Orioles To Give Jackson Holliday Reps At Third Base During Rehab
Orioles infielder Jackson Holliday is expected to start at third base for Double-A Chesapeake on Sunday. It’ll be his third professional appearance at the hot corner. Holliday is working his way back from a hamate bone fracture. The 22-year-old has been almost exclusively a second baseman at the big-league level.
“We talked to him, see where his head is at, and he was for it,” manager Craig Albernaz told reporters, including Roch Kubatko of MASN. “I think if you look at our roster, versatility is something that we need.”
Holliday was one of three notable hamate injuries in the spring, along with Francisco Lindor and Corbin Carroll. While Lindor and Carroll were ready for Opening Day, Holliday has struggled to make it back to the majors. He’s had his rehab paused multiple times due to soreness in his surgically repaired hand. Holliday was in the Baysox lineup on Thursday after a two-week absence from minor league action.
It’s been three years since Holliday has appeared at third base. He played there for one game apiece at High-A and Double-A during the 2023 campaign. Holliday has made 188 starts at second base as a big leaguer. He’s made seven starts at shortstop. The defensive metrics have not been kind to Holliday. He posted -10 Defensive Runs Saved as Baltimore’s primary second baseman in 2025. Holliday ranked in the 5th percentile with -8 Outs Above Average. He’s been worth -2 DRS in his limited time at shortstop.
The Orioles haven’t just been missing Holliday in the infield this season. Third baseman Jordan Westburg has yet to suit up after being diagnosed with a partial UCL tear during Spring Training. He was recently shut down from baseball activities due to elbow pain, per Kubatko. Albernaz relayed that Westburg has a follow-up appointment on Monday.
Holliday’s injury opened up playing time for Jeremiah Jackson. The 26-year-old got off to a strong start as the primary option at the keystone. Jackson had a .768 OPS at the end of April, punctuated by a grand slam on the final day of the month. He’s just 3-for-23 so far in May, but he’s mostly held his own as an everyday player. Jackson has been worth 4 DRS at second base.
It hasn’t gone so well for Westburg’s replacement. Coby Mayo is hitting .163 with a 29.9% strikeout rate through 33 games. The 24-year-old has the seventh-lowest wRC+ (42) among hitters with at least 100 plate appearances. Mayo has posted -3 DRS at third base. He’s now at -7 DRS in 42 big-league games at the position. Weston Wilson and Blaze Alexander have also chipped in at third base, with uninspiring offensive results.
Getting Holliday up to speed at third base would give Albernaz the option to keep Jackson in the lineup. Jackson himself has big-league experience at the hot corner, but Baltimore may prefer to keep his glove at second base. At the very least, it’ll add some lineup flexibility once Holliday is ready to return.
Photo courtesy of Wendell Cruz, Imagn Images
Orioles Place Cade Povich On 15-Day Injured List
The Orioles placed Cade Povich on the 15-day injured list yesterday due to left elbow inflammation, and right-hander Trey Gibson was called up from Triple-A in the corresponding move. Gibson threw two innings of relief in Friday’s 4-3 Orioles loss to the Athletics, so it doesn’t appear as if Gibson will directly fill in for Povich as Baltimore’s rotation remains in a state of flux.
Povich is one of four O’s starters currently on the IL, with Zach Eflin on the 60-day version after undergoing Tommy John surgery. Trevor Rogers is probably the likeliest candidate to step back into the starting five in Povich’s place, as Rogers is eligible to be activated on Monday and seems to be recovering well from the illness that sent him to the sidelines.
It may be that Povich also won’t be out for too long, as Baltimore manager Craig Albernaz told reporters (including MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko) that Povich’s discomfort is on the outside of his left elbow, more in the triceps area. Povich underwent an MRI to examine the problem and he may get a cortisone shot to aid in the healing process.
The IL stint is no surprise given that the elbow issue forced Povich out of his last start on Wednesday after only three innings and 58 pitches. The southpaw has made three starts (and four total appearances) due to the Orioles’ swath of pitching injuries, but hasn’t looked particularly sharp in posting a 5.12 ERA, a middling 8.5% walk rate, and only a 14.6% strikeout rate over 19 1/3 innings of work. Povich did well in his first two outings but has given up eight runs in his last seven frames, though his sore elbow certainly contributed to the three runs he surrendered to the Marlins on Wednesday.
Orioles Outright Albert Suárez
The Orioles announced this evening that righty Albert Suárez accepted an outright assignment to Triple-A Norfolk. He cleared waivers after being designated for assignment on Saturday. Suárez has the service time and previous outright to elect free agency but decided to remain with the O’s as non-roster rotation or long relief depth.
