Another day, another injury for the Orioles.
Less than two hours before the start of a four-game set against the first-place New York Yankees in the Bronx on Friday, Baltimore placed two-time All-Star closer Ryan Helsley on the 15-day injured list with right elbow inflammation. The right-hander last pitched in Tuesday’s 5-3 win against Houston, tossing a perfect ninth inning to record his seventh save of the season.
Prior to that, Helsley struggled with his control — throwing strikes on just nine of 22 pitches — and took the loss in an April 21 defeat at Kansas City before being placed on the bereavement/family medical emergency list the following day, which prompted him to be away from the club for three games. Otherwise, there were no clear signs of concern with Helsley off to a strong start with a 2.53 ERA and 15 strikeouts over his first 12 appearances covering 10 2/3 innings.
Though it’s unclear when the 31-year-old began feeling elbow discomfort, it’s certainly not ideal for a club that already has three of its top six starting pitchers sidelined because of injuries, which includes Zach Eflin undergoing season-ending Tommy John surgery last month. The Orioles just welcomed back relievers Andrew Kittredge and Keegan Akin last weekend after both began the season on the IL. President of baseball operations Mike Elias signed Helsley to a two-year, $28 million deal over the winter in response to former All-Star closer Felix Bautista undergoing major shoulder surgery last August that’s expected to sideline him for most of 2026.
In Helsley’s absence, manager Craig Albernaz will presumably use a committee approach to try to close games with right-hander Rico Garcia and his 0.66 ERA headlining a bullpen that’s been better than expected over the first month of the season. To take Helsley’s place on the 26-man roster, the Orioles selected the contract of veteran right-hander Albert Suarez, who had just re-signed on a minor-league deal after being designated for assignment last Sunday.
Baltimore currently has 12 players on some version of the IL, which FanGraphs tracks as being tied with Detroit for the second most in the American League behind Houston’s 14.
