Orioles Transfer Ryan Helsley To 60-Day IL, Select Sam Huff
5:07PM: Speaking with MASN Sports and other media after today’s 5-2 win over the Astros, Orioles manager Craig Albernaz said Rutschman is day to day with some discomfort in his left wrist. Adding to the catching situation, Samuel Basallo left today’s game in the second due to right shoulder discomfort. Albernaz said the shoulder issue has been “a lingering thing” for Basallo that was “aggravated today.”
12:55PM: The Orioles are going with three catchers for the time being, as Roch Kubatko of MASN Sports reports that the club is selecting Sam Huff from Triple-A Norfolk. Right-hander Cam Sanders is being optioned to Triple-A to clear space Huff on the active roster. In a corresponding 40-man move, Ryan Helsley is being transferred to the 60-day injured list.
Baltimore is facing the Astros’ Hunter Brown today, a right-handed pitcher. Notably, Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman is not in the starting lineup, despite doing most of his damage against righties this year. Rutschman played the whole game yesterday as the DH, going 0-4 with one strikeout and a walk. It’s unclear if he’s injured or just needs a day or two to rest, though in any case, the team felt it necessary to bring up Huff as an extra option behind the plate.
Helsley’s transfer to the 60-day IL is the bigger move. The Baltimore closer missed a month and a half earlier in the season for right elbow inflammation. He was activated on June 16th but clearly wasn’t at his best. From June 17th through the 27th, Helsley allowed four earned runs in 4 2/3 innings, along with three home runs. He went back on the IL with renewed elbow discomfort on July 3rd (retroactive to June 30th).
Helsley seems to be taking a cautious approach to his rehab given his initial unsuccessful return last month. Yesterday, he told reporters, including Jacob Calvin Meyer of The Baltimore Sun, that he expects this IL stint to be more “extended.” It was reported last week that Helsley would avoid elbow surgery, but in the righty’s own words, “[I’m] just trying to make sure that it’s out of there. The only way, logically, is to give it a little bit more time.”
With today’s transfer, Helsley is eligible to return from the IL as early as August 29th. That would give him only a month of the regular season in the best case scenario. Helsley joined the Orioles on a two-year, $28MM guarantee this past offseason, with the latter $14MM coming via a player option for 2027. Given his injury troubles this year, it’s becoming more likely that he’ll accept that option and remain with Baltimore for 2027. That would set Helsley up for a healthier platform season and a more lucrative return to free agency than he could achieve this year, which may have been difficult anyway with the looming lockout.
Sanders was acquired last week in a cash trade with the Pirates, and Baltimore immediately optioned him to Triple-A. He was recalled on Friday and pitched both that day and Saturday, tossing a combined 1 2/3 hitless innings with two strikeouts. Sanders’ 8.68 ERA in 9 1/3 innings with Pittsburgh was less impressive, though his mid-90s fastball and mid-80s slider are intriguing enough. He’ll presumably get called up in the future when the bullpen needs a fresh arm.
Photo courtesy of Steven Bisig, Imagn Images
Orioles Acquire Cam Sanders From Pirates
The Orioles have traded for right-hander Cam Sanders, the team announced. The Pirates designated Sanders for assignment last week. Pittsburgh will receive cash in the deal. Baltimore moved lefty Keegan Akin to the 60-day IL to clear a 40-man roster spot. Sanders was optioned to Triple-A.
Sanders was bumped off the roster after the Pirates traded for infielder Jacob Gonzalez and reliever Brandon Eisert from the White Sox. He’d been up and down with the big-league club several times this season. Sanders was tagged for nine earned runs in nine appearances with Pittsburgh this year.
The Pirates added Sanders on a minor league deal last year after he’d spent his entire pro career in the Cubs’ system. He debuted with the club near the end of the season and posted an 8.10 ERA over 6 2/3 innings. The righty had more walks (5) than strikeouts (4) in his first stint in the big leagues. He’s improved the strikeout numbers this season, punching out opponents at a solid 27.1% clip. The issue is that his walk rate has spiked to 20.8%. Sanders had some solid strikeout seasons in the minors, but control was a persistent problem.
