DENVER β€” The Orioles are taking a chance on an outfield bat who is still owed about $5 million the remainder of the year.

Baltimore is claiming outfielder Luis Robert Jr., three sources confirmed, and as SNY first reported. Robert, 29, has had a difficult season for the New York Mets, but he has been hot in August. He’s hitting .267 with an .841 on-base-plus-slugging percentage this month.

The Mets, who are out of the playoff picture, put Robert on waivers in a cost-saving move. The Orioles opted to take a chance on him. He can play all three outfield spots and is historically better against left-handed pitching.

Robert, a former All-Star with the Chicago White Sox, is in the final year of what was a six-year extension he signed in 2020. The Mets picked up the first $20 million club option as part of the deal after trading for him over the winter. Robert has another $20 million club option for next year.

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Robert’s base salary is about $3 million the rest of this season, and he will be owed $2 million as the buyout from that club option if the Orioles don’t exercise it.

Robert is hitting .223 with a .702 OPS this year, but he has been much better this month. He may well take the roster spot of rookie outfielder Christian Franklin. The other option would be to keep Franklin and activate Robert on Tuesday when rosters expand.

For a player to be eligible for the postseason, he needed to be added to an organization by Aug. 31, so Robert qualifies.

This appears to be a win-now move from Baltimore less than a month after the club opted to sell at the trade deadline. The Orioles moved on from catcher Adley Rutschman, outfielder Taylor Ward and right-hander Tyler Wells. But they remain only one game out of the final American League wild-card spot.