 11 RBI, four walks, one stolen base and 16 runs scored in 45 games across two Major League stints with the Padres this season.

A left-handed hitting shortstop, Abrams hit .314 with four doubles, one triple, seven homers, 28 RBI, eight walks, 10 stolen bases and 35 runs scored in 30 games for Triple-A El Paso in between Major League stints. In 106 games across three Minor League seasons (2019, 2021-2022), Abrams has hit .334/.388/.522 with 31 doubles, nine triples, 12 homers, 73 RBI, 34 walks, 38 stolen bases and 102 runs scored.

The 6-foot-2, 189-pound Abrams was selected to represent the Padres in the 2021 SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game. He has been cited by Baseball America as the “best defensive infielder” (2021, 2022), “best athlete” (2020-22), “fastest baserunner” (2020-22) and “best hitter for average” (2020-2022) in San Diego’s Minor League system throughout his professional career. Following the 2019 season, he was named the Most Valuable Player in the rookie-level Arizona League and to Baseball America’s Rookie All-Star team.

The Baltimore Orioles today announced that they have acquired left-handed pitcher CADE POVICH, right-handed pitcher YENNIER CANO, left-handed pitcher JUAN ROJAS, and right-handed pitcher JUAN NUNEZ from the Minnesota Twins in exchange for right-handed pitcher JORGE LÓPEZ and cash considerations. Povich has been assigned to High-A Aberdeen, Cano has been optioned to Triple-A Norfolk, and Rojas and Nunez have been assigned to the Florida Complex League Orioles. Additionally, left-handed pitcher NICK VESPI has been recalled from Triple-A Norfolk. The Orioles’ 40-man roster currently has 39 players.

Povich, 22, went 6-8 with a 4.46 ERA (39 ER/78.2 IP) with 107 strikeouts and 26 walks for High-A Cedar Rapids. He has struck out at least 10 batters in a game three times this season, including posting a career-high 11 strikeouts twice on June 18 vs. Dayton (5.0 IP) and July 6 vs. Quad Cities (5.0 IP). He is ranked as the No. 22 prospect in Minnesota’s system by MLB Pipeline and No. 21 by Baseball America. He was originally selected by Minnesota in the third round (No. 98 overall) of the 2021 First-Year Player Draft out the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Cano, 28, has gone 1-0 with a 9.22 ERA (14 ER/13.2 IP) and 14 strikeouts in 10 relief appearances for the Twins this season. He made his Major League debut on May 11 vs. Houston. He has pitched to a 1-1 record with a 1.90 ERA (5 ER/23.2 IP) and 25 strikeouts in 20 appearances for Triple-A St. Paul this year. He owns a career 6-4 record with a 3.07 ERA (37 ER/108.1 IP) and 126 strikeouts in 72 minor league games (one start). A native of Havana, Cuba, He was originally signed by the Twins as an international free agent on July 15, 2019. 

Rojas, 18, is 1-2 with a 3.60 ERA (12 ER/30.0 IP) with 38 strikeouts and four walks for the FCL Twins this season. He struck out a career-high 10 batters in 4.0 innings on July 12 at FCL Pirates and tied a career-high with 5.0 scoreless innings on July 4 at FCL Braves. A native of Maracaibo, Venezuela, he was originally signed by the Twins as an international free agent on March 5, 2021. 

Nunez, 21, has gone 0-2 with a 4.85 ERA (16 ER/29.2 IP) and 47 strikeouts in eight games (seven starts) for the FCL Twins this season. A native of Azua, Dominican Republic, he was originally signed by the Twins as an international free agent on November 14, 2019.

The Baltimore Orioles have signed 18 players from the 2022 First-Year Player Draft: nine pitchers and nine position players. Of the 18 signed players, 16 were college athletes and two were from the high school ranks. The Orioles signed eight right-handed pitchers, one left-handed pitcher, three outfielders, four infielders, and two catchers.

ROUND        PLAYER                  POS  SCHOOL                                           HOMETOWN                     D.O.B.      HT     WT      B     T         Scout

1 (1)              Jackson Holliday     INF    Stillwater High School (OK)              Stillwater, OK                      12/4/03     6-1     175      L      R       Guthrie

CBA (33)        Dylan Beavers         OF     University of California, Berkeley      Paso Robles, CA                  8/11/01     6-4     205      L      R         Walter

The Baltimore Orioles today announced that they have completed a three-team trade with the Houston Astros and Tampa Bay Rays in which the Orioles acquired right-handed pitcher SETH JOHNSON from the Rays and right-handed pitcher CHAYCE McDERMOTT from the Astros, the Astros acquired infielder/outfielder TREY MANCINI from the Orioles and right-handed pitcher JAYDEN MURRAY from the Rays, and the Rays acquired outfielder JOSÉ SIRI from the Astros. Johnson and McDermott have been assigned to High-A Aberdeen. Additionally, outfielder YUSNIEL DIAZ has been recalled from Triple-A Norfolk. His first appearance will be his Major League debut. The Orioles’ 40-man roster currently has 39 players. 

