Orioles Place Adley Rutschman On 10-Day Injured List; Select Maverick Handley
The Orioles have placed catcher Adley Rutschman on the 10-day injured list with left ankle inflammation, reports Andy Kostka of The Baltimore Banner. The club is selecting catcher Maverick Handley from Double-A and designating right-hander Chayce McDermott for assignment in corresponding moves.
Kostka reported earlier today that Rutschman was being scratched from the Orioles’ starting lineup. It is not clear how he incurred the ankle injury, though it is severe enough that the club will give him at least 10 days to rest and recover. Even a brief absence would be a blow to the Orioles’ offense, as they currently have a 6-7 record and have been outscored 55-48 by their opponents. After a down year in 2025, Rutschman has gotten off to a hot start this year, batting .294/.385/.471 with a 154 wRC+ in 39 plate appearances. While his .357 batting average on balls in play suggests he’s benefited from good luck, he has also posted increases in exit velocity and hard-hit rate. In any case, the club would surely appreciate more of that production as they look to return to contention.
His absence will also be felt behind the plate. Rutschman’s work at catcher hasn’t been as valuable recently as it was in 2022-23, but he remains a solid option behind the dish. Statcast valued him in the 61st percentile last year for his blocking and pop time, while his framing ability was in the 76th percentile. He was off to a good start this year as well, having already accrued two framing runs in 81 1/3 defensive innings. His backup, Samuel Basallo, is talented in his own right but hasn’t shown much defensively since debuting last year. On that basis, it’s clear that Rutschman’s production on both sides of the ball remains crucial to Baltimore’s playoff hopes.
In a broader context, the injury is the latest in a string of bad injury luck for the Orioles. Several key offensive pieces are currently on the shelf, among them second baseman Jackson Holliday (right hamate surgery) and infielder Jordan Westburg (right hamstring strain). Holliday is expected back fairly soon, while Westburg is expected to be out until at least late May. The pitching staff has arguably had even worse luck. Right-hander Zach Eflin underwent Tommy John surgery earlier this week and is out until 2027. Andrew Kittredge, Keegan Akin, and Colin Selby all went on the shelf during Spring Training, while former closer Felix Bautista remains a long shot to return this year, having undergone labrum surgery last August.
The sheer volume of injuries makes it much harder for the Orioles to rebound from their last-place AL East finish in 2025. For now, the club will have to make do with their internal options. Behind the plate, that will be a combination of Basallo and Handley. Basallo ranked as the No. 13 prospect in all of baseball last year by MLB.com. The club signed him to an extension in August, guaranteeing eight years and $67MM despite Basallo just having turned 20. Basallo, for his part, had impressed with a .270/.377/.589 batting line and a 151 wRC+ at Triple-A. He hasn’t yet established himself as a big-league hitter, with just a 54 wRC+ in 156 PA. That’s probably not a huge concern given his youth, as he still has plenty of time to find himself at the plate.
Basallo will take the majority of starts for as long as Rutschman is out, with Handley as his backup. Handley, 28, was a sixth-round pick by the Orioles in 2019 and reached the Triple-A level in 2023. He has shown a knack for getting on base, routinely posting walk rates in the 13-15% range. However, that’s been undone by a lack of power. Handley has maxed out at a .367 slugging percentage and a .109 ISO since reaching Triple-A, both of which occurred last year. Defensively, he has been passable, throwing out roughly 27% of would-be base stealers at Triple-A since 2023. As the only healthy catcher on the 40-man roster besides Basallo, Handley will hold onto his spot for now. He has two options remaining and can be sent back down or otherwise designated if the Orioles sign another catcher.
As for McDermott, the 27-year-old loses his roster spot without having made it into a big-league game this year. He has thrown 12 2/3 innings with Baltimore since the start of 2024, allowing 18 earned runs and four home runs in the process. The bulk of that damage came in 2025, when McDermott posted a 15.58 ERA in four appearances (one start). He has one option year remaining, but the club is content to designate him for assignment and expose him to waivers given his age and poor performance. It’s possible he will go unclaimed and be sent outright to Triple-A. Having less than a year of service and no prior outright assignments, McDermott would not be able to refuse one.
