Baltimore Orioles rookie outfielder Colton Cowser is not in the team's starting lineup on Tuesday against the visiting Chicago Cubs with a right-hander on the mound. It's more bad news for fantasy managers that were enjoying the 24-year-old's production earlier this year in a near-everyday role. However, Cowser will be on the bench for the third straight game with a right-hander on the mound, yielding playing time to fellow rookie outfielder and left-handed hitter Heston Kjerstad. It's just a very crowded outfield picture in Baltimore when you factor in Cedric Mullins and Austin Hays as well. Cowser has hit an impressive 12 homers and chipped in five steals in his first full MLB season, but he's hitting .179 (10-for-56) with 16 strikeouts in 62 plate appearances in his last 20 games and is quickly losing fantasy value in mixed leagues.
Baltimore Orioles first baseman Ryan Mountcastle, rookie outfielder Colton Cowser and infielder Jorge Mateo are all out of Monday's lineup against the visiting Cleveland Guardians. Ryan O'Hearn is playing first base and batting third, rookie Heston Kjerstad is in left field and is batting fifth, and Ramon Urias is at third base and in the eight-hole against Guardians right-hander Tanner Bibee. Mountcastle is getting a routine day of rest after starting in each of the team's last nine games. Cowser is hitting .175 in June and has now been on the bench three of the last five times the club has faced a righty pitcher. The 24-year-old could see even less playing time if Kjerstad plays well upon his promotion. Mateo is on the bench for the third time in the last five games and is losing playing time to both Urias and Jordan Westburg.
Baltimore Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman and rookie outfielder Colton Cowser are both out of the lineup on Friday against the Chicago White Sox. James McCann will do the catching and bat ninth, while Austin Hays will play left field and bat sixth against White Sox right-hander Chris Flexen. Rutschman is currently slumping at the plate but is still hitting an impressive .299/.335/.474 with an .809 OPS, nine home runs and 31 RBI in 194 at-bats for the O's in 2024. The young switch-hitting backstop needs to be in fantasy lineups every day that he's playing. Cowser will head to the bench after starting each of the last 15 games. As a result of the 24-year-old's everyday playing time, Hays has essentially become a fourth outfielder for the Orioles this year. Cowser has cooled off a bit of late as well and is hitting .256 on the year with six homers, 23 RBI and three steals.
Colton Cowser Out Of Lineup Against Lefty On Saturday
Baltimore Orioles outfielder Colton Cowser is out of the lineup for Saturday night's tilt against Andrew Abbott and the Cincinnati Reds. Ryan McKenna is starting in left field in Cowser's place. This shouldn't a cause for concern for fantasy owners as this appears to be Cowser being in a platoon situation. The lefty has only hit for a .348 OPS against southpaws in 2024. With Reds' lefty Nick Lodolo on deck for Sunday's game, Cowser shouldn't be expected to be back in the lineup until Tuesday in Washington against Nationals right-hander Trevor Williams.
Jackson Holliday, Colton Cowser Out Of Lineup On Saturday
Baltimore Orioles second baseman Jackson Holliday and outfielder Colton Cowser are out of the Orioles lineup on Saturday against Kansas City Royals lefty Cole Ragans. Holliday has had a rough start to his MLB career, hitting for a .037 batting average in 28 PA. Cowser has been Baltimore's best hitter, on the other hand, posting a 1.178 OPS in 51 PA. Austin Hays will get the start in left field for Cowser. Jordan Westburg will slide over from third base to second base and Ramon Urias will start at third. Both Holliday and Cowser should be expected to be back in the lineup on Sunday against Royals right-hander Seth Lugo.
Baltimore Orioles outfielder Colton Cowser homered for the third time in two games on Friday in a 12-1 loss to the Brewers. It was a solo shot in the fourth off of Brewers' ace Freddy Peralta and would turn out to be the lone run the O's could muster in the contest. Cowser was 2-for-3 with a walk, with his other hit being a double off of Peralta. The 24-year-old had a hot spring that won him a spot on the roster and he's continued to hit now in the regular season too, with a .481 BA that includes six doubles and three home runs, along with 12 RBI, five runs scored, and even one stolen base. The lefty hitter wasn't getting consistent at-bats to begin the regular season, but with outfielder Austin Hays hitting .063 and other Oriole hitters scuffling, it will be hard to take him out of the lineup now. Over the last four games, Cowser has gone 8-for-16 (.500) with four doubles and three homers.
Baltimore Orioles outfielder Colton Cowser has been promoted to the two-hole for Friday's series opener against the visiting Milwaukee Brewers. The 24-year-old has enjoyed a white-hot start to his season, hitting .458 with two homers, 11 RBI, and a stolen base across his first 26 trips to the plate. Both of those long balls came in Thursday's extra-inning triumph over the Boston Red Sox while he drove in 10 runs across the three-game set their his AL East rival. Drafted with the fifth pick of the 2021 draft, Cowser could be in line for every day starts versus right-handed pitching, making him a wildly attractive fantasy option, especially in dynasty leagues.
Baltimore Orioles outfielder Colton Cowser had the best game of his young career on Thursday, smashing two homers in a 9-4 extra-innings victory over the Boston Red Sox. Cowser went 3-for-5 with the aforementioned two homers and also added two runs and four RBI. He is now up to a .458/.462/.917 triple-slash line and should continue getting more playing time if he can keep hitting. The 24-year-old should be rostered in most leagues given his upside and the fact he slugged six homers in Spring Training.
Baltimore Orioles outfielder Colton Cowser is making his first start of the year on Tuesday against the Kansas City Royals and right-hander Alec Marsh, starting in left field and batting eighth. Austin Hays will start on the bench on Tuesday. The 24-year-old Cowser has gone 1-for-3 so far on the year off the bench through the team's first four games. He earned a spot on Baltimore's Opening Day roster by hitting .304/.418/.717 with six home runs and 13 RBI in 55 Grapefruit League plate appearances. However, Cowser's spot at the bottom of the O's batting order on Tuesday doesn't make him a terribly attractive DFS play, and the weather on the East Coast doesn't look excellent, either.
After a dominant performance in the Grapefruit League this spring, Baltimore Orioles outfielder Colton Cowser has made the Opening Day roster. The 24-year-old forced the Orioles hand after hitting .304 with six homers, 13 RBI and a pristine 1.135 OPS. Cowser will enter the season as a fourth outfielder, but it is unlikely that he would have broken camp with the squad if Baltimore wasn't planning to give him a decent number of at-bats. The outfielder made his big-league debut in 2023, but struggled with a .115 batting average to go along with four RBI in 61 at-bats. Cowser does have a patient eye at the plate and this spring is more of an indication of his potential versus his cup of coffee last year. Managers in redraft leagues should be patient with Cowser and see if he plays his way into an everyday role with his potential to be a productive piece in what should be one of the better offenses this season.
