The Orioles announced today that they have recalled the infielder/outfielder Jeremiah Jackson and the right hand Anthony Nunez. Along the way, the catcher Chadwick Trump it is designed for assignment and it is ready Ryan Helsley placed on the 15-day injured list with right elbow strain, resumes until June 30.
Helsley was ready to enter Wednesday’s game, according to MLB.com’s Jake Rill, but Andrew Kittredge came in to pitch the ninth inning instead. Helsley was then seen on radio turning his hand and stroking his elbow. The manager Craig Albernaz he later announced that Helsley was dealing with elbow discomfort. The IO’s were off yesterday and probably allowed Helsley to see how his arm responded before today’s game, but he decided he would need a minute on the shelf.
It is a remarkable development of the pitcher and the club. For Helsley, this is his second elbow-related IL position of the year. Elbow inflammation kept him out of action for the rest of May and the first part of June. Now a few weeks back from that position, he is back in IL.
That doesn’t bode well for him from his career perspective, as he was hoping this would be a bad season. From 2022 to 2024, he was one of the best pitchers in the league. He pitched 167 2/3 innings for the Cardinals, allowing a 1.83 earned run average while striking out 34.6% of the batters he 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 contract with the Orioles, with the second season a player option. Ideally, he would have returned to his former form before returning to the open market for a better deal. That’s not playing out as expected, as he has a 4.11 ERA. His strikeout rate has increased to 30.9% but his walk rate has become a problem at 13.2%. With those numbers and ongoing elbow issues, that’s not how Helsley drew it.
For the O’s, it’s the continuation of their injury-riddled season. Helsley is IL’s ninth active player, though several others have been around all campaign. While working around all 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 from the playoffs.
The August 3 trade deadline is now a month away. O will have to make a decision about whether they are buyers or sellers. Their performances in the coming weeks will obviously play a major role in the promotion.
Losing closeness will make it difficult to climb back into the race. In the event that they end up trading, Helsley would have been a trade candidate if he had been healthy and playing well, though that effect may be less likely now. Meanwhile, guys like Kittredge, Yennier Cano, Tyler Wells, Rico Garcia again Grant Wolfram he will have to step up to cover and/or expand roles in Helsley’s absence.
More to come.