This is Suárez’s third season with the organization. He was a nice find as a minor league signee who had spent the 2019-23 campaigns in Asia. Suárez surprisingly held a rotation spot for a good chunk of the ’24 season, working to a 3.70 earned run average across 133 2/3 innings. He spent most of last year rehabbing a shoulder strain and dealt with forearm discomfort at the end of the season.
The injuries limited Suárez to 11 2/3 MLB frames in 2025. The Orioles non-tendered him as a result, though they brought him back on a minor league deal. He has had a couple stints at the MLB level this season, working 15 2/3 innings over six appearances. His 3.45 ERA isn’t bad on the surface, but Suárez has also allowed four unearned runs and has as many walks as strikeouts (nine apiece).
Baltimore has preferred Suárez in a relief role at the MLB level over the past year-plus. The rotation has taken a few injury hits that could eventually open an opportunity for him to make a spot start or two. Suárez is out of options, so there’s a decent chance he’ll go through the selection/outright cycle a few times over the course of the year.
Orioles To Sign Lou Trivino To Major League Deal
4:15pm: Right-hander Trey Gibson has been optioned to make room on the active roster for Trivino, per Jake Rill of MLB.com.
3:35pm: The Orioles have signed right-hander Lou Trivino to a major league deal, reports Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. The Pro Edge Sports Management client just opted out of a minor league deal with the Phillies a few days ago. Baltimore has an open 40-man spot and doesn’t need to make a corresponding move in that regard. They will have to open an active roster spot.
Trivino, 34, signed a minor league deal with the Phillies in the offseason. The veteran finished the 2025 season on Philly’s big league roster and became an an Article XX(B) free agent, which essentially means he was a standard free agent, one who has at least six years of service time and wasn’t signed for the following season. When those players sign minor league deals, they come with automatic opt-outs five days before Opening Day, May 1st and June 1st.
The Phils didn’t break camp with Trivino on the roster but he skipped his first opt-out chance and reported to Triple-A Lehigh Valley. He put up excellent numbers for the IronPigs, giving them 13 innings with a 2.77 earned run average. His 35.7% strikeout rate, 7.1% walk rate and 50% ground ball rate were all above-average numbers. He triggered the second opt-out in his deal and the Phillies let him go.
The Orioles will take advantage and scoop Trivino up from the open market. Trivino’s recent Triple-A work is a small sample but the veteran also has a solid track record. In 332 1/3 big league innings, he has a 3.87 ERA, 23.5% strikeout rate, 10.4% walk rate and 45.3% ground ball rate. He has 37 saves and 57 holds in his career.
Injuries prevented him from appearing in the majors in 2023 or 2024. He was back in the bigs last year, though with slightly diminished results. His 3.97 ERA was fine but his 17.9% strikeout rate and 33.8% ground ball rate were both below league average and shy of his previous career numbers. His results so far in 2026, though in a small sample in the minor leagues, are an encouraging sign that he can get back to his previous form now that he’s further removed from his injury woes.
The Orioles have been hit hard by injuries this year, with 11 players currently on the injured list. That includes four relievers. They have known since last year that Félix Bautista would miss most or all of the 2026 campaign due to shoulder surgery. They signed Ryan Helsley to take over the closer’s job but now he’s on the IL with elbow inflammation. Yaramil Hiraldo and Colin Selby are also on the shelf.
It’s a fairly wide open bullpen mix. Hopefully, Trivino can provide a stabilizing veteran presence. If the O’s want to bump him off the roster in the future, he has enough service time where he can’t be optioned to the minors without his consent.
Photo courtesy of Eric Hartline, Imagn Images
Orioles Promote Trey Gibson
May 3: The Orioles officially selected Gibson’s contract for his big-league debut against the Yankees, per a team announcement. Left-hander Nick Raquet was optioned to Triple-A in a corresponding move.
May 2: Trey Gibson was added to the Orioles’ taxi squad earlier today, and manager Craig Albernaz confirmed to reporters (including the Baltimore Banner’s Andy Kostka) that the O’s would be officially selecting the right-hander’s contract to the active roster on Sunday. The Orioles have available space on their 40-man roster, so just a 26-man move will be required to add Gibson before he makes his MLB debut in a start against the Yankees. Kostka was the first to report earlier today that Gibson was joining the Orioles this weekend in New York.
Since an illness sent Trevor Rogers to the 15-day injured list on Wednesday, a fill-in starter of some kind was needed to take Rogers’ next turn in the rotation. The pitching staff was then further scrambled by a doubleheader against the Astros on Thursday, so the O’s opted to promote Gibson since the right-hander would be on regular rest following his last Triple-A outing on April 26.