The 29-year-old Sanders leaned on a fastball/slider combo with the Pirates. He mixed in a changeup to lefties. The righty ditched his sweeper this year and added a sinker. Sanders’ four-seamer and slider both had whiff rates above 40% in his limited MLB time this year, so the Orioles have something to work with. The key will be getting those pitches in the strike zone more often.
Akin has been sidelined since late June with a UCL injury. He’s slated for a visit with Dr. Keith Meister this week. Akin seems to be headed toward an extended absence. The veteran lefty has been a regular on Baltimore’s staff since his 2020 debut. He’s been relied on in high-leverage situations in recent seasons, including as the closer last year, when he tallied a career-best eight saves.
Photo courtesy of Charles LeClaire, Imagn Images
Pirates Designate Cam Sanders For Assignment
The Pirates have designated right-hander Cam Sanders for assignment, and moved shortstop Konnor Griffin from the 10-day injured list to the 60-day IL. The two moves clear roster spots for Jacob Gonzalez and Brandon Eisert, who were acquired yesterday from the White Sox.
After making his MLB debut by posting an 8.10 ERA over 6 2/3 innings in 2025, things haven’t improved for Sanders in his second year of big league action. The righty has an 8.68 ERA over 9 1/3 innings and nine appearances, with an even more garish walk rate in 2026 (20.8%) than in 2025 (14.7%).
Sanders’ strikeout rate at least vaulted upwards from 11.8% in his first season to 27.1% this year. This is more in line with his performance in the minor leagues, though Sanders also hasn’t exhibited much control over eight seasons in the Cubs’ and Pirates’ farm systems. The 29-year-old has a 5.04 ERA, 29.35K%, and 18.18BB% over 223 career Triple-A innings.
The DFA comes a day after Sanders was optioned to Triple-A for the maximum fifth time this season, making him expendable in the Pirates’ view. This is the first time Sanders has been designated for assignment and he has never been outrighted in the past, so he’d have to accept an assignment to Triple-A if he clears waivers. A waiver claim isn’t out of the question if another team is intrigued by Sanders’ strikeout ability, but chances are Sanders will remain in Pittsburgh’s organization.
It was just a matter of time before Griffin was moved to the 60-day IL, as the shortstop is expected to miss 8-10 weeks due to a torn finger tendon. The 60-day placement means Griffin is out until the first week of September at the absolute earliest.
Pirates Reinstate Carmen Mlodzinski From Restricted List
June 1: Pittsburgh reinstated Mlodzinski from the restricted list during Monday’s off day, reports Jason Mackey of MLB.com. The right-hander tells Mackey he did not consider a trade request and will be available to pitch out of the bullpen for tomorrow’s series opener in Houston.
“I want to do what’s best to help us win baseball games,” Mlodzinski told MLB.com. “Being around these guys, this team, it’s a pretty cool group to be a part of. Of course I want to start and will always want that, but winning games takes precedence.”
May 31: In an unexpected move, the Pirates placed right-hander Carmen Mlodzinski on the team’s restricted list today. Righty Cam Sanders was called up from Triple-A Indianapolis to take Mlodzinski’s spot on the active roster, and Pittsburgh now has an open spot on its 40-man roster.
As a reminder, players aren’t paid for any time spent on the restricted list, nor do they receive any MLB service time. Clubs usually use the restricted list for players who are suspended, or are dealing with a personal issue that keeps them away from the team for an undetermined period of time. Colin Beazley of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that Mlodzinski is expected to be available on Tuesday, so it will be just a short absence for the righty.
