SARASOTA, Fla. — The Orioles have signed veteran second baseman Kolten Wong to a minor league deal with an invitation to spring training, the club announced Wednesday.
Wong, 33, joins a crowded infield depth chart that has been the center of attention this spring with top prospect Jackson Holliday competing for the starting second base job. That’s precisely where Wong has spent the majority of his 11-year MLB career. The two-time Gold Glove Award winner was an everyday player from 2014 to 2022 with the St. Louis Cardinals and Milwaukee Brewers before a disastrous 2023 campaign derailed his career.
After hovering right around league average in most offensive statistics, Wong struggled mightily at the plate last season; he slashed .183/.256/.263 in 87 games with the Seattle Mariners and Los Angeles Dodgers. The 2011 first-round pick went unsigned this winter.
Though the Orioles would have to clear out a 40-man roster spot to bring him up north for opening day, Wong immediately becomes a candidate to make the team. The left-handed hitter will join a competition with Holliday, fellow prospects Connor Norby and Coby Mayo, holdovers Ramón Urías and Jorge Mateo, and offseason cash trade acquisitions Tyler Nevin and Nick Maton.
Baltimore announced the deal along with the signing of veteran right-hander Julio Teheran.