Orioles option pitcher Wells to Double-A
The Orioles’ best starting pitcher in the first half of the season is now in Double-A.
Baltimore optioned Tyler Wells down to Double-A Bowie after his third straight ineffective start Saturday, the team announced Sunday afternoon.
The Orioles selected the contract of righthander Joey Krehbiel as the corresponding move. To make space for Krehbiel on the 40-man roster, they designated right-hander Eduard Bazardo for assignment.
A month ago, Wells was undoubtedly the Orioles’ best starting pitcher and was seen as a potential All-Star candidate. He posted a 3.18 ERA and an MLB-best 0.927 WHIP before the All-Star break, covering at least five innings in each of his 18 first-half outings.
However, the 6-foot-8 right-hander has struggled mightily in his three starts since the break. He’s failed to make it past the third inning in two of the three outings, allowing 19 base runners and 11 runs in just nine innings.
“We feel like he needs a little bit of a break, honestly,” manager Brandon Hyde said. “A little bit of a reset. And just his stuff since the break, really since the Minnesota game, hasn’t looked the same, just not the same life to his fastball. The command’s obviously not where it was. He had an All-Star first half and was league-leading in WHIP because of the command and the lack of walks. His only issue a little bit was he gave up some solo homers once in a while, but really, the last three or four stars, there’s been some things in there that is uncharacteristic.”
Wells said after his start Saturday — 2 innings, three hits, three walks, three runs against the New York Yankees — that his lack of command is what’s given him trouble since the break. He’s walked nine batters and hit three in his past nine frames.
“I don’t think it’s been a stuff issue,” Wells said. “I think it’s been a location, execution issue.”
Hyde said the plan for Wells in Double-A is to take a brief rest and then pitch on a “low workload” plan while also keeping him stretched out. But Hyde didn’t rule out the possibility Wells could return to Baltimore as a reliever later in the season.
“We’re hoping that that kind of low-pressure environment, low workload allows him to then rejoin us and be the Tyler Wells that we saw in the first half,” Hyde said.
“He needs a little bit of a breather,” he added. “It’s OK he needs a breather. It’s not a terrible thing, and this is an experience that he’s having in his career and he’s going to be better for it down the road.”
The trip down to Bowie is Wells’ first time being optioned since he joined the Orioles as a Rule 5 draft pick in 2021. Baltimore had originally listed Wells as its starter Thursday against the Toronto Blue Jays, but that is now listed as “to be announced.”
In the short term, the options to replace Wells in the rotation are left-hander Cole Irvin, who has split the season between Triple-A Norfolk and as a reliever and starter for the Orioles, or a potential addition at the trade deadline. Orioles executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias said Friday he “would bet heavily” that any acquisitions he makes would be for pitching.
“This is an unusual week, and so we’ll see what happens,” Hyde said.
A key factor in Wells’ demotion is the 28-year-old’s workload. The only season in Wells’ career in which he’s pitched more than the 113 innings he’s pitched in 2023 was in the minors in 2018 when he totaled 119 innings. He didn’t pitch in 2019 or 2020 after undergoing Tommy John elbow reconstruction surgery. He spent the 2021 season as a reliever and threw 103 innings as a starter last year.
“Physically, I feel fine,” Wells said Saturday. Elias said Friday the increasing workloads for the club’s young rotation is something the organization is tracking. Dean Kremer and Grayson Rodriguez are also within 20 innings of their single-season highs.
“We’re trying to be mindful of indicators that they might be exhibiting that might be reason to pull back other than just sort of the academic concept of, like, ‘Oh, hey, look how many innings this guy’s thrown, let’s back that off,’ ” Elias said. “There’s really not a ton of science, or any science, there. We try to use common sense. We try to use our expertise. I don’t know that a single member of our rotation right now wants to go leave the rotation in some way shape or form. There’s that, too. They’re having the season of their lives, they’re competing, the team’s in first, they’ve got their whole careers ahead of them.”
Krehbiel spent the 2022 season in Baltimore’s bullpen with a 3.90 ERA in 57 innings as a middle reliever. He opened the year in Triple-A and was designated for assignment in May but remained in the organization. In 30 innings with the Norfolk Tides, the 30-yearold has a 3.00 ERA.
Bazardo pitched 2 innings across three outings for the Orioles in July, allowing six hits and four runs. The 27-year-old has a 3.05 ERA in 38 innings for Norfolk.