4 Orioles who've already proven they don't belong on the roster after May 1

OF Ramon Laureano

The Orioles took a low-risk swing this offseason by signing veteran outfielder Ramón Laureano to a one-year, $4 million deal with a club option for 2026. A reasonable bet on a proven defender with flashes of offensive upside. Now 30 and entering his eighth big league season, Laureano has carved out a reputation as a steady contributor: a plus glove in the outfield, a career .247 hitter, and someone capable of delivering timely pop when needed.

After a slow start with Cleveland in 2024, Laureano turned heads during his late-season stint with the Braves, slashing .296/.327/.505 with a 127 OPS+. That late surge is exactly what Baltimore hoped to tap into when they brought him in — a veteran bat off the bench with playoff experience and defensive versatility.

But so far in Baltimore, the results haven’t followed. In a small early sample size, Laureano is just 1-for-9 with four strikeouts and a walk. While there's still time for him to find his footing, the margin for error is slim. The Orioles are loaded with young offensive talent knocking on the door, and if Laureano doesn’t start producing soon, it’ll be hard to justify keeping him on the roster.

LHP Cionel Perez

Cionel Pérez is now in his fourth season with the Baltimore Orioles — and for a while, he’d earned the benefit of the doubt. His debut campaign in 2022 was nothing short of dominant, emerging as one of the league’s most reliable left-handed relievers. Pérez finished that year with a 7-1 record, a crisp 1.40 ERA across 66 appearances, and 55 strikeouts in 57.2 innings — all while serving as a stabilizing force in the bullpen.

But that version of Pérez has fallen further and further away. Since then, the regression has been steady — and concerning. In 2023, his ERA rose to 3.54 over 53.1 innings, and in 2024 it climbed further to 4.53 in a similar workload of 53.2. His strikeout rate has dipped, his command has wavered, and now in 2025, those struggles have hit a breaking point.

In five appearances this season, Pérez has been rocked for nine earned runs across just five innings, inflating his ERA to an absurd 16.20. What’s more troubling is the lack of clean outings — he’s only managed one scoreless frame in five tries, making him a liability every time he takes the mound.

This isn’t just a rough stretch, it’s a performance crisis. And in a bullpen with limited margin for error, the Orioles may soon be forced to make a move. If Pérez can’t find a way to bounce back fast, his time in Baltimore could be nearing its end.