Photo courtesy of Lexi Thompson, Imagn Images
Zach Eflin Undergoes UCL Surgery
The Orioles announced that Zach Eflin underwent UCL reconstruction (Tommy John) surgery today. He’ll miss the rest of the season and probably at least the first half of 2027.
Things had seemingly been trending in this direction. Eflin, who turns 32 today, left his season debut citing elbow discomfort. The team announced last week that he was going for a second opinion, implying the initial prognosis wasn’t good. The reexamination evidently confirmed the ligament damage that required surgical repair.
It’s another injury-wrecked season for Eflin, a mid-rotation caliber starter who has an unfortunately checkered health history. He battled chronic knee issues early in his career with Philadelphia. Eflin stayed mostly healthy between 2023-24 despite intermittent back discomfort, combining for a 3.54 ERA with a 23.1% strikeout rate over 343 innings between the Rays and Orioles.
The more significant injuries have resurfaced over the past two seasons. Eflin sustained a lat strain early in 2025. That shelved him for a month. He quickly returned to the injured list with lower back discomfort. After a brief reinstatement, he underwent season-ending lumbar surgery. Eflin made an encouraging return from that procedure and entered this season with no restrictions, but he could only complete 3 2/3 frames before his elbow gave out.
Baltimore re-signed Eflin to a one-year, $10MM free agent contract last offseason. That’ll go down as an unfortunately lost investment. Eflin, whom the O’s have already moved to the 60-day injured list, will return to the open market at season’s end. He’ll likely look for a two-year deal to cover his rehab season. That might need to be a minor league contract given his age and recent durability record.
Trevor Rogers, Kyle Bradish, Shane Baz and Chris Bassitt remain Baltimore’s top four starters. They recalled lefty Cade Povich as a potential fifth starter on Sunday. He was needed in relief of Bassitt, who was shelled and only made it through two innings against the Pirates. Povich tossed 5 2/3 innings of two-run ball in relief. Brandon Young made a spot start on Monday and was optioned back to Triple-A postgame.
The O’s are off tomorrow and list Baz, Bassitt and Povich as the probable starters for their weekend series against the Giants. Rogers and Bradish, who started the final two games of this week’s series against the White Sox, would line up early next week against the Diamondbacks. It seems they’ll give Povich first look as Eflin’s replacement in the rotation. Young and Dean Kremer are on optional assignment with Triple-A Norfolk.
Davey Lopes Passes Away
The Dodgers announced today that Davey Lopes passed away today at the age of 80. Lopes made his debut as a player in the early 1970s and went on to have a career as a coach and manager, making him a staple of the game for the bulk of five decades.
Lopes was a late bloomer. He didn’t make it to the majors until 1972, which was his age-27 season. Even then, he only got into 11 games for the Dodgers. The following year, his age-28 campaign, he finally established himself as a big league regular. He became the club’s second baseman and showed off the speed that would become his standout trait. He swiped 36 bags that year, his first of what would eventually be a 14-year streak of stealing at least 15 bases.
He stayed on the Dodger roster through the 1981 season, mostly covering the keystone but also with occasional action at shortstop, third base and in the outfield. The Dodgers had a very consistent infield during that stretch, with Steve Garvey the mainstay at first, Lopes at second, Bill Russell at short and Ron Cey at third.
Lopes played in 1,207 games for the Dodgers from his 1972 debut until the end of that 1981 campaign. He hit .262 in that time and launched 99 home runs but the eye-popping stat was his 418 stolen bases. He led the league in steals in both 1975 and 1976, with 77 in the former and 63 in the latter. The second instance was particularly impressive as injuries limited him to only 117 games. In 1978, he won a Gold Glove and also made the All-Star team, the first of four straight All-Star selections.
The Dodgers were quite good in that time but couldn’t quit win a title for most of it. They lost the World Series to the Athletics in 1974, then to the Yankees in both 1977 and 1978. In 1981, they were able to get the job done, topping the Yankees 4-2. Lopes stole ten bases in in 16 postseason games that year.
