If Christian Encarnacion-Strand accomplishes nothing else in his baseball career, he’s already made it into the MLB record books.
At 27 characters (including the hyphen), he has the longest full name of any player in major league history, shattering the previous mark of 22. It’s a moniker that may be a bit too unwieldy to stitch on a jersey, but his abbreviated nickname, CES, is one that makes for a fun chant at the ballpark.
And as it turns out, Orioles fans had a lot more reasons to cheer for CES
in 2026 than they ever expected. The 26-year-old third baseman, unceremoniously dumped by the Reds in April, was a revelation at the hot corner and at the dish for the Birds, helping to keep the team afloat when injuries threatened to ruin their season by the All-Star break.
By OPS (.838), Encarnacion-Strand was the Orioles’ best hitter besides Pete Alonso. He bashed 11 homers in 58 games, good for a .513 SLG, again second only to the Polar Bear. And CES had a penchant for delivering in the clutch. With runners in scoring position and two outs, he collected 12 RBIs in 34 PAs. (Compare that to, say, Gunnar Henderson, who had 12 RBIs in 69 PAs in those same situations.)
Encarnacion-Strand also played a capable third base. By FanGraphs’ Defensive Runs Above Average, his 3.2 mark was fifth-best of any O’s fielder, and by far the best of any O’s third baseman. The two other frequent third basemen, Coby Mayo and Blaze Alexander, both have their strengths as players, but neither had the glove of CES.
Encarnacion-Strand’s all-around contributions to the 2026 Orioles are something that few O’s fans could have predicted in spring training — mainly because he wasn’t even in the organization then. He was truly a diamond in the rough, a scrap-heap pickup who turned into a legitimate big league player in his third organization.
A native of Walnut Creek, CA, Encarnacion-Strand was a fourth-round pick by the Twins out of Oklahoma State in 2021. Just over a year later, Minnesota sent him to the Reds as part of a three-player package for starter Tyler Mahle. During that 2022 season, Encarnacion-Strand put up eye-popping numbers in the minors: 32 homers, 114 RBIs, and a .955 OPS in High-A and Double-A. He emerged as one of the Reds’ top prospects, ranking as the team’s #7 on MLB Pipeline in 2023.
After CES laid waste to minor league pitching again in 2023 — to the tune of 20 homers in 67 games at Triple-A — he made his much-anticipated major league debut that July. He acclimated himself well, posting an .805 OPS in 63 games for Cincinnati, and the Reds thought they had a future middle-of-the-lineup slugger on their hands.
But things went south quickly for Encarnacion-Strand, with injuries playing a major role. He slogged through an ineffective 2024 season, playing just 29 games and hitting .190 with a .513 OPS before suffering a season-ending broken wrist. In 2025, it was a back injury that plagued him, and his OPS was a meager .610. One common theme of both those wretched seasons, besides the injuries, was that CES was utterly incapable of getting on base. He managed only seven walks in 260 plate appearances, resulting in an unfathomable .227 OBP.
The Reds finally ran out of patience with their once well-regarded prospect. This April, needing a 40-man roster spot for third catcher P.J. Higgins, they DFA’d CES, ultimately sending him to the Orioles for cash. The seemingly minor trade turned out to be a coup for Mike Elias, and in hindsight it’s hard to believe that no other team was intrigued enough by Encarnacion-Strand’s potential to offer anything more than the Birds’ fistful of dollars.
CES spent his first three months in the O’s organization doing what he always does: tearing up minor league pitching. He mashed 17 homers and slugged .555 for Triple-A Norfolk. He might have stayed there all year if not for a fateful Orioles game against the Royals before the All-Star break when Alexander, the Birds’ erstwhile third baseman, was hit by a pitch and broke his hand.
Needing a replacement at third, the Orioles summoned Encarnacion-Strand with tempered expectations. If nothing else, they figured, he could spell Mayo defensively at third base and possibly provide some pop off the bench. What they probably didn’t anticipate is that CES would seize the everyday 3B job all for himself.
Encarnacion-Strand came out swinging right away, collecting six hits in his first three games with the Orioles, including two home runs at Fenway Park. And he never really stopped. By his ninth game, he was OPS’ing over 1.000. And while he obviously wasn’t going to keep up that pace forever, he didn’t crash back to earth like some feared he might. His OPS never dipped below .730, and he ultimately finished the season more than 100 points above that.
From the time of his call-up, Encarnacion-Strand started 45 of the Orioles’ final 63 games at third base. Craig Albernaz kept penciling his extremely long name into the starting lineup, probably having to write small to fit it on the lineup card, and CES kept producing. He especially torched left-handed pitching, to the tune of a 1.009 OPS and seven homers in 69 PAs, but he more than held his own against righties as well (.743 OPS). And while he still didn’t walk much — 11 free passes in 58 games — his .325 OBP was respectable enough.
In a way, his breakout wasn’t a total surprise. Encarnacion-Strand has always had this kind of slugging potential, and now that he had a full, healthy season for the first time in three years, he finally showed what he’s capable of. Can he sustain it? That’s the million dollar question. But he isn’t the first highly-touted prospect to flame out with his original team and then find success somewhere else. And he won’t be the last.
CES played well enough that he should certainly be in the Orioles’ plans for 2027, but in what role? Jordan Westburg, assuming a return to full health, will be ready to reclaim a starting job, possibly at third base. Coby Mayo should and will be in the starting lineup somewhere. So where does that leave Encarnacion-Strand? These things have a way of sorting themselves out, due to injuries and such, but for now it’s a crowded infield picture. Still, Encarnacion shouldn’t be left Strand-ed.
