DENVER — The Orioles are adding a young, exciting arm to their bullpen as rosters expand. Baltimore is calling up left-hander Luis De León, a 23-year-old who recently was converted into a relief role to help with games down the stretch, according to a source with direct knowledge.
De León, who signed in 2021 out of the Dominican Republic for a $30,000 signing bonus, has shot up prospect rankings in recent years behind his high velocity and two breaking balls.
During spring training, De León hoped for this.
“My goal this year, God willing, is to hopefully finish the year in the bigs,” he said.
De León is Baltimore’s No. 7 prospect, according to Baseball America’s rankings. Recently, the starter had his outings shortened to prepare for pitching out of the bullpen. He made four one-inning appearances for Triple-A Norfolk in August.
He has a 4.73 ERA between Double-A and Triple-A this year.
In 2024, he told The Banner’s Jon Meoli that his command began to improve upon arriving stateside the previous year.
“It was actually Florida when the stuff started clicking,” De León said, via Aberdeen manager Felipe Alou Jr. “The command got better, pitches got better, and I used them with more effectiveness.”
The Orioles are also expected to promote outfielder Heston Kjerstad.
Comments
Welcome to The Banner's subscriber-only commenting community. Please review our community guidelines.