Prior to the 1982 season, he was traded to the A’s, kicking off the journeyman phase of his career. He would also bounce to the Cubs and Astros, playing past his 42nd birthday. He finished his career with 7,340 plate appearances over 1,812 games. He racked up 1,671 hits, including 155 home runs. He scored 1,023 runs and drove in 614. His 557 steals put him 26th on the all-time list.
He quickly pivoted to his post-playing career by becoming a bench coach with the Rangers. That was followed by stints as a first base coach with the Orioles and Padres. He was hired to manage the Brewers for the 2000 season. The club did not fare well and he was fired early in 2002. He never got another managerial gig and had a 144-195 record in that job. He then went back to being a first base coach, starting with a return to the Padres, followed by stints with the Nationals, Phillies, Dodgers and back to the Nationals. He retired from coaching after the 2017 season.
We at MLB Trade Rumors join the rest of the baseball world in sending condolences to the Lopes family as well as everyone else mourning him today.
Photo courtesy of Jayne Kamin-Oncea, Imagn Images
Cardinals Trade Nick Raquet To Orioles
Today: The Orioles have announced the trade and activated Raquet. Brandon Young has been optioned to Triple-A. To make space for Raquet on their 40-man roster, Baltimore transferred Eflin to the 60-day IL. Elbow discomfort forced Eflin to make an early exit during his season debut on March 31, and he is going for a second opinion from Dr. Keith Meister later today. At the very least, he will now miss April and May.
April 6, 9:27 pm: Baltimore is sending minor league outfielder Brayden Smith to St. Louis in return, reports Derrick Goold of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The lefty-hitting Smith was the O’s 13th-round pick last year after spending one season at Oklahoma State. He hit .200 with one home run while drawing 12 walks in 16 games at Low-A Delmarva to begin his pro career.
April 6, 9:08 pm: The Orioles are acquiring reliever Nick Raquet from the Cardinals, reports Ari Alexander of Boston 7 News. St. Louis designated the lefty for assignment yesterday. Baltimore will need to create a 40-man roster spot once the trade is final; Heston Kjerstad and Zach Eflin are potential 60-day injured list candidates.
Raquet debuted last September and tossed two scoreless appearances of one inning apiece. That’s the entirety of the 30-year-old lefty’s big league experience to date. Raquet held his spot on the 40-man roster over the offseason but was optioned early in Spring Training. He has worked three innings of one-run ball with a trio of strikeouts for Triple-A Memphis to begin the season.
It has been a long climb to the big leagues for Raquet. The 6’0″ hurler was a third-round pick by the Nationals out of William & Mary in 2017. He never made it beyond A-ball in the Washington system and was released in 2020. Raquet was out of baseball for a few seasons before turning independent and Dominican Winter League work into a new minor league opportunity with St. Louis in 2024.
Raquet spent most of last season in the upper levels of the minor leagues. He combined for a 2.24 ERA with a 28% strikeout rate over 52 1/3 frames, excelling in Double-A before struggling at the top minor league level. He’s a slider specialist whose breaking ball sits in the 82-84 mph range. Raquet’s fastball only lands around 90-91, but he has a full slate of minor league options and can head to Triple-A Norfolk.
Orioles Lose Dietrich Enns To Foot Infection, Recall Brandon Young
The Orioles placed left-hander Dietrich Enns on the injured list with an infected left foot, per a team announcement. The issue required IV antibiotics at a Pittsburgh hospital, manager Craig Albernaz told reporters, including Andy Kostka of the Baltimore Banner. “It’s crazy,” Albernaz said. “I’m not sure what happened. But his foot is pretty gnarly.”
Right-hander Brandon Young was recalled to take Enns’ spot on the roster. He’ll draw the start tonight against the White Sox. Baltimore needed another starter after Zach Eflin went to the IL with an elbow injury. Cade Povich was also recalled recently. He was a candidate to draw the start on Monday, but ended up tossing 5 2/3 innings in relief of Chris Bassitt yesterday.
