As the MLB offseason draws closer, the Baltimore Orioles have done some early housekeeping.
The Orioles finished the regular season at 79-82, placing fourth in the American League East and missing the playoffs by several games behind the final Wild Card berth.
With the larger baseball world focused on October baseball elsewhere, Baltimore quietly moved on from one of its lower-level prospects.
Right-handed pitcher Juan Duran, 22, has been released from the organization, according to minor-league transaction records.
The slim right-hander, listed at six feet and 160 pounds, was born in La Vega, Dominican Republic, on November 25, 2003. Baltimore signed him to a minor-league contract in June 2023, and he spent the subsequent two seasons pitching in the Dominican Summer League.
Duran’s professional results were mixed at best. In 2023 he appeared in 10 games, five of them starts, and posted a 5.47 ERA with a 1.70 WHIP while striking out 31 batters across 24⅓ innings.
He showed clearer improvement the following year, lowering his ERA to 2.92 and his WHIP to 1.22 while recording 25 strikeouts in 24⅔ innings over 17 appearances.
Those numbers represented modest progress for a young arm still learning the professional game, yet the organization never advanced him beyond the complex league.
No pitching statistics exist for Duran in either 2025 or 2026.
He was placed on the injured list in June of this year and later transferred to the 60-day list, suggesting he has not taken the mound since the end of the 2024 Dominican Summer League season.
Persistent physical setbacks appear to have stalled whatever development path the Orioles once envisioned for him. After more than three years in the system and limited innings, the club has chosen to clear a roster spot rather than continue waiting on a return.
Such releases are common in the lower reaches of a farm system, especially once a season ends and clubs begin evaluating which young players warrant continued investment. For Duran, the timing simply coincides with the broader postseason calendar that does not include Baltimore.
The Orioles, still navigating the aftermath of a disappointing campaign that fell short of early expectations, will turn their attention to larger roster decisions in the weeks ahead.
For a 22-year-old who never progressed beyond the Dominican Summer League, the release marks the end of one organization’s interest and the start of an uncertain next chapter elsewhere in professional baseball.
