Top Baltimore Orioles Reliever Set to Begin Rehab Assignment This Week

The Baltimore Orioles need some relief help and they hope it’s on the way as one of their top arms heads for a rehab assignment.

Apr 26, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles pitcher Danny Coulombe (54) throws a pitch during the seventh inning against the Oakland Athletics at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. / Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images

The Baltimore Orioles are one step closer to getting back one of their top relievers.

Danny Coulombe, who has been out since June, will begin a rehab stint with Triple-A Norfolk on Wednesday, per Orioles pitching coach Drew French, who spoke to reporters before Sunday’s game.

Coulombe went on the injured list on June 18 after he underwent surgery to remove bone chips from his left elbow. He is officially listed on the injury list as having left elbow inflammation.

This is a significant boost for a bullpen that needs reinforcements and had to go out and make a couple of deals at the deadline to bolster its back end.

The 34-year-old left-hander has been with Baltimore since the start of the 2023 season and he was in the midst of his second quality season with the Orioles.

Through 29 games he had a 1-0 record with a 2.42 ERA. He had 13 holds and a save in two changes. He’s not a closer but given the up-and-down nature of closer Craig Kimbrel’s season, he could be an option once he’s back.

Coulombe had 28 strikeouts and three walks in 26 innings.

Last year, his first in Baltimore, he went 5-3 with a 2.81 ERA in 61 appearances, with a career-high 22 holds and two saves in five chances. He struck out 58 and walked 12 in 51.1 innings.

The Orioles remain in the hunt for the American League East Division title with the New York Yankees.

Coulombe has made 284 career Major League appearances since he broke in with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2014. Since then, he’s played for the Oakland Athletics and the Minnesota Twins. He has a 15-9 record with a 3.57 ERA, which includes 265 strikeouts and 95 walks in 270 innings.

The Dodgers originally selected him in the 25th round of the 2012 MLB Draft out of Texas Tech. In two years he made his MLB debut with the Dodgers, but late in the 2015 season the Dodgers designated him for assignment and later traded him to Oakland.

After his play regressed in 2018, he became a free agent and toiled for two years in the minor leagues before he earned a spot in the Twins’ bullpen during the COVID-shortened 2020 season. The Orioles acquired him from the Twins in early 2023 in a trade for cash consideration. He immediately bolstered the Baltimore bullpen as the Orioles won the AL East.