The Orioles selected Lester's contract from Triple-A Norfolk on Saturday.
With Danny Coulombe landing on the bereavement list Saturday, Lester will join the Orioles in his place. Lester hasn't done much in his major-league career -- he's 0-for-5 with three strikeouts -- but he's slashing .282/.339/.549 through 206 plate appearances in Triple-A this year. He'll likely serve as a bench piece in Baltimore, but his defensive versatility could allow him to enter the lineup every once in a while.
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Orioles' Josh Lester: Sent to minors camp
Rotowire
The Orioles reassigned Lester to minor-league camp Monday, Jacob Calvin Meyer of The Baltimore Sun reports.
Though he ultimately fell short in his bid for a reserve role on the Orioles' Opening Day roster, Lester stuck around in big-league camp longer than many anticipated heading into spring training. The 28-year-old Lester, who was able to make his MLB debut late in the 2022 season with Detroit after slugging 29 home runs for Triple-A Toledo, slashed .291/.339/.455 with five extra-base hits over his 23 Grapefruit League games this spring. Lester will likely settle into a near-everyday role at Triple-A Norfolk, seeing action at both corner-infield and corner-outfield spots.
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Orioles' Josh Lester: Two triples Tuesday
Rotowire
Lester went 3-for-4 with two triples, one RBI and one run scored in Tuesday's Grapefruit League win over the Pirates.
Lester had struggled earlier in the spring, but he's now hitting .387 (12-for-31) with four extra-base hits and nine RBI through 13 contests. He's gotten a long look so far, but the fact that the 28-year-old is on a minor-league deal and has just two major-league games under his belt presents a tough path to the majors.
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Orioles' Josh Lester: Joins Baltimore
Rotowire
Lester signed a minor-league contract with the Orioles on Tuesday, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.
Lester made his major-league debut with the Tigers last season and went 0-for-5 in two games. The 28-year-old spent most of the campaign at the Triple-A level and had a .246/.311/.479 slash line with 29 home runs, 99 RBI and seven stolen bases in 145 contests.
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Tigers' Josh Lester: Cast off 40-man roster
Rotowire
The Tigers outrighted Lester to Triple-A Toledo on Wednesday.
The 28-year-old received the chance to make his MLB debut late in the 2022 campaign, appearing in two games and going hitless across five plate appearances while sticking on the Tigers' active roster for less than a week. Given Lester's advanced age and lack of a prospect pedigree, it's not especially surprising that he went unclaimed off waivers after he was booted off the Tigers' 40-man roster.
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Tigers' Josh Lester: Sent down Thursday
Rotowire
Lester was optioned to Triple-A Toledo on Thursday.
Lester's contract was selected Sunday, and he went 0-for-5 with three strikeouts over two games with the big-league club. He'll head back to the minors after Jonathan Scoop (ankle) was reinstated from the 10-day injured list Thursday.
