Fantasy News

• Orioles' Jorge Mateo: Swipes two bags Monday

  Rotowire Apr 23, 2024

  Mateo went 0-for-3 with a walk, a run and two stolen bases in Monday's 4-2 win against the Angels. Mateo made his second start in three games and used his legs to help the Orioles score their second run, following a third-inning walk with a pair of thefts before coming home on an Adley Rutschman single. The performance was indicative of what Mateo brings to Baltimore -- he's an elite base stealer when he's able to reach, but with a career .224 batting average and .271 OBP, that doesn't happen enough to keep him in the lineup consistently. From a fantasy perspective, Mateo is most useful as a base-stealing specialist in leagues that allow daily lineup changes.

  ... See More ... See Less

• Orioles' Jorge Mateo: Looks primed to lose playing time

  Rotowire Apr 10, 2024

  Mateo is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Red Sox. The Orioles had included at least one Mateo or Ramon Urias in their starting infield in all but one of their first 10 games, but both players look set to lose out on playing time following the promotion of top prospect Jackson Holliday from Triple-A Norfolk. With Holliday expected to handle an everyday role at the keystone, Jordan Westburg should see most of the starts at third base, closing off both of Mateo's primary avenues to playing time in the infield. Mateo has made one start in center field, but he's still likely to be little more than an occasional fill-in for everyday starter Cedric Mullins at that position.

  ... See More ... See Less

• Orioles' Jorge Mateo: Another start against lefty

  Rotowire Apr 3, 2024

  Mateo will start in center field and bat seventh in Wednesday's game versus Kansas City. Mateo has yet to start a game versus a right-hander, but he's been in the starting nine all three times the Orioles have faced southpaws thus far. He manned second base in his first two starts but will handle center field Wednesday while the lefty-hitting Cedric Mullins gets a breather against Royals southpaw Cole Ragans.

  ... See More ... See Less

• Orioles' Jorge Mateo: Won't start Saturday

  Rotowire Mar 30, 2024

  Mateo is not in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Angels. Mateo got the start at second base for the season opener on Thursday, when he finished 1-for-3 with two runs, one walk and a strikeout. Against Angels right-hander Griffin Canning, the Orioles will move Jordan Westburg to second base, while Ryan O'Hearn starts at DH.

  ... See More ... See Less

• Orioles' Jorge Mateo: Nabs steal Thursday

  Rotowire Mar 29, 2024

  Mateo went 1-for-3 with a double, a walk, a stolen base and two runs scored in Thursday's 11-3 win over the Angels. Mateo got the start at second base versus Angels left-hander Patrick Sandoval, which may be an early indication of manager Brandon Hyde's preferences for lineup construction. It still doesn't give Mateo an everyday spot, but he could see a short-side platoon role at second base early in the campaign. He offers speed -- the utility man has 67 stolen bases over the last two campaigns -- but he'll need to hit enough to stay in the lineup, especially with top prospect Jackson Holliday waiting at Triple-A Norfolk.

  ... See More ... See Less

• Orioles' Jorge Mateo: Locked into Opening Day roster

  Rotowire Mar 21, 2024

  Mateo was informed Thursday he will be a member of the Orioles' Opening Day roster, Jacob Calvin Meyer of The Baltimore Sun reports. Mateo will be a part of the major-league roster to open the 2024 campaign according to manager Brandon Hyde. The shortstop produced an impressive .343 average with two homers, eight RBI, six runs and a stolen base over 35 at-bats in 14 games this spring. With Gunnar Henderson likely to handle the majority of the work at shortstop this season, Mateo will seemingly operate as a utility option to begin 2024.

  ... See More ... See Less

• Orioles' Jorge Mateo: Providing outfield cover

  Rotowire Mar 18, 2024

  Mateo is likely to provide depth in the infield and outfield in 2024, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports. With Gunnar Henderson set to see most of his playing time at shortstop, Mateo is without a full-time spot in the Orioles' lineup. Mateo got some work in at second base over the winter and has previously played center field in his career. In Sunday's game versus Atlanta, Mateo started in right field and shifted to left during the contest. He's gone 9-for-32 (.281) with two home runs and six RBI in spring training, but he has yet to steal a base during Grapefruit League play. Speed and defense are his top skills, but it's looking like a short-side platoon role may be a best-case scenario for Mateo to begin 2024. It's possible he sees most of his time as a late-game replacement.