Johnson, 24, went 1-1 with a 3.00 ERA (9 ER/27.0 IP) with 41 strikeouts against 11 walks in seven starts for High-A Bowling Green this season before he was placed on the seven-day Injured List on May 27. He struck out a career-high 11 batters over 5.0 innings on May 20 at Greensboro. Over 39 career games (32 starts), he has gone 7-8 with a 2.81 ERA (43 ER/137.2 IP) and 172 strikeouts. He is currently ranked as the No. 6 prospect in Tampa Bay’s system by MLB Pipeline and No. 9 by Baseball America. Johnson was originally selected by the Tampa Bay Rays in the CBA Round (No. 40 overall) of the 2019 First-Year Player Draft. He attended Campbell University (NC). 

McDermott, 23, went 6-1 with a 5.50 ERA (44 ER/72.0 IP) and 114 strikeouts compared to 43 walks in 19 appearances (10 starts) for High-A Asheville this season. He struck out a career-high 10 batters over 6.0 innings on June 7 at Greenville. Over 26 career games (14 starts), he has gone 6-1 with a 4.92 ERA (51 ER/93.1 IP) and 154 strikeouts. He is currently ranked as the No. 12 prospect in Houston’s system by MLB Pipeline and No. 6 by Baseball America. McDermott was originally selected by the Houston Astros in the fourth round (No. 132 overall) of the 2021 First-Year Player Draft. He attended Ball State University (IN). 

Mancini, 30, hit .268/.347/.404 (95-for-354) with 16 doubles, one triple, 10 home runs, 39 runs scored, and 41 RBI over 92 games with the Orioles this season. Over 701 career games with Baltimore, Mancini hit .270/.334/.463 (717-for-2,651) with 137 doubles, 11 triples, 117 home runs, 359 runs scored, and 350 RBI. On Saturday, he became the 41^st player in franchise history (since 1954) to play in at least 700 games with the club. Last year, he was named the recipient of the 2021 American League Comeback Player of the Year Award and finished as the runner-up in the 36^th MLB Home Run Derby behind Pete Alonso of the New York Mets. He was also the Orioles’ 2021 nominee for the prestigious Roberto Clemente Award. He became the fastest player in Orioles history, who began their career with Baltimore, to reach 100 career home runs, doing so in 531 games. Mancini was originally selected by the Orioles in the eighth round of the 2013 First-Year Player Draft.

The Washington Nationals selected the contract of infielder Ildemaro Vargas from Triple-A Rochester on Monday. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement. 

Vargas, 31, hit .245 with 14 doubles, four triples, three home runs, 25 RBI, 27 walks, three stolen bases and 37 runs scored in 73 games between Triple-A Rochester and Triple-A Iowa in Chicago’s (NL) system. He appeared at shortstop (56 G), second base (12 G) and third base (7 G) between the two stops. 

Ildemaro (ILL-de-mar-oh) Vargas is a veteran of six Major League seasons, most recently appearing in 10 games with the Chicago Cubs in 2022. He’s hit .227 with 14 doubles, four triples, nine home runs, 46 RBI, 21 walks, three stolen bases and 48 runs scored in 186 games across six seasons with Chicago (2020, 2022), Arizona (2017-2020, 2021), Pittsburgh (2021) and Minnesota (2020).

The Washington Nationals acquired outfielder Trey Harris from the Atlanta Braves in exchange for infielder/outfielder Ehire Adrianza on Monday. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement.

Harris, 26, was Atlanta’s No. 29 prospect according to MLBPipeline.com. He hit .238 with eight doubles, one triple, two home runs, 16 RBI, 18 walks, four stolen bases and 25 runs scored in 59 games for Double-A Mississippi in 2022.

The right-handed hitting Harris was the winner of Atlanta’s 2019 Hank Aaron Award presented annually to the top offensive player in Atlanta’s Minor League system. He hit .323 with 26 doubles, seven triples, 14 home runs, 73 RBI, 36 walks, eight stolen bases and 73 runs scored in 131 games between three levels of Atlanta’s system.

Harris has hit .283 with a .362 on-base percentage and a .417 slugging percentage in 339 games across four Minor League seasons. He was originally selected in the 32^nd round of the 2018 First-Year Player Draft out of the University of Missouri.

The Orioles have signed RHP Zack Showalter (Rd. 11, No. 317 overall) from the 2022 First-Year Player Draft. The Orioles have now signed 17 selections from the 2022 Draft.

The Washington Nationals recalled right-handed pitcher Cory Abbott from Triple-A Rochester and placed right-handed pitcher Erick Fedde on the 15-day injured list (retroactive to July 27) with right shoulder inflammation on Saturday. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement. 

