Former Orioles prospect becomes latest project for Dave Dombrowski

An unfortunate member of the dismal 2021 Orioles' team, former prospect Ryan McKenna never truly launched in Baltimore. There were certainly moments where it looked like the young outfielder might become a regular with the Orioles but he eventually peaked in 2023 with a .667 OPS and was unceremoniously DFA'd by Mike Elias back in May of this year.

McKenna was picked up by the Giants, who claimed him off waivers after his initial DFA. However, the 27 year old spend just two weeks with the big league club, getting 6 total plate appearances before getting DFA'd for the second time that month.

McKenna spent the months of June and July playing with the Giants' Triple-A squad in Sacramento. He floundered to a .227/.308/.348 line with just 4 extra base hits in 79 plate appearances. The Giants deemed that not good enough and placed him on release waivers, where he passed through to free agency.

What's next for former Orioles' outfielder Ryan McKenna

Enter Dave Dombrowski and the Philadelphia Phillies. The Orioles made two separate trades with the Phillies at the deadline, first sending outfielder Austin Hays to acquire Seranthony Dominguez, then sending a pair of prospects to Philly for lefty Gregory Soto.

McKenna will be the third former Oriole to step foot in Dombrowski's system in the last three weeks. It's an interesting move for the Phillies, who have struggled with outfield depth all year despite holding a commanding 8-game lead in the NL East.

Since Hays strained a hamstring shortly after arriving in Philadelphia, the Phils have questionable backup options in Weston Wilson and Kody Clemens on the 40-man. Neither Wilson nor Clemens has the upside Philly wants, and their minor league depth guys, including David Dahl, Scott Kingery, and Matt Kroon are lacking in that department as well.

To be honest, McKenna isn't much different. At 27, McKenna's chances of becoming a viable major league outfielder are growing thin. He's looked a bit better in limited time in 2024, at least in terms of laying off pitches outside the zone and making contact in general. However, his whiff rates during the first three years of his career were untenable.

It's possible that Dombrowski's development team can pull some strings and find a way to get McKenna back on track, but it's a long shot. If he continues trending downward like he was in Sacramento, McKenna's career might be over quite a bit sooner than he'd like.