Orioles claim Hilliard and DFA Krehbiel

The Orioles added to their outfield depth this afternoon by claiming Sam Hilliard off waivers from the Braves.

Reliever Joey Krehbiel was designated for assignment to make room for Hilliard on the 40-man roster.

Hilliard, 29, was the Rockies’ 15^th-round pick in the 2015 draft out of Wichita State University. He spent parts of four seasons with Colorado and appeared in 40 games with the Braves this summer, batting .236/.295/.431 in 78 plate appearances for the National League East champions.

The Braves acquired Hilliard from the Rockies on Nov. 6, 2022 for minor league pitcher Dylan Spain. He broke camp with them this spring but didn't play after July 18.

Hilliard, who bats from the left side, is a career .215/.294/.424 hitter in 254 major league games, and he’s stolen 19 bases in 20 attempts. He appeared in a career-high 81 games with the Rockies in 2021 and had seven doubles, two triples, 14 home runs and 34 RBIs in 238 plate appearances.

Hilliard has made 84 starts in center field, 70 in left and 16 in right. He also played first base in college and the low minors.

The minor league stats are much more impressive. Hilliard has batted .276/.351/.494 with 127 doubles, 34 triples, 116 home runs and 429 RBIs in eight seasons, and he finished with 29 doubles, seven triples, 35 home runs and 101 RBIs at Triple-A Albuquerque in 2019.

The 2023 season was ruined by two heel injuries that limited Hilliard to a total of 44 games, including four with Triple-A Gwinnett. The Braves placed him on the 60-day injured list on Sept. 1.

Hilliard is out of minor league options and eligible for arbitration.

Krehbiel didn’t break camp with the Orioles and appeared in only six games, allowing one run in five innings. He was a valuable member of the bullpen in 2022, getting into 56 games before the Orioles optioned him Sept. 28, and registering a 3.90 ERA in 57 2/3 innings.

Because Krehbiel was designated for assignment earlier this year, he can decline an outright assignment and become a free agent if he passes through waivers.

Today’s moves keep the 40-man roster at full capacity.

This is the second waiver claim by the Orioles in a week. They added left-hander Tucker Davidson from the Royals on Oct. 25.