Baltimore Orioles: DJ Stewart Is Finally Back In The Big Leagues

Outfielder DJ Stewart is finally back in the big leagues with the Baltimore Orioles.

It’s finally happening! As we anticipated yesterday evening, the Baltimore Orioles are calling up outfielder DJ Stewart to the major league roster, taking the open roster spot left by the optioning of RHP Evan Phillips to AAA Norfolk after Monday’s win over the Detroit Tigers.

The move may not be permanent, however, Stewart has proven there is nothing left for him to accomplish in the minor leagues. He now has his second opportunity to make some noise at the major league level.

Immediately after Monday’s game, the Baltimore Orioles announced they had optioned Evan Phillips, but made no corresponding move. The only news released was that the team would be bringing up a position player on Tuesday. It was instantly speculated that this position player would be DJ Stewart.

With Chris Davis on the Injured List and Trey Mancini moving to first base, the Orioles were left with a two-man bench and in need of an outfielder. Contributing writer Chuck Boemmel was the first to point out that Stewart was not in last night’s lineup for the Norfolk Tides, which was released right after the Evan Phillips announcement. All signs pointed to DJ Stewart’s call-up and now here we are.

Stewart has done all he can in AAA, more than earning this opportunity. It’s more than just his big numbers with the Tides. Juiced baseballs have made their way to the AAA level, meaning offense is up across the league. Stewart is showing improved patience at the plate, solid defense in the outfield, and smart baserunning.

I spent a lot of time in Norfolk last season, largely to watch DJ Stewart. The Baltimore Orioles’ prospect was often wild at the plate, falling frequently to a strikeout via junk outside of the zone. Bad games seemed to get into his head and stick with him for the entire contest. This hasn’t been the case in 2019. Watching Stewart on a nightly basis in Norfolk, you see a confident hitter, a sneaky fast outfielder, and a major league ready player.

Let’s temper expectations, just a bit. This move is exciting. There’s a new face in town, someone who is having tremendous success at the plate and someone many O’s fans have been clamoring for over the past few weeks. While Stewart is a good player and someone who has the tools to stick at the major league level, he isn’t the game-changing prospect that Ryan Mountcastle could become.

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Stewart is solid and makes this lineup and defense better, but he does have his limitations. I wish him nothing but success and hope he takes the big leagues by storm; I just don’t want fans up in arms if he has some initial struggles or turns out to be a league-average outfielder. There’s also the possibility that he finds himself back in Norfolk.

Chris Davis will return to the lineup in the near future, along with another once-feared slugger. Mark Trumbo has been playing in extended spring training games and will be making his rehab debut tonight with the AA Bowie Baysox. While Trumbo will spend time in the DH role, he will be seeing a lot of time in the outfield. When he’s healthy enough to return to the major leagues, he will also be playing some outfield.

That’s something to worry about later on, for now, let’s enjoy DJ Stewart in a Baltimore Orioles’ uniform. Congrats, DJ! Stewart was hitting .316 in AAA with a .425 OBP, eight home runs, 13 doubles, and more walks (29) than strikeouts (27).