BALTIMORE — A day after Kyle Gibson couldn’t make it out of the first inning, the reeling Orioles have designated the veteran starting pitcher for assignment, putting his future with the team in doubt.
Prior to the finale of a three-game set with Washington, the last-place club announced the transaction along with the placement of outfielder Tyler O’Neill on the 10-day injured list. O’Neill, 29, is dealing with what’s described as a left shoulder impingement after recently spending time on the IL with neck inflammation. It’s unclear whether the issues are related, but the well-documented story of O’Neill’s career continues as he’s now been placed on the IL 16 times over his eight-year major league career.
Gibson allowed six runs and threw a career-high 47 pitches before being removed with two outs in the opening frame of Saturday’s 10-6 loss to the Nationals, which elevated his season ERA to 16.78 over four starts. Short on starting pitching depth after a questionable offseason and a run of spring injuries, general manager Mike Elias signed the right-hander to a one-year, $5.25 million deal on March 21. Gibson ramped up over the month of April before making his season debut against the New York Yankees on April 29, a start that included him giving up four home runs in the first inning.
The performance never got much better for the 37-year-old, who didn’t complete more than four innings in any of his four starts. Suffice to say, the sides weren’t able to recapture their 2023 mojo when Gibson won 15 games and completed a team-high 192 innings to help the Orioles go 101-61 and win their first AL East championship in nine years.
O’Neill is batting .188 with two homers, 10 RBIs, and a .605 on-base plus slugging percentage in 93 plate appearances this season after signing a three-year, $49.5 million contract in December. Despite hitting 31 homers for Boston last season, the oft-injured outfielder has played more than 100 games in a season just twice in his career.
To replace Gibson and O’Neill on the 26-man roster, the Orioles recalled right-hander Kade Strowd and outfielder Dylan Carlson from Triple-A Norfolk.
