With his minor-league rehab assignment coming to an end, Orioles left-handed reliever Wesley Wright was activated from the 60-day disabled list and designated for assignment.
Signed to a $1.7 million contract in December, Wright made just two appearances for Baltimore in the first week of the season before being placed on the DL with a left trapezius strain on April 11. The 30-year-old allowed one run in just 1 2/3 innings.
Pitching with diminished velocity, Wright posted a 7.71 ERA in 11 2/3 rehab innings for Triple-A Norfolk. Even after he agreed to extend his rehab assignment, the Orioles simply couldn’t find room in the bullpen for a left-hander not pitching effectively.
The Orioles could be in the market for a top-shelf reliever at the trade deadline to ease the workload on All-Star pitchers Zach Britton and Darren O’Day, but Wright did not fit that profile, making him expendable in a bullpen ranking third in the American League with a 2.90 ERA at the All-Star break.