  ... See More ... See Less

• Orioles' Jorge Mateo: Dabbling at multiple positions

  Rotowire Feb 19, 2024

  Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said Monday that Mateo took reps at second base over the winter before arriving at spring training, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports. "We're going to keep our options open with him. He really increases the versatility we have on this club," Hyde said of Mateo. Mateo played all but 20 of his 863 defensive innings in 2023 at shortstop, with the rest coming in center field. After the Orioles retained him on a $2.7 million salary for 2024, Mateo projects to open the season as the team's everyday shortstop, though he may not be long for the job with top prospect Jackson Holliday unlikely to require much finishing time in the minors before making his MLB debut. Given the likelihood that he'll transition into a utility role once Holliday is ready for big-league action, Mateo has been getting exposure to the keystone, in addition to continuing to take reps at shortstop and center field. While he has a path to steadier playing time earlier in the season, Mateo should provide fantasy value on the bases after recording 32 steals in 37 attempts in 2023, but his light power, poor plate skills and likely spot at the bottom of the Baltimore lineup make him mostly a one-category play.

  ... See More ... See Less

• Orioles' Jorge Mateo: Agrees to $2.7M salary for '24

  Rotowire Nov 18, 2023

  Mateo signed a one-year, $2.7 million contract with the Orioles on Friday, avoiding arbitration, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports. Mateo made $2 million in 2023 while slashing .217/.267/.340 with seven homers and 32 steals over 116 games as the O's primary shortstop. He might be more of a utility player in 2024, which will stunt his fantasy value, but the 28-year-old offers good speed and defensive versatility for the reigning AL East champions.

  ... See More ... See Less

• Orioles' Jorge Mateo: Pair of runs off bench

  Rotowire Oct 1, 2023

  Mateo went 0-for-1 with one RBI, two runs scored and two steals in Saturday's 5-2 victory over Boston. While Mateo didn't start Saturday's game, he managed to make an impact after pinch running for Adley Rutschman in the seventh frame. The shortstop stole two bases and managed to cross home plate twice despite only receiving one at-bat. Mateo is now up to 32 pilfers on the year while slashing .218/.268/.341.

  ... See More ... See Less

• Orioles' Jorge Mateo: Records 30th steal

  Rotowire Sep 28, 2023

  Mateo went 1-for-2 with a walk, a stolen base and a run scored in Wednesday's 5-1 win over the Nationals. Mateo reached the 30-steal mark for the second year in a row, and he did it with four thefts over his last 10 contests. The shortstop has regularly been in the lineup versus southpaws lately, but he's seen minimal playing time versus righties. For the season, Mateo has a .219/.270/.344 slash line with seven home runs, 33 RBI and 56 runs scored over 112 contests, but he's hit just .180 with one homer since the start of May.

  ... See More ... See Less

• Orioles' Jorge Mateo: Multi-hit effort in win

  Rotowire Sep 24, 2023

  Mateo went 2-for-4 with a double, an RBI and a run scored in Sunday's 5-1 win over the Guardians. Mateo drove in the second run of the game with an RBI groundout in the second, then doubled and later scored on an Adley Rutschman double in the fourth. Mateo had seven multi-hit efforts over the first month of the season, but Sunday was only his fifth such performance since. Entering Sunday, Mateo had hit only .172 over 233 at-bats since the start of May, though he is now hitting .280 over 25 September at-bats.

  ... See More ... See Less

• Orioles' Jorge Mateo: Swipes 29th bag

  Rotowire Sep 14, 2023

  Mateo went 1-for-1 with a walk and a stolen base in Wednesday's 1-0 loss against St. Louis. While Mateo's seen limited playing time in the short side of a platoon, he's been productive when on the field, going 6-for-17 (.353) with three steals in his last six games. He's up to 29 stolen bases this season, putting him on pace to top the 30-steal mark for the second consecutive year. Overall, Mateo is slashing .215/.266/.342 with seven homers, 52 runs scored and 32 RBI across 328 plate appearances on the campaign.

