The Orioles have indicated outfielder Dwight Smith Jr. for assignment and have selected the contractor outfielder Mason Williams, according to Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com.
Mei Smith Jr. removed from the roster of 40 men, the team will have a week to deal with the 27-year-old or place him on straight exemptions. By Rich Dubroff of BaltimoreBaseball.com, O’s general manager, Mike Elias, is hoping that Smith Jr. will remain in the organization after his DFA.
Although his 2020 season did not go as hoped, Smith Jr. a contribution for the Orioles last year, hitting .241 / .297 / .412 in his first shot at a regular role with an MLB team.
However, he has fallen out of favor in Baltimore because he finds himself in an increasingly crowded field mix in need of a true center fielder after the injury. Austin Hays. Smith Jr. is restricted to airfield and has fought defensively since coming to Baltimore.
Mason Williams will join the Orioles roster as an option to play center field occasionally, and is more suited for a role as fourth outfielder than Smith Jr. because of its positional flexibility. He appeared briefly with the Orioles last year, though he spent the majority of the year with the Baltimore Triple-A branch. There he hit .308 / .371 / .477 with 18 home games, his most in a season since debuting in 2010.
