BOSTON — The story of Christian Encarnacion-Strand is one of instant success and an almost immediate humbling process. Injuries played their part. The infielder, who hit 13 home runs in 63 games for the Cincinnati Reds in 2023, soon found himself on the fringes of major league life.
In April, this former hot prospect was designated for assignment. He was then traded to the Orioles for cash. He grinded in Triple-A for the Reds and Orioles for much of 2025 and 2026.
That all happened by the time he was 26.
But at Fenway Park on Wednesday, playing his second straight game for the Orioles after he was promoted to replace the injured Blaze Alexander, Encarnacion-Strand was the brightest part of a dismal defeat in the first game of a doubleheader.
Encarnacion-Strand (or CES, for short), recorded three hits in his third game for the Orioles. He belted a home run for the second straight game and added two singles. He was the offensive force for a team that fell into a hole immediately.
Baltimore lost, 6-3, against the Red Sox, which ensured Boston’s winning streak progressed to 15 games — tying a franchise record. But later, the Orioles salvaged one game of the series by beating the Red Sox 5-1.
Between games, Encarnacion-Strand had an appointment with his pillow. He said quite seriously he couldn’t stop to chat about his Game 1 performance because he needed to take a nap.
He needed to recharge after a strong game.
“Different uniform, change of scenery,” manager Craig Albernaz said. “When you get traded for, it means the other organization wants you, which is always a great feeling to have. ... CES is looking great right now. The at-bat quality is awesome. Obviously, we know the damage is in there.”
Even with Encarnacion-Strand’s performance, there was little hope of salvaging a win in the first game of the doubleheader because Boston jumped all over right-hander Dean Kremer immediately. The Red Sox notched four singles among their first five batters, and Jarren Duran’s two-run triple capped the four-run first inning.
Kremer said his “pitch execution was actually pretty good, minus the one to Duran. That was just a changeup that was left up. Everything other than that was pretty much executed to my liking, to our liking.”
Kremer allowed a sacrifice fly and a solo homer from Ceddanne Rafaela later as part of his rough six-inning display. Right-hander Kyle Bradish, fresh off a five-year, $90 million contract extension, put a stop to the Red Sox’s winning streak Wednesday night.
Baltimore got on the board through a bit of luck in the third inning against left-hander Jake Bennett. Pete Alonso doubled, and with two outs Tyler O’Neill lofted a high fly ball into shallow center. Rafaela lost it in the sun, which allowed Alonso to score on an asterisk-worthy double.
In the fourth, Encarnacion-Strand showed his power once more by throttling a first-pitch sinker 424 feet. And in the sixth, after Coby Mayo doubled, Encarnacion-Strand capped a strong individual showing with an RBI single off the Green Monster.
“It’s great that he’s here and helping us,” outfielder Taylor Ward said. “Hopefully he can keep it rolling.”
When Encarnacion-Strand debuted in 2023, he found immediate success. He held an .805 OPS in those 63 games. But he hardly played because of injuries and underperformances over his next three seasons with Cincinnati.
“I think injuries had a role in that,” he said Monday of his decline. “I feel like, when you get injured and you’re not playing every day, it just gets hard. But other than that, I don’t know, the league does learn you and you have to make adjustments, but it’s kind of hard to make adjustments when you can’t be on the field because you’re injured.”
That has been the best part of 2025 with Cincinnati’s Triple-A affiliate and with Baltimore in 2026 following the trade. Encarnacion-Strand received everyday playing time with Triple-A Norfolk. He found his stroke once more.
“I feel like getting healthy again at the end of last season, it wasn’t the place I wanted to be, in Triple-A, and I wasn’t playing the best, but getting those at-bats and getting those reps was huge. And this year I’ve been able to get all the at-bats and get the reps, so I’m just rolling along.”
While he rolls along, though, the Orioles have hit a snag. After seven straight wins, they’ve fallen back to Earth with two losses to the Red Sox.
To best prepare for that nightcap, Encarnacion-Strand decided it was time for a nap. He didn’t record a knock in the second game but laid down a sacrifice bunt.
This article has been updated.
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