Orioles claim Mateo off waivers and DFA Valaika

Moving past the trade deadline didn't create slower movement on the Orioles' active and 40-man rosters.

A day after retooling their bullpen, the Orioles tweaked their infield again by claiming Jorge Mateo off waivers from the Padres and announcing Pat Valaika would be designated for assignment.

Mateo, 26, became available on Tuesday after the Padres designated him to make room for left-hander Matt Strahm. He's one of the fastest players in the majors but also a career .195/.235/.310 hitter with a 38/3 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 121 plate appearances. His debut came on Aug. 13, 2020.

The Yankees signed Mateo as an amateur free agent in 2012 and traded him five years later to the Athletics in the Sonny Gray deal. The Padres acquired him for a player to be named later, outfielder Junior Perez, in June 2020.

Mateo was chosen twice for the All-Star Futures Game. He's played all three outfield positions, third base, second base and shortstop, and is 6-for-6 in stolen base attempts.

In 57 games this summer, Mateo is 18-for-87 (.207) with four doubles, two home runs, six RBIs, two walks and 27 strikeouts.

Richie Martin was activated from the 60-day injured list this week and started at shortstop last night, with Ramón Urías moving to second base. Domingo Leyba was designated for assignment, and Valaika also became available this afternoon.

Valaika was batting .192/.251/.280 with five doubles, four home runs and 21 RBIs in 212 plate appearances. He appeared in 52 games last summer during the truncated season and slashed .277/.315/.475 with four doubles, eight home runs and 16 RBIs in 150 plate appearances.

Mateo, a three-time top 100 prospect, offers more versatility and speed and less pop. He's out of minor league options.

The Orioles made a few changes to their bullpen yesterday by selecting the contracts of Dusten Knight and Marcos Diplán from Triple-A Norfolk and declaring Shaun Anderson would be designated for assignment. Knight made his major league debut last night at Yankee Stadium and allowed two runs in the eighth inning.

Knight was the 50th player used by the Orioles this season, which leaves Diplán and Mateo vying to become the 51st. The club record is 58 in 2019.

Down on the farm, left-hander Bruce Zimmermann is starting today for Triple-A Norfolk on his injury rehab assignment and nearing a return to the Orioles.