Enns returned stateside last season after three seasons pitching in Asia. He stumbled to a 5.60 ERA in seven appearances with the Tigers. Detroit shipped him to Baltimore for cash at the trade deadline. Enns emerged as a meaningful part of the Orioles’ bullpen over the final two months of the season. The veteran tossed 28 2/3 innings with a 3.14 ERA and a 27.6% strikeout rate. He also earned a pair of saves.
The Orioles had a $3MM club option on Enns for 2026. Instead of exercising the option, the team worked out a new one-year contract with the lefty. He’s making $2.5MM this season. The reworked deal includes a $3.5MM club option for 2027, with a $125K buyout.
Young made his debut in 2025. He posted an ERA above 6.00 across a dozen starts, though his xFIP (4.52) and SIERA (4.67) suggested he deserved better results. Young, Povich, and Albert Suarez will have a chance to secure the No. 5 spot in the rotation with Eflin potentially facing an extended absence. The righty is getting a second opinion on his injured elbow from orthopedic surgeon Keith Meister.
Photo courtesy of Daniel Kucin Jr., Imagn Images
Orioles Place Yaramil Hiraldo On 15-Day IL, Promote Cade Povich
Prior to today’s game, the Orioles placed right-hander Yaramil Hiraldo on the 15-day injured list (retroactive to April 2) due to inflammation in his throwing shoulder. Left-hander Cade Povich was called up from Triple-A in the corresponding move, and Povich was immediately needed for 5 2/3 innings of long relief work after starter Chris Bassitt was hit hard early in an 8-2 O’s loss to the Pirates.
The 30-year-old Hiraldo made his MLB debut last season, posting a 4.58 ERA over 19 2/3 innings and 18 appearances for the Orioles. Between his decent Spring Training performance and some injuries up and down Baltimore’s pitching staff, Hiraldo won a spot on the Opening Day roster, though he has a 21.60 ERA over 1 2/3 innings of work early in this season. Three of Hiraldo’s four earned runs allowed came in his last outing on Tuesday, and his shoulder issue may have impacted that rough performance.
Hiraldo will now get some time to heal up, while Povich joins the roster in perhaps more than just a bullpen capacity. MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko wrote yesterday that Povich was brought up as a member of the Orioles’ medical taxi squad, so perhaps the team already had a feeling that Hiraldo would require an IL stint. However, the feeling was that Povich was in line to start Monday’s game as the replacement for the injured Zach Eflin, but that plan is obviously out the window given Povich’s usage today.
Dean Kremer was optioned to Triple-A before the season began, as the longtime starter was the odd man out given Baltimore’s full rotation of Trevor Rogers, Kyle Bradish, Shane Baz, Bassitt, and Eflin. Since injuries are inevitable, Kremer was expected to be called up sooner rather than later, though Kremer just made a Triple-A start on Friday. Rogers’ last start was last Wednesday, so he might end up going on Monday on normal rest, rather than benefiting from an extra rest day provided by the Orioles’ off-day last Thursday.
Injury Notes: Eflin, Kirk, Cleavinger, Falter
Orioles righty Zach Eflin didn’t travel with the team to Pittsburgh. He’s on the 15-day injured list due to an elbow issue, and manager Craig Albernaz told reporters prior to today’s series opener against the Pirates that Eflin is headed for a second opinion with orthopedic surgeon Keith Meister (via Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com). Eflin exited his first start of the season in the fourth inning due to elbow discomfort. The O’s sent him for imaging and placed him on the 15-day injured list the following day. Albernaz did not disclose the findings of the original MRI.
It’s an ominous scenario for the Orioles and for Eflin, who returned to Baltimore on a one-year, $10MM deal after undergoing back surgery in August. The 31-year-old righty (32 next week) wound up making it back from that surgery in time for Opening Day but now has a separate injury issue threatening his ability to contribute. Eflin was terrific with the Rays and O’s from 2023-24, pitching to a combined 3.54 ERA in 343 innings across the first two seasons of a three-year, $40MM deal originally signed with Tampa Bay. He was rocked for a 5.93 ERA in 14 starts last season while trying to pitch through lat and back injuries.