Facing Aaron Judge and company is a tough draw for any pitcher, let alone a 23-year-old in his first big league game. Gibson arrives in the Show on the heels of only okay (4.01 ERA, 21.9% strikeout rate, 10.5% walk rate, 52.1% grounder rate) numbers across 24 2/3 Triple-A innings this season, but most of the damage done against Gibson came in his first two starts. Since that slow start, the righty has posted a 2.55 ERA over his last five outings.
Gibson would probably have been drafted out of high school in 2020 if that year’s pandemic-shortened draft hadn’t been only five rounds long, so he instead went to play college ball at Liberty, but then went undrafted after an undistinguished college career. The Orioles signed him as a free agent in the summer of 2023, and Gibson has since emerged as one of baseball’s better pitching prospects. ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel slotted Gibson 46th on his preseason top-100 list, and Baseball America also had the right-hander 72nd on their preseason ranking.
Gibson’s arsenal is at least six pitches deep, with BA assigning at least a 55 grade to four of his offerings. His ability to fully command the majority of these pitches remains a question, yet working with the Orioles’ coaching staff to narrow his pitch mix down to just the cream of the crop might help Gibson’s chances of remaining as a starter in the majors. Gibson has generated a lot of grounders at every level of the minors and also racked up quite a few strikeouts, though a career 3.99 ERA in the minors indicates that Gibson’s deep pitching repertoire hasn’t entirely fooled minor league hitters.
With Rogers, Dean Kremer, and (out for the season) Zach Eflin all on the injured list, Baltimore has already been forced to dive deeper into its pitching depth chart than expected, even if Gibson was probably on track to make his MLB debut at some point in 2026 anyway. Brandon Young and Cade Povich remain the favorites for starting duty until at least Rogers is back, but since Kremer will likely miss most or all of May recovering from a quad strain, there could be room for Gibson to impress if he pitches well in this spot start.
Orioles Designate Albert Suarez, Option Tyler Wells
The Orioles announced four roster moves this morning, including the news that right-hander Albert Suarez has been designated for assignment. Righty Tyler Wells was also optioned to Triple-A, while left-hander Nick Raquet was called up from Triple-A. Left-hander Dietrich Enns was also activated from the 15-day injured list.
Perhaps the most intriguing transaction is still to come, as The Baltimore Banner’s Andy Kostka reported earlier today that top pitching prospect Trey Gibson is joining the team in New York. Gibson is on the Orioles’ taxi squad for now, but he could be officially selected to make his MLB debut in a start tomorrow at Yankee Stadium.
This is second time in a week that the O’s have designated Suarez. The righty’s first trip through DFA limbo saw him clear waivers, elect free agency over an outright assignment, and then quickly re-sign with Baltimore on a new minor league contract. That new deal was then promptly selected back to the 26-man roster yesterday when Ryan Helsley was placed on the 15-day IL, and Suarez threw 2 2/3 innings in Friday’s 7-2 Orioles loss to the Yankees.
Wells also threw 25 pitches over 1 1/3 innings of relief work yesterday, so today’s moves are largely about getting some fresh arms into the bullpen with the O’s having a quick turn-around of an afternoon game after Friday’s night game. Between Wells’ work last night and his two remaining minor league options, he was a logical candidate to be sent down on paper, even if the move is a surprise given how the righty has been both pitching well and something of a roster fixture.
Wells has a 3.44 ERA, 23.7% strikeout rate, and 5.3% walk rate over 18 1/3 relief innings this season. After working mostly as a regular starter in 2022-23, Wells missed most of the next two seasons due to a UCL surgery, and the Orioles chose to deploy him as a multi-inning reliever this year since their rotation was full.
The option means that Wells has to spend a minimum of 15 days at Triple-A before he is eligible to be recalled, unless Baltimore has another injury vacancy in the interim. Given how the Orioles have been bitten hard by the injury bug this year, it’s probably safe to assume that Wells will be back in the Show before that 15-day span is up.
Another swift reunion between Suarez and the O’s also can’t be ruled out, assuming Suarez clears waivers again. Suarez could again decline an outright assignment and test the open market just to weigh his options, or Suarez and the Orioles may have a handshake agreement already in place to bring the righty back on another minors deal in due course.
Enns returns to action after a foot infection kept the southpaw on the IL for almost a month. Enns rejoins a Baltimore pen that now has an equal amount of lefties and righties, as Enns and Raquet join Keegan Akin and Grant Wolfram as the left-handed contingent of the relief mix. Even with Enns activated, the Orioles still have seven other pitchers and 11 total players on their swollen injured list.
