The Orioles announced today that they have recalled infielder/outfielder Jeremiah Jackson and right-hander Anthony Nunez. In corresponding moves, catcher Chadwick Tromp has been designated for assignment and righty Ryan Helsley has been placed on the 15-day injured list with right elbow discomfort, retroactive to June 30th.
Helsley was warming up to enter Wednesday’s game, per Jake Rill of MLB.com, but Andrew Kittredge came in to pitch the ninth inning instead. Helsley was then seen on the broadcast flexing his hand and rubbing his elbow. Manager Craig Albernaz later announced that Helsley was dealing with elbow discomfort. The O’s were off yesterday and perhaps let Helsley see how his arm responded before tonight’s game, but determined a stint on the shelf would be needed.
It’s a notable development for the pitcher and the club. For Helsley, this is already his second elbow-related IL stint of the year. Elbow inflammation put him out of action for all of May and the first half of June. Now a couple of weeks after returning from that stint, he is right back on the IL.
That’s not ideal for him from a career standpoint, as he was hoping this would be a bounceback season. From 2022 to 2024, he was one of the most dominant relievers in the league. He gave the Cardinals 167 2/3 innings, allowing 1.83 earned runs per nine while striking out 34.6% of batters faced. In 2025, his strikeout rate dropped to 25% as his ERA rose to 4.50.
Those declining numbers were ill-timed, as Helsley became a free agent after that down season. He signed a two-year, $28MM deal with the Orioles, with the second season being a player option. Ideally, he would have returned to his previous form before going back to the open market in search of a better deal. That isn’t playing out as hoped, as he has a 4.11 ERA. His strikeouts have ticked up to 30.9% but his walk rate has suddenly become a problematic 13.2%. With those numbers and ongoing elbow problems, it’s surely not the way Helsley drew it up.
For the O’s, it’s a continuation of their injury-marred season. Helsley is the ninth player actively on the IL, though several others have been on and off throughout the campaign. While working around all of those injuries, the Orioles have gone 40-48. That’s not a great record but the American League is weak this year, so the O’s are still in the playoff hunt, currently five games back of a playoff spot.
The August 3rd trade deadline is now a month away. The O’s will have to make a decision about whether they are buyers or sellers. Their play in the coming weeks will obviously play a big role in tipping the scales.
Losing their closer will make it a bit harder to climb back in the race. In the scenario where they end up selling, Helsley could have been a trade candidate if he were healthy and pitching well, though that outcome is perhaps less likely now. In the meantime, guys like Kittredge, Yennier Cano, Tyler Wells, Rico Garcia and Grant Wolfram will have to step up for closing and/or leverage roles in Helsley’s absence.
More to come.