Abbott, 26, joins the Nationals for the fourth time this season. He pitched in 10 games for Triple-A Rochester, making six starts. He is 0-4 with a 5.08 ERA and has struck out 34 batters in 28.1 innings for the Red Wings. Abbott has pitched in two games for the Nationals this season, both in relief. He allowed one run and struck out four in 3.0 innings. 

Abbott was claimed off waivers from the San Francisco Giants on May 4. He was acquired by the Giants from the Chicago Cubs on April 21 in exchange for cash considerations.

Selected in the second round of the 2017 First-Year Player Draft, Abbott made his Major League debut on June 5, 2021. He went on to appear in seven games (one start) for the Cubs in 2021, posting a 6.75 ERA across 17.1 innings pitched. Abbott is 21-25 with a 3.75 ERA and 10.8 strikeouts per 9.0 innings in 84 career Minor League games (80 starts).

Fedde, 29, is 5-7 with a 4.95 ERA in 19 starts this season.

The Washington Nationals are back in D.C. for the first time since the All-Star break, opening a six-game homestand with three games against the St. Louis Cardinals followed by a three-game series against the divisional rival New York Mets. Single-game tickets for all Nationals home games are on sale now starting at just $9. Fans interested in purchasing tickets should visit nationals.com/Tickets.

The season’s eighth homestand is capped by the annual DC Sports Hall of Fame Induction ceremony and also features Baby Shark™ Day; Cat-urday; a Harris Teeter Food Drive; three University Days; City Connect uniforms; Value Day; U.S. Coast Guard Day; Signature Sunday; Kids Run the Bases; and more. Additionally, the popular Kids Eat Free program has been extended through Thursday, Sept. 1. For additional details, please reference the ‘Kids Eat Free’ section at the bottom of the release.

As a reminder, if you would like to cover any events at Nationals Park, please contact Valerie Todryk Krebs at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or Devon Bridges at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for credentialing information in advance of the event.

FRIDAY, JULY 29 vs. ST. LOUIS CARDINALS (7:05 PM)

Nationals Draft Pick Elijah Green Visits Nationals Ballpark

Today, Austin Hays teams up with the Orioles and Bold.org to create The Austin Hays Scholarship for $20,000. The scholarship is created for Maryland students who need financial support to pursue higher education. The winner will be announced and recognized at an Orioles game in September, where they will be awarded $20,000 toward their education. Austin personally funded $10,000 with an equal match from the Orioles Charitable Foundation.

As a star outfielder for the Baltimore Orioles since 2017, Austin Hays knows what hard work looks like, and he understands what it takes to achieve big dreams. Unfortunately, trying to reach ambitious goals is almost always filled with obstacles and challenges to overcome. Lack of access to affordable education should never be one of these barriers, yet many bright students don’t have the resources they need to complete their degrees. Today, Austin pays it forward by using his position to give back to a student who needs financial support. 

Austin Hays says, “The state of Maryland, through the Orioles and its fans, has given so much to me and my family. So much so, that we wanted to make an impact on the lives of some of the young students within Maryland’s community. The Austin Hays scholarship allows us to do so. With the help of the Orioles and Bold.org, we are looking forward to helping a young student access a quality education.”

Any current student, whether in high school or college, who lives in Maryland may apply for the Austin Hays Scholarship. To apply, candidates must visit www.bold.org/scholarships/austinhays and write a brief essay letting Austin know what dream or goal they hope to achieve and how they plan on making it come true. All candidates must apply for the scholarship by August 21, 2022.

Hays is part of a long list of athletes and public figures who support education on Bold.org. Other Bold.org scholarship sponsors include MLB player Gary Sánchez, NBA stars Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul, Dwyane Wade and Tyrell Terry, professional tennis player Sloane Stephens, producer and DJ 3LAU, NFL Wide Receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace, Grammy-winning band Imagine Dragons, professional MMA fighter Cat Zingano, actor Terry Crews, singer songwriter Clario and actress Jameela Jamil.

The Orioles have made the following roster moves:

• Recalled RHP Logan Gillaspie from Triple-A Norfolk.
• Recalled RHP Beau Sulser from Triple-A Norfolk.
• Optioned LHP Nick Vespi to Triple-A Norfolk after yesterday’s game.
• Placed RHP Tyler Wells on the 15-day Injured List with lower left side discomfort.

The Orioles have made the following roster moves: 

• Recalled INF Terrin Vavra from Triple-A Norfolk. He will wear 77 and his first appearance will be his Major League debut
• Placed INF Jonathan Araúz on the 10-day Injured List with a right digit avulsion fracture

The Orioles have signed INF Max Wagner (Rd. 2, No. 42 overall) from the 2022 First-Year Player Draft. The Orioles have now signed three selections from the 2022 Draft.

Today, the Orioles signed OF Dylan Beavers (CBA, No. 33 overall) and OF Jud Fabian (CBB, No. 67 overall) from the 2022 First-Year Player Draft. Beavers and Fabian met with the media at Oriole Park.