The reasons for the placement were revealed today by Pirates GM Ben Cherington, who told Beazley and other reporters that Mlodzinski “wasn’t ready to” pitch on Sunday. “Going into the weekend, we understood and communicated with Carmen that at some point this weekend we were going to need him to be ready or we’d have to replace him on the team in fairness to the team, so that’s what happened today.”
The issue seems to stem from the Pirates’ decision to remove Mlodzinski from the rotation when Jared Jones made his return from the 60-day injured list on Friday. Jones joins Paul Skenes, Braxton Ashcraft, Mitch Keller, and Bubba Chandler in the starting five, leaving Mlodzinski as the odd man out. As Beazley noted, Mlodzinski was open about his disappointment while speaking with the media on Thursday, and Mlodzinski has been vocal in the past about preferring to work as a starting pitcher.
Mlodzinski said Thursday that he is “still communicating with the organization and the people in my corner, whether that’s my family or my agency, about what is next,” but Cherington said today that the right-hander hadn’t requested a trade. The Pirates control Mlodzinski through the 2029 season, as the right-hander won’t reach arbitration eligibility until the coming offseason.
Over 55 innings this season, Mlodzinski has posted a 3.76 ERA in 11 games — nine proper starts and two bulk-pitcher outings working behind an opener. Mlodzinski’s 8.4% walk rate is around league average but he isn’t missing many bats and he is allowing a ton of hard contact. The right-hander’s 50.9% hard-hit ball rate sits only in the second percentile of all pitchers. Still, Mlodzinski’s SIERA is only 4.21, as he has done a good job of limiting the damage of all that hard contact by allowing only three home runs.
A case can be made that Mlodzinski could’ve or should’ve retained a rotation spot over Bubba Chandler, as Chandler has struggled badly with his control while posting a 4.85 ERA across 52 innings. Since Mlodzinski has more experience as a swingman or long reliever, however, the Pirates opted to use that flexibility by moving him into a relief role, with the knowledge that Mlodzinski would likely have an easier time than Chandler in shifting back to a starting gig down the road.
It is understandable why Mlodzinski isn’t happy with the move, but his impending return on Tuesday probably means there aren’t too many hard feelings. Without much leverage in trade demands, Mlodzinski may simply have to move forward as a reliever for the time being, though obviously any number of circumstances (injuries, more struggles from Chandler, etc.) could open up a rotation spot in the future. Having a de facto sixth starter on the roster is also a good way for the Pirates to help keep the entire rotation fresh for what the team hopes will be a push towards a playoff spot.
Pirates Recall Wilber Dotel For MLB Debut
Right-hander Wilber Dotel will join the Pirates on Sunday, the club announced. Fellow righty Cam Sanders was optioned back to Triple-A. Dotel is among the top pitching prospects in the organization yet to appear in the big leagues. He’s already on the 40-man roster, so an additional move was not required.
The 23-year-old Dotel was off to a rocky start in Indianapolis. He was knocked around for eight earned runs in his first two outings. The righty tossed 5 2/3 innings of two-run ball in his most recent appearance, which came last Sunday. Dotel will initially pitch out of the bullpen, per Colin Beazley of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Pirates’ relievers had to cover nine innings in a wild 13-inning loss to the Rays on Saturday.
MLB Pipeline ranks Dotel as the No. 12 prospect in the organization. He’s behind Seth Hernandez (No. 2), Hunter Barco (No. 4), and Antwone Kelly (No. 8). Barco has already had multiple stints with the big-league club. The 19-year-old Hernandez was the club’s top pick in last year’s draft. Kelly began the year with Dotel in Triple-A, but he’s scuffled to a 9.75 ERA.
Pittsburgh signed Dotel out of the Dominican Republic in 2020. He’s generally delivered solid results from a run prevention perspective, but control has been an issue. Dotel had a walk rate above 11% at every minor league stop heading into 2025. He was able to trim the free passes to an 8.0% rate in 27 starts at Double-A last season. The righty also boosted his strikeout rate to 24.5%, his best mark since 2022 in the Complex league.