  ... See More ... See Less

• Orioles' Jorge Mateo: Picks up steal

  Rotowire Jul 20, 2023

  Mateo went 1-for-4 with a double, a stolen base and a run scored in Wednesday's 8-5 win over the Dodgers. Mateo's shaky hitting over the last couple of months has caught up to him since Jordan Westburg's been in the majors. Wednesday was just Mateo's fifth start in July -- he's become more of a backup infielder than an everyday starter while batting just .176 this month. For the season, the speedster is up to 23 steals, six home runs, 29 RBI, 38 runs scored, 11 doubles and a triple, but his .216/.267/.351 slash line is low by even his standards, and it won't help him get more playing time on a contender.

  ... See More ... See Less

• Orioles' Jorge Mateo: Logs 22nd steal

  Rotowire Jul 2, 2023

  Mateo stole a base as a pinch runner in Saturday's 1-0 loss to the Twins. Mateo started the game on the bench but ran for Adley Rutschman in the ninth inning with the Orioles down a run. Since Jordan Westburg came up from Triple-A Norfolk, Mateo's seen his playing time dwindle, to the point where Mateo may be stuck in a short-side platoon role. The shortstop didn't help his case to play more, hitting just .196 with six steals in June. He has a .220/.267/.350 slash line with 22 thefts, six home runs, 27 RBI and 37 runs scored over 235 plate appearances this season, though he's cooled off dramatically following a strong April.

  ... See More ... See Less

• Orioles' Jorge Mateo: Sitting again Saturday

  Rotowire Jul 1, 2023

  Mateo isn't in the Orioles' lineup Saturday against the Twins. Mateo's struggles at the plate appear to be costing him significant playing time, as Saturday marks his third consecutive absence from the starting lineup. Gunnar Henderson will start at shortstop while Jordan Westburg plays third base and Adam Frazier takes second.

  ... See More ... See Less

• Orioles' Jorge Mateo: Day off Friday

  Rotowire Jun 30, 2023

  Mateo is not in the starting lineup Friday against Minnesota, Jacob Calvin Meyer of The Baltimore Sun reports. Mateo will get a breather after he went 0-for-4 with a run scored and two walks during the team's series with Cincinnati. Gunnar Henderson will slide over to shortstop while Ramon Urias enters the lineup at third base and bats seventh in the series opener with the Twins.

  ... See More ... See Less

• Orioles' Jorge Mateo: Posts 21st steal

  Rotowire Jun 26, 2023

  Mateo went 1-for-2 with a double, a walk, a stolen base and two runs scored in Sunday's 3-2 win over the Mariners. Mateo went just 2-for-20 over his previous seven contests since his last steal. His struggles to get on base have minimized his best trait for fantasy managers, which is his ability to run rampant on the basepaths. The shortstop's multi-hit effort lifted his batting average on the year to .224 with 21 thefts, six home runs, 27 RBI and 36 runs scored over 68 contests. Mateo's playing time has already started to slip as the Orioles also try to balance at-bats for Gunnar Henderson and Ramon Urias on the left side of the infield, and that juggling act is set to get trickier with Jordan Westburg coming to the majors Monday.

  ... See More ... See Less

• Orioles' Jorge Mateo: Out of lineup Saturday

  Rotowire Jun 24, 2023

  Mateo is not starting in Saturday's lineup against the Mariners. The return of Cedric Mullins (groin) has crowded the Baltimore lineup, and Mateo will be the odd man out Saturday. He's gone through a tough stretch at the plate of late, collecting only one hit across his last 16 at-bats. Gunnar Henderson will start at shortstop and Ramon Urias will man the hot corner.

  ... See More ... See Less

• Orioles' Jorge Mateo: On bench again Wednesday

  Rotowire Jun 14, 2023

  Mateo is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Blue Jays, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports. For the second time in three games and the third time in six games, Mateo finds himself on the bench while the Orioles roll out an infield of Josh Lester, Adam Frazier, Gunnar Henderson and Ramon Urias. Mateo still profiles as the Orioles' top option at shortstop for now, but it's clear that he's on a shorter leash after having slashed .152/.186/.179 since the beginning of May following an excellent first month of the season. Joey Ortiz, who was called up Wednesday, might represent Mateo's biggest threat for playing time at the moment, but Jordan Westburg -- who has posted a .966 OPS in 262 plate appearances at Triple-A Norfolk -- could end up taking over as the starting shortstop at some point later this season.

  ... See More ... See Less