Baltimore Orioles claim veteran outfielder off waivers from Giants

The Orioles reunited with a veteran outfielder who spent the bulk of the 2024 season with their Triple-A affiliate.

Jun 4, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; San Francisco Giants right fielder Daniel Johnson (56) looks on against the San Diego Padres in the second inning at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Eakin Howard-Imagn Images | Eakin Howard-Imagn Images

Depleted by trades and injuries, the Baltimore Orioles have bolstered their outfield by reuniting with a veteran who was briefly on their active roster last season.

On Monday afternoon, the Orioles announced they had claimed outfielder Daniel Johnson off waivers from the San Francisco Giants. They also added Triple-A right-hander Jose Espada to their 40-man roster and designated Houston Roth for assignment in a corresponding move.

Roth, who has a 2.08 ERA in the minor leagues this season, was called up in late July but did not appear for Baltimore.

We have made the following roster moves: pic.twitter.com/zaNq83r2vg

— Baltimore Orioles (@Orioles) August 11, 2025

Johnson, 30, returns for a second stint with the Orioles after spending most of the 2024 season with Triple-A Norfolk, where he hit .259/.320/.448 with 21 home runs, 76 RBIs, and 17 stolen bases in 118 games. He was selected to Baltimore’s active roster in late September, grounding out in his only at-bat.

Since being drafted in the fifth round by the Washington Nationals in 2016, Johnson has changed organizations eight times, appearing in parts of four major league seasons. The lefty-hitting outfielder carries a .193/.238/.336 slash line across 50 career MLB games, but since 2023 has hit .267/.333/.469 over 1,236 minor league plate appearances.

Johnson went 5-for-29 with two doubles and a home run in 14 games with the Giants this season before being designated for assignment Friday. He posted an .840 OPS in 48 games with their Triple-A affiliate, but San Francisco removed him from the 40-man roster to make room for recently acquired outfield prospect Drew Gilbert, who was called up for his big league debut.

No triples allowed by Daniel Johnson 🚫 pic.twitter.com/w0dPDBVyb3

— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) June 5, 2025

On the same day Johnson was waived, the Orioles placed two outfielders on the injured list — Colton Cowser and Tyler O’Neill. That came a week after trading away Cedric Mullins, Ramón Laureano, and Ryan O’Hearn at the deadline, leaving Baltimore with an outfield mix of Jeremiah Jackson, Dylan Carlson, Greg Allen, Jordyn Adams, and Ryan Noda.

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Johnson, who has yet to report, may soon join that group and get more big league playing time. However, he remains optionable for the rest of the year and could end up back with Triple-A Norfolk by the time Cowser is removed from concussion protocol.

Espada, 28, will remain with Triple-A Norfolk despite the change in his 40-man roster status. The right-hander signed a minor league deal with the Orioles on July 26 after being let go by the San Diego Padres four days earlier. He holds a 3.74 ERA across 43.1 minor league innings this year.