Colton Cowser entered the season expecting to be the Baltimore Orioles' everyday center fielder and, less than 30 games into the year, the club moved him out of the starting lineup in favor of Leody Taveras.
That decision came after a grim opening stretch: Cowser started 16 of the Orioles' first 23 games and mostly sat against left-handed pitchers, hitting just.167/.255/.188 and striking out in over 30% of his plate appearances. After the team's first game against the Royals he was 0-for-13 with eight strikeouts, and across the club's first 28 games he started only 10.
The numbers are the blunt part of the story. Through roughly the first 50 games of the season, several expected contributors for the Orioles have disappointed, and Cowser’s early production — or lack of it — cost him a spot in the outfield rotation. The swing from everyday projected starter to bench pieces was swift and public: less than 30 games after the season began, the team elevated Taveras into the primary role.
The friction in Cowser’s season is clear. He was slated to be the regular center fielder, yet his swing decisions and contact rate left the Orioles little choice. Even after the club stopped starting him regularly, Cowser remained on the roster and has been used for his defense late in games; he has also been asked to pinch-hit and to make spot starts over the past few weeks.
That intermediate use has mattered because Cowser’s bat has begun to show life. Since May 8 he has hit.294/.333/.471 and recorded the first home run of his season, a stretch that stands in sharp contrast to the.167/.255/.188 line he posted when he was starting most days. Those improved numbers haven’t yet converted into a regular run of starts — in 28 games this span still produced only 10 starts — but they have altered the conversation about what comes next.
The immediate question now is not whether Cowser once was the presumptive starter; it is whether his recent surge is durable enough to force a lineup change. His path back is straightforward by baseball standards: sustain the.294/.333/.471 production he has shown since May 8 in the spots he’s been given, and the playing time decisions will start to look more urgent for the Orioles. If the improved contact rate continues and the strikeout rate falls from that earlier mark above 30%, he will make a hard case for more starts.
There is also a tactical element. Managers often prefer to protect hitters against same-handed pitchers or to stagger defense and offense late in games; Cowser’s role as a defensive replacement and pinch-hitter means he is already being preserved for moments when his glove or a single swing can change an inning. That usage gives him chances to influence games without reclaiming everyday at-bats immediately.
Cowser’s situation is now a simple, visible test: the slump that cost him the job is documented and severe, and the uptick since May 8 is equally measurable. The best conclusion the season’s early arc supports is this — Cowser’s hot stretch offers a genuine route back to regular duty, but he will have to keep producing in the limited opportunities he is given to make the Orioles change course again.
