The Baltimore Orioles have declined their $20 million club option on center fielder Luis Robert Jr. for the 2027 season, sending the 29-year-old to free agency with a $2 million buyout.
The decision, first reported by ESPN’s Alden González and later confirmed by the club, was widely anticipated after a brief and injury-shortened stay in Baltimore.
Robert arrived via waiver claim from the New York Mets on August 31.
He appeared in just three games for the Orioles, going 2-for-11 with a double, a home run, and three RBIs before a left hamstring issue placed him on the injured list in early September and ended his season.
The Orioles had assumed roughly $4.9 million in remaining salary and the buyout obligation when they claimed him.
Earlier in 2026, Robert had already missed nearly three months with a lumbar spine herniation while with the Mets, finishing the year with a combined .221 average, 11 home runs, and 26 RBIs across 61 games.
The contrast with his peak remains stark.
In 2023 with the Chicago White Sox, Robert earned All-Star honors and a Silver Slugger Award after batting .264 with 38 home runs, 80 RBIs, and an .857 OPS in 145 games.
That season showcased the five-tool profile that once made him one of the game’s more exciting young outfielders: speed on the bases, power to all fields, and the defensive range that had previously earned him a Gold Glove as a rookie in 2020.
Injuries and declining production in subsequent years eroded that version of his game, however, and the White Sox traded him to the Mets last winter after picking up his 2026 option.
For Baltimore, the short-term gamble did not pay off on the field.
The club finished 79-82 and four games out of a playoff spot, and $20 million represented a steep price for a player whose recent availability and production have been inconsistent.
Robert still carries residual upside as a right-handed-hitting outfielder with center-field experience, which could make him an intriguing one-year or incentive-laden target for teams seeking power and athleticism without a long-term commitment.
The Orioles themselves have indicated interest in adding a right-handed bat to their outfield mix, leaving open the possibility of a cheaper reunion if both sides can find common ground.
Barring a late deal, Robert will enter the open market as a free agent whose ceiling still reflects the All-Star form of 2023, even as his recent injury history shapes the risk calculations around him.
