74 Pat Valaika SS

Valaika agreed to a one-year deal with the Orioles on Wednesday to avoid arbitration, Joe Trezza of MLB.com reports.

Valaika had a strong showing during his first season in Baltimore, posting a .277/.315/.475 slash line with eight home runs in 52 games during 2020. The 28-year-old could enter spring training with a chance to earn a larger role with the departure of shortstop Jose Iglesias.

Valaika went 3-for-5 with a solo home run and two additional runs scored in Thursday's 13-1 rout of the Red Sox.

He was one of four Baltimore hitters to lace three hits on the night. Valaika has put together a solid first campaign in an O's uniform, hitting .275 with eight homers, 15 RBI and 23 runs in 51 games.

Valaika went 3-for-4 in Wednesday's 9-1 loss to the Red Sox.

Valaika hit three singles in the contest, but he was unable to score despite his frequent trips on-base. The versatile 28-year-old has seven homers, 14 RBI and 20 runs scored while clashing .263/.300/.451 in 50 games this season.

Valaika will not start Monday against Atlanta, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

Valaika had been in the lineup for eight of the last nine games, though he posted an OPS of just .517 over that stretch. The return of Austin Hays (ribs) could impact his playing time, as he'll start in left field Monday, pushing Ryan Mountcastle to designated hitter and Renato Nunez to first base.

Valaika isn't in the lineup for Game 2 of Friday's doubleheader against the Yankees.

Valaika started at first base during Friday's matinee and went 0-for-2 with one strikeout. He'll get a breather for the second game with Chris Davis taking over as the first baseman.

Valaika went 2-for-5 with a solo home run, two RBI and three runs scored Tuesday against the Mets.

Valaika led off the eighth inning with a home run, his sixth of the season. Prior to that, he plated another run on an infield single to contribute to the Orioles' 11-run offensive outburst. Valaika has quietly put together a strong .280/.321/.490 line with 13 RBI and 17 runs scored across 107 plate appearances this season.

Valaika went 4-for-4 with a double, two runs scored and an RBI on Tuesday against the Mets.

Valaika collected a hit each time he came to the plate and also delivered an RBI double in the sixth inning. He's lost playing time since the return of Jose Iglesias, but drew a start at second base on Tuesday with Hanser Alberto battling a knee injury. He's put together a solid .275/.318/.487 line across 86 plate appearances to this point in the season.

Valaika is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Blue Jays.

Following Jose Iglesias' (quadriceps) return from the injured list Thursday, Valaika has predictably lost out on a full-time role. Even with Iglesias serving as the Orioles' designated hitter Sunday, Andrew Velazquez will get a turn at shortstop in the series finale, while Valaika sits for the second day in a row.

Valaika went 2-for-3 with a walk and a solo home run Saturday against the Red Sox.

Valaika took Martin Perez deep in the second inning to record his fifth homer of the season. He has been on a power binge of late, homering in three consecutive games while also riding a five-game hitting streak. Overall, Valaika has compiled a .242/.299/.484 line with 11 runs scored and eight RBI across 67 plate appearances.

Valaika went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in an 8-5 loss to the Red Sox on Friday.

The Orioles didn't get on the board until the seventh inning, when Valaika hit a solo shot to left field. The 27-year-old utility man has been starting at shortstop after Jose Iglesias (quadriceps) was placed on the injured list earlier in the week, and he has taken full advantage of the opportunity. Valaika is hitting .357/.357/.786 with two home runs and three RBI in four games since Peraza went down and is making it difficult for manager Brandon Hyde to try to replace him when Iglesias returns.

Valaika went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Thursday's 7-1 loss to Boston.

Valaika accounted for Baltimore's only run of the game, taking Nathan Eovaldi deep to center field in the seventh inning. The utilityman has taken advantage of increased playing time of late, going 4-for-10 with a pair of RBI over his last three games to raise his average to .218 on the season.

Valaika will start at shortstop and bat seventh Wednesday against the Blue Jays.

With Jose Iglesias (quadriceps) moving to the injured list Tuesday, Valaika and the switch-hitting Andrew Velazquez are expected to share the load at shortstop. Even if Velazquez emerges as the preferred option at that position, Valaika's versatility will continue to give him multiple pathways to playing time. He'll be making his fifth consecutive start Wednesday, with two assignments coming at shortstop, two coming in left field and one coming at the keystone.

Valaika will start at shortstop and bat ninth Thursday against the Phillies.

Valaika will be getting his third start in four games, but two of those assignments came when top shortstop Jose Iglesias was managing a quadriceps injury. Iglesias manned shortstop Wednesday and is serving as the designated hitter Thursday, but he should be in the clear to fill his normal position in the infield during this weekend's series with the Nationals, likely relegating Valaika to the bench as a reuslt.

Valaika was added to the Baltimore lineup for Sunday's game against the Rays after Rio Ruiz (undisclosed) was scratched from the starting nine, Jon Meoli of The Baltimore Sun reports. Valaika will man third base and bat seventh.

Valaika will start for the third time in four days, will each turn in the lineup coming at a different position. Assuming the absences of Ruiz, Chris Davis (knee) and Jose Iglesias (quadriceps) prove to be only short-term concerns, Valaika should slide back into a full-time reserve role before long.

Valaika is out of the lineup in Sunday's game against the Rays.

Valaika drew starts at shortstop Thursday against the Yankees and at first base in Friday's series opener with Tampa Bay, filling in for an injured Jose Iglesias (quadriceps) and Chris Davis (knee), respectively. With Andrew Velazquez and Renato Nunez having now picked up the last two starts in place of Iglesias and Davis, Valaika looks like he'll continue to function as a deep reserve for the Orioles. Through six appearances this season, Valaika has gone 3-for-11 with an RBI.

Valaika will be a part of the Orioles' 60-man player pool this season.

He was claimed by the Orioles this winter and then designated for assignment before the start of spring training. Valaika will be eligible to provide infield depth, but he is unlikely to see much playing time.

Valaika was outrighted to Triple-A Norfolk by the Orioles on Tuesday.

The transaction marks the second time Valaika has been dropped from the Orioles' roster this offseason and the fourth time he's been DFA'd overall this winter. He was claimed off waivers on each of the previous three occasions but passed through unclaimed this time.

Valaika was claimed off waivers by the Orioles on Thursday.

Brandon Kline was designated for assignment to free up a roster spot for Valaika, who is back with the Orioles just three weeks after the team lost him to the Diamondbacks via waivers. The 27-year-old was effective across 84 games with Triple-A Albuquerque in 2019, hitting .320/.364/.589 with 22 home runs, but he couldn't translate his success to the majors, evidenced by his .190/.256/.316 line with 34 strikeouts in 40 big-league games with the Rockies.

Valaika was designated for assignment by the Diamondbacks on Monday.

This is the second time Valaika has been booted from a 40-man roster this month, as he was sent to waivers earlier in January by the Orioles before being scooped up by Arizona. He'll need to clear waivers before being outrighted to Triple-A Reno.

Valaika was claimed off waivers by the Diamondbacks on Thursday.

Valaika was designated for assignment by the Orioles last Friday after posting a .190 batting average and one home run over 40 major-league games with the Rockies in 2019. He had a strong showing at the Triple-A level with a .320/.364/.589 slash line with 22 home runs, but he'll need to show more consistency against higher-end competition if he hopes to secure a major-league roster spot.