Elbow inflammation sidelines Wells
Right-hander has 0-2 record with a 5.87 ERA over 15 1/3 innings
The Orioles need to find a starting pitcher for Wednesday.
Baltimore on Tuesday placed right-hander Tyler Wells on the 15-day injured list with right elbow inflammation, the club announced shortly before its game against the Minnesota Twins at Camden Yards.
Wells, the Orioles’ No. 3 starter to begin the season, is 0-2 with a 5.87 ERA in 15 ⅓ innings across three starts. He was scheduled to start Wednesday afternoon against the Twins, but now the club will have to either call someone up from Triple-A Norfolk or have its bullpen cover all nine innings.
Manager Brandon Hyde said after Tuesday’s 11-3 win that Wells didn’t recover from his most recent start the way he normally does. As a result, the club is placing him on the IL for “precautionary reasons.” The hope is Wells will only be out a few weeks, Hyde said.
“We’re staying optimistic about it,” Hyde said. “We’re really confident he’s going to be OK and it’s not going to be too long.”
To replace Wells on the active roster, the Orioles selected the contract of catcher David Bañuelos from Triple-A Norfolk to serve as the club’s third backstop for Tuesday’s contest. Infielder Livan Soto was designated for assignment to add Bañuelos to the 40-man roster.
Wells’ IL stint is retroactive to Saturday, meaning the earliest he
could return depending on the severity of his injury is April 28. He is one of three Orioles starters on the shelf, joining right-hander Kyle Bradish and left-hander John Means, both of whom are on minor league rehabilitation assignments.
The Orioles announced Wells’ injury after manager Brandon
Hyde spoke before the game.
The injury is Wells’ first since shoulder inflammation in September 2022, although the 6-foot-8 pitcher did have an unusual midseason demotion last July as he hit a wall after a stellar first half. Wells, 28, was the club’s best starter in 2023’s first half — leading the American League in WHIP — and after spending about two months in the minors returned as a dominant back-end reliever. He earned the save in Baltimore’s AL East title-clinching win in late September.
Wells entered camp this spring with the goal of being a starter and stick in Baltimore’s rotation for the full season, hoping his offseason work on his diet and in the weight room would prevent him from running out of gas in the middle of the season. In his most recent start, Wells allowed six hits and four runs in four innings in the Orioles’ 11-1 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers on Friday.
Means is scheduled to make his fourth start of his rehab assignment Wednesday for the Tides. He pitched three innings in his most recent start and is unlikely to have his build-up end prematurely to join Baltimore for Wednesday’s contest. Left-hander Bruce Zimmermann and righthander Albert Suárez started for the Tides on Thursday and Friday, respectively, and would be rested enough to start Wednesday. Zimmermann has frequented the shuttle between Norfolk and Baltimore during the Hyde era, posting a 5.57 ERA across 158 ⅓ innings for the Orioles since 2020. Suárez, a journeyman, was a surprise during spring training and has a 5.87 ERA in Triple-A this season.
Prospects Cade Povich, Justin Armbruester and
Chayce McDermott are also in Norfolk’s rotation but will not be rested enough to start Wednesday. If the Orioles elect to make Wednesday a bullpen game, they would likely recall a reliever from Triple-A. Nick Vespi, Bryan Baker, Jonathan Heasley, Matt Krook and Kaleb Ort are Triple-A relievers on Baltimore’s 40-man roster.