Baltimore Orioles Place Another Starting Pitcher On Injured List

The Baltimore Orioles have placed a starting pitcher on the injured list.

Mar 31, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Tyler Wells (68) throws / Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

The Baltimore Orioles have been a fun team to watch start 2024, sitting at a 10-6 record.

A lot of that start can be accredited to the offense. The pitching staff has been somewhat middle-of-the-league to start the season, ranking 13th as a staff with a 3.82 earned run average.

To make matters worse for the pitching staff, they have lost a starter as Tyler Wells deals with right elbow inflammation.

Wells has now been placed on the 15-day injured list with a retroactive start date of April 13, 2024. They have also brought up catcher David Banuelos and designated infielder Livan Soto as corresponding moves.

The 29-year-old joins John Means and Kyle Bradish as the third Orioles starter on the IL. Things are looking up for Bradish, though, as he continues working rehab assignments.

Bradish pitched three scoreless innings in his most recent rehab start on Tuesday afternoon.

Wells hasn't had the best start to his 2024, but is still a very promising arm in just his fourth season. He is currently sitting at a 5.87 ERA though three starts and 15.1 innings pitched.

The right-hander hasn't been pitching much worse this season, when looking at advanced stats, but hasn't had as much luck on the mound as in the past. He's an arm that Baltimore will be glad to have healthy again, but could also be pushed out of the rotation when Means and Bradish return.

Banuelos will be making his major league debut when he first appears for the team after the move.

The 27-year-old rookie has been in the minor leagues since he was a fifth round draft pick out of California State University, Long Beach by the Seattle Mariners. The Mariners traded Banuelos to the Minnesota Twins in 2017.

He signed a minor league contract with the Orioles back in December and will now be coming up to the majors.

He is 3-for-11 at the plate with a home run in Triple A Norfolk so far this season.

Soto heads back to waivers, he has 22 career MLB games between two seasons with the Los Angeles Angels so far. He was claimed off waivers by Baltimore back on April 11.