A few more injury situations of particular note from around the league…
- The Blue Jays are awaiting x-ray results on catcher Alejandro Kirk, writes Keegan Matheson of MLB.com. The Toronto backstop left today’s loss to the White Sox in the bottom of the tenth with a left thumb injury. An Austin Hays foul tip struck Kirk awkwardly in his glove hand, and he left the game with trainers. Tyler Heineman came off the bench to finish the game (and showed some rust on a throwing error that allowed the tying run to score with two outs). Brandon Valenzuela is the only other catcher on the 40-man roster. Skipper John Schneider indicated he’d get his first major league call if Kirk misses time.
- Rays lefty Garrett Cleavinger landed on the 15-day injured list this morning due to tightness in his right calf, per the team. Right-hander Hunter Bigge was recalled from Triple-A Durham in his place. It certainly doesn’t sound like a serious injury, but any absence for Cleavinger is notable for Tampa Bay. Though he’s not a household name, the 31-year-old southpaw pitched to a 3.04 earned run average with a 30% strikeout rate and 9.9% walk rate in 133 1/3 innings from 2023-25. He’s emerged as a key late-inning arm for skipper Kevin Cash, totaling six saves and 36 holds over the past two seasons.
- The Royals are also down a lefty reliever, as they placed swingman Bailey Falter on the 15-day injured list due to elbow inflammation. Luinder Avila is up from Triple-A and will start the first game of tomorrow’s doubleheader against Milwaukee. (Avila would have started tonight before the series opener was scrapped by weather.) Anne Rogers of MLB.com relays that Falter received an injection to treat valgus extension overload and will be shut down from throwing for a few days. The southpaw missed the final five weeks last season with biceps inflammation and has been tagged for five runs over 3 1/3 innings during his first two appearances.
MLBTR Podcast: Lots Of Extensions And Big-Picture Topics
The latest episode of the MLB Trade Rumors Podcast is now live on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts! Make sure you subscribe as well! You can also use the player at this link to listen, if you don’t use Spotify or Apple for podcasts.
This week, host Darragh McDonald is joined by Steve Adams and Anthony Franco of MLB Trade Rumors to discuss…
- The Mariners signing an extension with Colt Emerson (1:20)
- The Brewers agreeing to an extension with Cooper Pratt (19:05)
- The Orioles signing an extension with Shane Baz (28:40)
- The Cubs signing extensions with Pete Crow-Armstrong and Nico Hoerner (38:00)
- Free agents coming from Japan getting less than expected this offseason (53:35)
- The Tarik Skubal arbitration decision potentially being a paradigm shift (59:15)
- The economics of the game with the collective bargaining agreement expiring in less than a year (1:05:50)
- Did the short-term deals for Kyle Tucker and Bo Bichette signal a new trend? (1:22:45)
- Dealing with high-spending clubs with draft pick penalties instead of financial penalties (1:31:00)
- Can the Brewers continue to win after trading away some valuable guys? (1:38:10)
- The exciting crop of 2026 rookies (1:41:15)
- Can the Pirates push into contention in a crowded NL Central? (1:43:40)
- The excitement around the introduction of the ABS system (1:44:50)
Check out our past episodes!
- The PCA and Sanchez Extensions, And Prospect Promotions And Reassignments – listen here
- Banged-Up Reds And Braves, Kevin McGonigle, And Spring Breakouts – listen here
- Jesús Luzardo’s Extension, Atlanta’s Depth, And Zack Littell – listen here
The podcast intro and outro song “So Long” is provided courtesy of the band Showoff. Check out their Facebook page here!
Photo courtesy of Charles LeClaire, Imagn Images
Orioles Transfer Jordan Westburg To 60-Day IL
The Orioles announced this morning that infielder Jordan Westburg has been transferred to the 60-day injured list. That opens a spot on the 40-man roster for righty Albert Suarez, whose contract has been selected from Triple-A Norfolk — a move first reported to be in the works last night. Right-hander Zach Eflin heads to the 15-day IL, as expected. He and the O’s are awaiting MRI results to determine the source of Eflin’s elbow discomfort.