Orioles Place Ryan Helsley On IL With Elbow Inflammation
The Orioles announced that right-hander Ryan Helsley has been placed on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to April 29th, with right elbow inflammation. Fellow righty Albert Suárez has been selected to take Helsley’s place on the active roster. The 40-man roster had a couple of vacancies and the addition of Suárez brings the O’s up to 39 players on there.
It’s an out-of-nowhere IL stint for Helsley, as there wasn’t any previous indication that anything was wrong. He last pitched on Tuesday, recording a clean inning and earning a save as the O’s beat the Astros 5-3. His fastball averaged 99.3 miles per hour, right around his season average and a slight increase over his previous two outings. He didn’t pitch in the past two days but Baltimore didn’t have save chances in the interim. The game on Wednesday was postponed. The two games in yesterday’s doubleheader were not close, one being decided by six runs and the other by seven.
The club will presumably have more information later but it’s always a bit ominous when a pitcher’s throwing elbow is involved in an injury. For the O’s, they will have to figure out how to proceed with yet another hit to their bullpen. Their previous closer, Félix Bautista, underwent shoulder surgery in August of last year. That procedure came with a timeline of about a year. He could perhaps be back late in 2026 but it’s also possible he misses the entire season, which is why Helsley was signed to fill the closer’s role.
The O’s also have Dietrich Enns and Yaramil Hiraldo on the IL, meaning Helsey is now the fourth reliever on the shelf. Guys like Andrew Kittredge, Rico Garcia, Anthony Nunez or Grant Wolfram could step up to absorb some higher-leverage roles.
For Helsley personally, it could be a rough development as well. Not so long ago, he was one of the top relievers in the game and was trending towards cashing in as a free agent. Unfortunately, he had an ill-timed dip in performance in 2025, his walk year. His earned run average shot up to 4.50 after being around 2.00 in the previous three seasons.
He signed a two-year, $28MM deal with the Orioles, a pact which contained an opt-out halfway through. That would give Baltimore a replacement for Bautista in the closer’s role. For Helsley, ideally, he would return to form and then go back to free agency in search of a longer deal and a bigger guarantee.
The results have been mostly good so far, through 10 2/3 innings. His 15.2% walk rate is way too high but his 32.6% strikeout rate is a nice bounceback after it dropped to 25% last year. Obviously, a major elbow injury would kill that plan, so this will hopefully be just a minor issue and eventual footnote in his season.
Suárez, 36, began the season with the O’s on a minor league deal. His contract was selected a few days into the season. He spent close to a month in the bullpen as a long reliever, tossing 13 innings over five appearances with a 3.46 ERA.
Despite those pretty solid results, he was squeezed off the roster a few days ago. He cleared waivers and then elected free agency on Wednesday. It was reported at that time that he and the O’s would likely work out a new minor league deal. According to Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com, his new minor league deal was approved just a few hours ago. He was initially going to join the Norfolk Tides in Nashville before being rerouted to be added to the big league roster as a replacement for Helsley.
Photo courtesy of Mitch Stringer, Imagn Images
Orioles Place Trevor Rogers On Injured List With Illness
The Orioles announced this evening that starter Trevor Rogers is headed to the 15-day injured list. He’s dealing with an undisclosed illness. The placement is retroactive to April 26, so Rogers is first eligible to return on May 11. Reliever Cameron Foster, who was optioned on Saturday, is back up from Triple-A Norfolk to take his spot on the pitching staff.
Baltimore also announced that long reliever Albert Suárez cleared outright waivers and elected free agency after being designated for assignment over the weekend. However, Andy Kostka of The Baltimore Banner was among those to report that Suárez is expected to re-sign on a new minor league contract. The righty is out of options, so the O’s needed to run him through waivers to get him back to Triple-A.
Rogers deservedly earned the nod as Baltimore’s Opening Day starter after his dominant second half in 2025. He fired seven scoreless innings to beat Minnesota in the debut. Rogers followed up with consecutive quality starts against Texas and the White Sox. His most recent three appearances have been rockier, as he has failed to advance into the sixth inning and taken the loss all three times out.
That has pushed Rogers’ earned run average to 4.75 across 30 1/3 innings. His strikeout rate is down a few points relative to last season, though he’s getting more chases off the plate and still has a strong 12.1% swinging strike percentage. He’ll probably be back around when first eligible but will lose at least two starts to the illness.
Rogers joins Zach Eflin and Dean Kremer on the injured list. Eflin underwent UCL surgery and is out for the season. Kremer will be down for a while due to a quad strain. Those injuries already pushed Brandon Young into the rotation. They’ll need another starter this weekend, as they don’t have an off day until May 14.
