Nick Maton Accepts Outright Assignment With Orioles

A former 7th-round pick by the Phillies, Maton went to the Tigers as part of the Gregory Soto trade return. He appeared in a career-high 93 games with Detroit last season but struggled on both sides of the ball. Maton hit .173/.288/.305 in 249 plate appearances. That and his out-of-options status have led teams to pass on claiming him for the second time this year.

Maton will stick around as non-roster infield depth. He’d be eligible for minor league free agency at the start of the offseason if the Orioles don’t call him back up.

Nick Maton was declared free agent this evening by the Orioles. Rather than choose free agency, he took a job in Triple-A Norfolk. On Saturday, Maton and lefty Cole Irvin were designated for assignment by Baltimore; Irvin was claimed off waivers by the Twins.

Two brief stints on the major league roster have been experienced by Maton. In his five at-bats, he is hitless and has struck out a few times. With Norfolk, the 27-year-old infielder has had a successful season. Maton has slashed.261/.368/.477 in 86 games while hitting 16 home runs and walking at a very impressive 13.2% walk rate. At Triple-A, he has a batting line of.251/.367/.431 in slightly over a thousand at-bats.