Baltimore Orioles Activate Star Reliever Off Injured List Ahead of Massive Series

The Baltimore Orioles have one of their star relievers back in the mix ahead of their huge matchup against the Detroit Tigers.

May 29, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles relief pitcher Danny Coulombe (54) throws a eighth inning pitch against the Boston Red Sox at Oriole Park at Camden Yards / Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

All of a sudden, the Baltimore Orioles are starting to get just a bit healthier heading into the final three series of the regular season.

They were expecting to get reliever Jacob Webb back from the injured list before the year came to a close, but they weren't quite sure about the status of Jordan Westburg, Ryan Mountcastle, Danny Coulombe, and Ramon Urias.

Well, the Orioles got some great news on Friday ahead of their massive matchup against the surging Detroit Tigers.

According to Roch Kubatko of MASN, they have activated their star reliever Coulombe off the 60-day IL, moving Birch Smith the 10-day injured list in a corresponding move.

The left-hander had been out of action since June 8 when he was placed on the IL for inflammation in his throwing elbow. That eventually turned into a long-term stint after it was revealed he had undergone surgery to remove bone spurs in that same elbow.

Before being sidelined with this injury, Coulombe had posted a 2.42 ERA across his 29 appearances.

With a 157 ERA+, he was a major weapon for manager Brandon Hyde to call upon out of the bullpen when needing a lefty on lefty matchup.

The 34-year-old went on a rehab assignment on Sept. 11, appearing in three games with their Triple-A affiliate where he didn't allow a single run and only gave up two hits across 2.2 innings of work.

Having Coulombe back in the mix is a huge boost for this Baltimore team that is desperately looking to close out this season strong with their goal of winning the AL East division still alive.