The Orioles weren’t even close Ryan Helsley two weeks ago as he recovers from his second elbow injury this season. Manager Craig Albernaz shed some light on Helsley’s diagnosis ahead of Saturday’s game against the Royals. The hard-throwing reliever has swelling near his UCL, but the ligament is not torn, Albernaz told reporters, including MASN’s Roch Kubatko. Helsley is expected to avoid surgery.
Baltimore inked Helsley to a two-year, $28MM deal over the winter. He was a perfect 7-for-7 in save opportunities through April, but hit the injured list with elbow inflammation to open May. Helsley returned to the club in mid-June, but returned to IL with elbow discomfort in early July. The righty was inactive through the innings for IL, allowing six runs (four earned) over 4 2/3 innings.
Despite the poor results, Helsley’s form looked solid during his five games in June. He sat at 98.7 mph with his fastball, which is exactly what it was in the 12 games before the start of the IL. Helsley’s Stuff+ improved from 118 to 125 after his return. Both samples are very small, but Helsley didn’t look too bad for the wear after the initial elbow problem.
Injuries were a constant theme early in Helsley’s career. He missed time with shoulder, elbow, and forearm problems in his first five seasons with the Cardinals. The reliever has been healthy the last few years. He threw a career-high 66 1/3 innings with the St. Louis in 2024. Helsley led the majors with 49 saves that year. He played in 58 games between the Cardinals and Mets last season.
Left hand injury update Keegan Akin it wasn’t like that. The assistant is dealing with a UCL injury and will visit Dr. Keith Meister next week to get a second opinion, according to Albernaz. Those appointments usually don’t end well. Akin went down with elbow discomfort at the end of June. Albernaz declined to say whether surgery was an option.
Akin opened the season on the injured list with a groin strain. He returned in late April and lost by six earned runs in his first outing. Another six-run clunker hurt his overall numbers, but Akin was working without two blowups. His 3.68 xERA is two runs lower than his actual mark.
Baltimore is counting on it Grant Wolfram again Nick Raquet as left-handed options in the bullpen without Akin. Rico Garcia, Tyler Wellsagain Andrew Kittredge they have exchanged close calls with Helsley outside. All-star reliever Felix Bautista he is working his way back from shoulder surgery. It is not clear if he will play this season.
Photo courtesy of Steven Bisig, Imagn Images
