The Orioles have officially joined the 2025 MLB Draft party, and they made quite a splash. With the 19th overall pick in the first round, Baltimore selected Ike Irish, a lefty-hitting catcher and outfielder from Auburn University. And it’s a name that turned heads across draft boards, with Ike Irish ranked as the No. 11 prospect by MLB Pipeline and No. 13 by Baseball America.
Now, for a team that’s seen its once-loaded farm system thinned out by a wave of talented call-ups to the big leagues, Irish feels like fresh air. The Orioles’ pipeline now sits somewhere in the middle of the pack league-wide (22), and has just rejuvenated. So, on the surface, it all looks like a win with landing a player who brings both power and versatility.
But for the Orioles, it doesn’t seem to be so. At least if the latest update about Irish is anything to consider.
“The Orioles have placed OF/C Ike Irish on the 15-day IL, per sources,“ MLB insider Luke Slabaugh reported.
The @Orioles have placed OF/C Ike Irish on the 15-day IL, per sources.
— Luke Slabaugh (@LukeSlabaugh) July 13, 2025
So yeah, as ridiculous as it sounds, just hours after landing Ike Irish, the Orioles moved him to the injury list. But wait…
Neither the Orioles nor any other verified news portal has updated any injury scare with Ike Irish! Because there is nothing to share. And upon checking the comment section, it’s quite evident that this update was just a good old prank! Something to lighten up the pressure of the high-spirited draft pick routine.
So, here’s the confirmed news: Ike Irish has not moved to any IL owing to injury. And he is all in the Orioles’ farm system, fit and sound.
But an injury scare is very much a reality.
Ike Irish was mainly seen as a catching prospect in his junior season. But after taking a pitch to the shoulder in March and fracturing his right scapula, he ended up spending most of the season in right field. While he’s healthy now, there’s a good chance he sticks in the outfield once he begins his pro career. And that being said, the Orioles will still need to be smart about how they manage his position and workload moving forward.
If Ike Irish can’t play infield owing to an injury scare, the Orioles might have just missed a chance of flexibility. And that too when the team’s infield is struggling with offensive consistency and depth despite having players like Gunnar Henderson and Jordan Westburg. So, let’s wait and watch how the Orioles move with Ike Irish further.
The Orioles made a few good moves
But that doesn’t mean that picking Ike Irish is a bad move by the Orioles.
Irish first started turning heads at St. Mary’s Prep, where he helped lead the team to three state championships. This includes an incredible 44-0 run in 2022. From there, he made the jump to Auburn, where he had an impressive impact. From over 55 games this past season, he batted .364 with 19 home runs, 58 RBIs, and a 1.179 OPS.
The Orioles are currently ranked #23 in terms of average (.240), and with Irish, they may have gotten a power-hitter.
Now, apart from Ike Irish, there are a few other moves by the Orioles that could also prove fruitful in the long term.
The team grabbed Caden Bodine and Wehiwa Aloy back-to-back. Of the bunch, Bodine might have the strongest defensive upside behind the plate. Currently, he is hitting .318 with a .454 on-base percentage over 67 games. Aloy, meanwhile, was a force in the tough SEC, slashing .350/.434/.673 with 21 home runs and 68 RBIs. But what makes Aloy especially valuable is his versatility.
Notably, he can handle pretty much any infield spot, which is a nice bonus for the Orioles as they monitor Irish’s positional future.
With so much catching talent now in the pipeline, the Orioles face some big decisions behind the plate in the coming years. Especially with Adley Rutschman’s recent struggles at the plate, time is ticking to look for the future.
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