Westburg himself is dealing with a severe elbow issue. Baltimore’s third baseman experienced elbow discomfort early in spring training and was found to have a partial tear of the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow. He received a platelet-rich plasma injection and is attempting to rehab the injury without surgery. The Orioles had previously indicated that Westburg would miss all of April, but the move to the 60-day IL pushes his earliest possible return date out to May 21. (Westburg’s original IL placement on March 25 was backdated the maximum three days to March 22.)
Today’s move to the 60-day IL doesn’t necessarily represent a setback, nor does it indicate that surgery is any likelier now than it was at the time of Westburg’s original diagnosis back in February. To the contrary, manager Craig Albernaz tells the O’s beat that Westburg is continuing his rehab progression and has been cleared to swing a bat and begin playing catch (via Jacob Calvin Meyer of the Baltimore Sun). That’s a fairly encouraging update, though Westburg obviously isn’t out of the woods entirely.
The injury to Westburg has opened the door for former top prospect Coby Mayo to get a legitimate look at his original position. Westburg’s presence in the infield had previously pushed Mayo across the diamond to first base, and that spot was filled over the winter when Baltimore signed Pete Alonso to a five-year deal. Entering camp, it wasn’t clear that Mayo would have a path to regular at-bats — at least not until news of Westburg’s elbow dropped.
Mayo had a big spring showing but has started slowly, going 2-for-13 in four games — all at third base. Utilityman Blaze Alexander has also logged one game at the hot corner. They’ll continue as the primary options at third base. It’s conceivable that Alexander could leapfrog Mayo for playing time there if Mayo struggles once Jackson Holliday returns from the IL and bumps Alexander out of the mix for playing time at second base. For now, the O’s are hoping that Mayo can make good on his productive Triple-A track record and tap into the form he showed this spring (.378/.405/.622 in 42 plate appearances).
Orioles To Select Albert Suárez
The Orioles will select swingman Albert Suárez onto the big league roster, reports Jacob Calvin Meyer of The Baltimore Sun. Manager Craig Albernaz confirmed this evening that the O’s expect Zach Eflin to land on the injured list after he left tonight’s start with elbow discomfort.
Suárez will need to be added to the 40-man roster. That’s at capacity, so they’ll either designate someone for assignment or place an injured player on the 60-day injured list. Jordan Westburg is a borderline 60-day IL candidate. Eflin could be as well depending on the results of tomorrow’s MRI. Otherwise, recent DFA trade pickups Johnathan Rodríguez and Jayvien Sandridge probably occupy the final two spots on the 40-man roster.
Dean Kremer seems likely to step into the open rotation spot. Baltimore can operate with a four-man rotation in the interim. Trevor Rogers goes tomorrow opposite Nathan Eovaldi as they look to avoid a sweep at the hands of the Rangers. The O’s are off on Thursday before heading to Pittsburgh for a weekend series. They’ll need to replace Eflin in the rotation by next week’s series against the White Sox.
Suárez adds a multi-inning arm to Albernaz’s bullpen. The O’s used three relievers — Dietrich Enns and Rico Garcia for multiple innings — after Chris Bassitt was knocked out by the fifth inning on Monday. Grant Wolfram, Yennier Cano, Yaramil Hiraldo and Anthony Nunez all pitched tonight due to Eflin’s fourth-inning injury. Closer Ryan Helsley is their only reliever who hasn’t been called upon yet in the series.
The 36-year-old Suárez will be appearing in his third straight season with the Orioles. He was a nice find out of the KBO and turned in a 3.70 ERA across 133 2/3 innings two years ago. Shoulder and elbow injuries limited him to five appearances and 11 2/3 frames last season.
That cost him his 40-man roster spot at season’s end, but the O’s brought him back on a minor league deal. Suárez had a tough spring, allowing 10 runs (nine earned) with nine strikeouts and five walks through 10 2/3 innings. He began the season with Triple-A Norfolk but hasn’t made an appearance through their first four games.