Baltimore was off on Monday. Shane Baz pitched last night in a win over the Astros. Their game today was rained out but will be made up with a doubleheader tomorrow. Chris Bassitt and Young will start those games. Rogers’ turn would have come up on Friday for the series opener against Will Warren and the Yankees.
Monday’s off day means Kyle Bradish would be on regular rest if the Orioles wanted to run him instead, but they’ll probably keep him on schedule for Saturday. Cade Povich is the only depth starter on the 40-man roster and would be on five days rest for Friday. Prospect Trey Gibson would be on regular rest if the O’s wanted to go in that direction. They have a couple vacancies on the 40-man after waiving Sam Huff and Suárez in recent days, so they could accommodate Gibson without issue.
Orioles Designate Albert Suarez For Assignment
The Orioles have designated right-hander Albert Suarez for assignment, the team announced. Closer Ryan Helsley has been reinstated from the bereavement list to take Suarez’s roster spot.
Suarez tossed a season-high 59 pitches in mop-up duty behind an ineffective Trevor Rogers on Saturday. He permitted four runs, but all of them were unearned thanks to errors by Adley Rutschman and Jeremiah Jackson. Suarez has provided reliable swingman work for the club over the past three seasons. Baltimore is likely hoping to sneak him through waivers and retain him as Triple-A depth. The club’s 40-man roster is down to 38 players following the move.
Baltimore brought Suarez back on a minor league deal in the winter. With Shane Baz and Chris Bassitt added to the rotation, plus a healthy Tyler Wells penciled in for long relief work, Suarez didn’t have a clear path to the big-league roster. A 7.59 ERA in MLB Spring Training didn’t help matters. An injury to Zach Eflin shortly into the regular season gave Suarez an opportunity before he could even make a minor league appearance.
The 36-year-old righty picked up a three-inning save in his return to the big leagues. Suarez has delivered a 3.46 ERA across 13 innings this year. He has nearly as many walks (5) as strikeouts (6), but has been able to skirt damage thanks to a .179 batting average on balls in play. Suarez doesn’t possess elite stuff, and his underlying metrics have typically lagged behind his actual production, but he’s posted a 3.58 ERA over 158 1/3 innings in Baltimore since debuting with the team in 2024.
The Orioles now have five days to trade Suarez or place him on outright waivers. If he makes it through waivers, he could head back to Triple-A Norfolk. Suarez has been outrighted in the past, so he could choose to forego the minor league assignment and test free agency.
Photo courtesy of Kim Klement Neitzel, Imagn Images
Orioles Re-Sign Sam Huff To Minor League Deal
April 26: Huff is back with Baltimore on a minor league deal, per his MLB transactions tracker. Roch Kubatko of MASN first reported the possibility of Huff returning to the organization.
April 25: Huff has cleared waivers and elected free agency in lieu of accepting an outright assignment, per Jake Rill of MLB.com.
April 21: The Orioles announced Tuesday that catcher Sam Huff has been designated for assignment. His roster spot will go to catcher Adley Rutschman, who’s returning from a brief stay on the 10-day injured list due to a minor ankle injury.
Huff was just selected to the big league roster last week. He appeared in three games with Baltimore, going 2-for-9 with a double, an RBI and five strikeouts in nine plate appearances. With Rutschman back from the injured list, however, the O’s can turn catching duties back over to their Opening Day tandem of Rutschman and prospect Samuel Basallo.
Huff, 28, signed a minor league deal with the O’s in January. The former Rangers top prospect has now played in parts of six big league seasons and slashed a respectable .246/.299/.427 with a dozen homers in 281 trips to the batter’s box. That’s roughly league-average offense, by measure of wRC+, and more than 10% better than the standard catcher. However, Huff’s output has come in spite of a colossal 36.3% strikeout rate. He’s needed a .354 average on balls in play just to get to league-average with the bat. As such, he’s highly unlikely to sustain his current pace.
On the defensive side of things, Huff has solid framing grades in his limited major league work. He’s struggled with blocking balls in the dirt and controlling the run game. The former seventh-round pick has just an 18.5% caught-stealing rate in his career and has been charged with eight passed balls in 527 innings behind the dish.
Baltimore will have five days to trade Huff or place him on outright waivers. (The latter seems likelier.) Waivers would be another 48-hour process, so the outcome of today’s DFA will be known within a week. If he clears waivers, Huff could be assigned outright to Triple-A Norfolk, where he hit .156/.250/.168 in 36 plate appearances before being summoned to the big leagues. However, since he’s previously been outrighted in the past, he’d have the right to reject a minor league assignment in favor of free agency.