Christian Encarnacion-Strand

That’s the same result from the first game. Encarnacion-Strand also singled and scored in that one, so he had one-third of the Orioles’ nine hits on the day. Given up on by the Reds, he has to be in the Orioles’ plans for 2027 with his .274/.324/.511 line, 11 homers and 39 RBI in 208 plate appearances.

The Orioles unloaded on Mets’ starter Xzavion Curry here for four homers and a double. Encarnacion-Strand was responsible for one of those long balls and the double as he continues his late season renaissance since joining Baltimore. In 51 games, he has 10 home runs, 12 doubles, and an .846 OPS. Still just 26 years old, this could be the breakout many thought was in front of Encarnacion-Strand a few years ago.

The 26-year-old has been rock solid for the Orioles this season, hitting .260/.306/.486 with eight home runs and 31 RBI in 423 games. We should note that he has hit considerably better against lefties and has a .225/.247/.360 slash line against righties. With Encarnacion-Strand out of the lineup on Tuesday, Coby Mayo will DH and hit cleanup, while Blaze Alexander will play third base and bat seventh.

The homer came off Aroldis Chapman in the ninth, but the Orioles, unfortunately, were down by three at the time and lost by one. Still, it was another impressive showing from Encarnacion-Strand, who could be playing his way into the Orioles’ 2027 plans. He’s hit .269/.314/.508 with eight homers and 30 RBI in 141 plate appearances. That’s as many RBI as Taylor Ward had in 506 plate appearances before being traded, two more than Jackson Holliday has in 316 plate appearances and seven more than Tyler O’Neill has in 260 plate appearances.

Four at-bats and four line drives from Encarnacion-Strand, with three of them leaving his bat at 103-106 mph. He also homered and knocked in three on Tuesday, and he’s now up to 27 RBI in 26 starts and five pinch-hit appearances for the Orioles. That he’s been in and out of the lineup makes him a tough play in mixed leagues, but his play this series figures to ensure that he stays in the lineup this weekend for a series against the A’s in Sacramento that offers big-time scoring potential.

Thanks to Tyler O’Neill’s absence, Encarnacion-Strand and Coby Mayo have both gotten to start the last three games. Things are about to get crowded, though, with Blaze Alexander returning from the IL this weekend. CES has done solid work in hitting .238/.278/.485, particularly with his 25 RBI in 101 plate appearances. Still, he’s likely looking at a reduced role or maybe even a trip back to the minors soon.

Encarnacion-Strand was a one-man wrecking crew in this one, connecting for a two-run homer against Rays reliever Tyler Wells in the fifth inning. It was his sixth round-tripper in 24 games since returning to the big leagues last month. The 26-year-old former top prospect has seemingly carved out a semi-regular role against left-handed starters and should continue playing regularly over the final six weeks.

The 26-year-old slugger capped off the Orioles’ scoring in the ballgame with a bases-clearing three-run double in the sixth inning that made it a 10-1 ballgame. He has impressed since joining the O’s, slashing .250/.293/.500 with five homers and 18 RBI in his first 83 plate appearances.

Encarnacion-Strand has typically been sitting against right-handed pitchers, but he went 3-for-4 with a home run on Tuesday, so the Orioles are gonna give him a chance to stay hot. We should note that, in 40 plate appearances against righties this season, CES is hitting .211/.250/.342, so the results haven’t really been there. However, it’s just a 15 percent strikeout rate in those plate appearances, so maybe the hits will start to fall. Coby Mayo is on the bench on Wednesday.

It’s the fourth stolen base of the season for Encarnacion-Strand, while the homer was also his fourth. It’s a small sample of 59 at-bats, but a .271/.328/.525 slash reminds that it wasn’t that long ago that he was considered one of the up-and-coming power bats in the sport. It’s understandable to have skepticism, but weirder things have happened than a 26-year-old with his track record breaking out.

Encarnacion-Strand has become a fixture in the middle of the O’s lineup since his arrival, but he’ll get a breather in this one against tough right-hander Nathan Eovaldi. Coby Mayo will cover the hot corner in his absence while Tyler O’Neill serves as the Orioles’ designated hitter and will bat cleanup on Friday.

Encarnacion-Strand continues to leave a strong impression with the Orioles since getting called up. The righty smacked a two-RBI double off Grant Holmes in the bottom of the second inning to give the Birds an early 2-0 lead, and in the bottom of the 10th, he blasted a two-run homer to cut the Braves’ lead to 7-6. CES has now driven in eight runs in his first five games with the Birds while registering four extra-base hits.

Encarnacion-Strand is now 6-for-12 with two homers in three games since joining the Orioles. His homer today was a 424-footer off Jake Bennett and was one of three hard-hit balls in the game. He figured to play mostly against lefties, but with Samuel Basallo joining Blaze Alexander and Adley Rutschman on the IL, the Orioles don’t have anything to lose by giving him regular at-bats between third and DH for now.

Both hits came off Payton Tolle. Jackson Holliday then batted for him as soon as the Red Sox brought a righty into the game. The funny thing there is that CES entered tonight with a career .750 OPS against righties and a .469 OPS versus lefties. There’s still some hope for Encarnacion-Strand as a productive corner guy in the majors, but his role with the Orioles figures to be pretty limited.

Encarnacion-Strand will get a chance to make an impact for the Orioles while Blaze Alexander is sidelined with a fractured left hand. The 26-year-old former prospect has always possessed impressive raw power, but he’s never been able to parlay it into an everyday role at the highest level during his time with the Reds. He’s in a great spot with Camden Yards being an ideal spot for right-handed pop. A wait-and-see approach is preferable here, but he’s the type of hitter that could get hot and make some noise in a hurry.

The 26-year-old slugger, who was acquired from the Reds in mid-April, gets his first chance with the O’s with Blaze Alexander (hand) heading to the injured list. Encarnacion-Strand has hit .273/.309/.555 with 17 homers, 48 RBI and a 77/12 K/BB ratio in 257 plate appearances at Triple-A Norfolk. He’s unlikely to see enough playing time initially to gain relevance from a fantasy perspective.

Encarnacion-Strand now has 16 home runs and 46 RBI to go along with a .292 average and .924 OPS. His swinging strike rate at Triple-A with Baltimore is almost 16 percent, which is not ideal, but his zone contact rate remains around league average. He’s also sporting a nearly 50 percent hard-hit rate. He’s just 26 years old, so it may not yet be time to fully write him off.

Since being traded to Baltimore, Encarnacion-Strand has gone 8-for-24 (.333) with two home runs, four RBI, and an 8/3 K/BB ratio in six games. He’s just 26 years old and still has big-time power, so there is a chance he can figure this out in a new organization.

Encarnacion-Strand represents a worthwhile zero-risk gamble for the injury-ravaged Orioles since he can play both corner infield spots and possesses top-of-the-charts raw power potential. The 26-year-old former top prospect fell out of favor with Cincinnati, mostly due to injuries and the emergence of other top prospects like Sal Stewart. It’s not out of the question that a change of scenery could breathe new life into his once-promising career. He’ll head to Triple-A Norfolk for now but figures to arrive in Baltimore at some point shortly.

This is quite a fall for the 26-year-old. Encarnacion-Strand emerged as an intriguing power prospect after hitting 32 home runs in Double-A for the Twins and Reds in 2022. He then hit 13 home runs in 63 MLB games for the Reds in 2023, but things quickly fell apart after that. He was limited to just 29 games in 2024 due to injury, and his results at Triple-A were modest in 2025. Still, there is plenty of power in his bat, and we’d be shocked if somebody didn’t claim him off waivers. He might be traded before that happens.