The 2026 MLB season is not even one month old, but the Baltimore Orioles are adding a new face to the roster.
On Monday, the Orioles acquired infielder Christian Encarnacion-Strand in a trade with the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for cash considerations.
The Reds had DFA’d Encarnacion-Strand on April 8, and the Orioles are now taking a flier on him.
The #Reds today traded IF Christian Encarnacion-Strand to the Orioles in exchange for cash considerations.
— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) April 13, 2026
Encarnacion-Strand was selected in the fourth round by the Minnesota Twins in the 2021 MLB June Amateur Draft. He was then part of a package that was sent to the Reds in exchange for pitcher Tyler Mahle in 2022.
Encarnacion-Strand made his MLB debut in 2023 with the Reds, and he played in 63 games with 13 home runs and 37 RBI.
In 2024, he played in just 29 games before missing the rest of the season due to a wrist injury, and he played in 36 games with six home runs in 2025.
The signing of Eugenio Suarez in free agency and the strong play of Sal Stewart, who is batting .309 with four home runs this season, made Encarnacion-Strand an easy choice for the Reds to DFA, and now he finds a new home with the Orioles.