Dotel hasn’t made a relief appearance for a couple of seasons. Pittsburgh has a sturdy top four in the rotation with Paul Skenes, Mitch Keller, Bubba Chandler, and Braxton Ashcraft. Carmen Mlodzinski was used as a traditional starter in his first three appearances before coming in behind an opener in his last outing. He’s been effective this season, holding down the fifth spot in the rotation while Jared Jones works his way back from elbow surgery. Dotel doesn’t have a clear route to a starting gig at the moment.
Photo courtesy of Thomas Bender of the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, via Imagn Images
Pirates To Recall Nick Yorke
The Pirates are recalling infielder Nick Yorke and right-hander Cam Sanders from Triple-A Indianapolis, according to the MLB.com transaction log. Those will apparently be their September 1 roster moves. The Bucs are off today and may not officially announce the moves until tomorrow’s series opener against the Dodgers.
It’s the first promotion of the season for the 23-year-old Yorke. He first reached the majors as a September call-up late last season. He hit .216 with a pair of home runs in 11 games. Pittsburgh optioned him back to Triple-A at the end of Spring Training. Yorke has spent the entire season in Indianapolis, where he has been on the active roster aside from a week on the injured list with a sore shoulder in the middle of April.
Yorke is hitting .287/.348/.406 with seven home runs across 440 plate appearances. He has stolen 17 bases in 23 tries while turning in league average strikeout and walk rates. It’s a solid but hardly dominant showing for a player who also spent a good portion of the 2024 season at that level. To his credit, Yorke has picked things up as the season has progressed. He had a bad April around the injury but has hit fairly well since the beginning of May. Yorke is coming off his best month, as he slashed .337/.382/.446 in 24 games in August.
A first-round pick by the Red Sox in 2020, Yorke was acquired in a one-for-one swap for Quinn Priester at the ’24 deadline. Priester has had a breakout season this year (after being traded to the division rival Brewers). The trade doesn’t look particularly favorable for the Pirates at the moment, but Yorke still has time to emerge as a productive hitter. He’s primarily a second baseman but has a decent amount of corner outfield experience.
Nick Gonzales will get most of the second base playing time down the stretch. Yorke could take a few at-bats in left field from Tommy Pham, who has hit well in the second half but is an impending free agent on a non-contender. While Yorke has barely played any third base in his minor league career, Pittsburgh could also give him a few starts at the hot corner alongside fellow rookie Cam Devanney.
Pirates To Select Cam Sanders
The Pirates are selecting right-hander Cam Sanders, according to a report from Tommy Birch of the Des Moines Register. Alex Stumpf of MLB.com confirms that report, adding that right-hander Johan Oviedo is set to be optioned to the minors to make room for Sanders on the active roster. The Pirates have multiple 40-man roster vacancies, so no additional corresponding transaction will be necessary.
Sanders, 28, was a 12th-round pick by the Cubs back in 2018. He’s spent the past four seasons bouncing between the Double- and Triple-A levels with the Cubs and Pirates. He’s typically posted excellent numbers at Double-A and poor numbers at Triple-A and ultimately converted from starting to relief work with the Cubs last year. Now in the Pirates organization after electing minor league free agency over the winter, he’s looked utterly dominant in the upper minors with a 1.90 ERA in 18 appearances at Double-A to go with a nearly identical 1.93 ERA in 15 appearances at the Triple-A level.
Between the two levels, Sanders has punched out 30.5% of his opponents in 42 1/3 innings of work this year. Walks have been a problem for Sanders in the past, as he surrendered free passes at an unplayable 22.4% clip at Triple-A last year. He’s kept them under control this year, however, with a 12.0% walk rate overall that drops to just 9.7% when looking only at Triple-A. Sanders will need to continue throwing strikes if he’s to survive in the majors, but the quality of his stuff gives him possible late-inning upside if he can continue to show even passable command. He’ll now join a relief corps that recently lost closer David Bednar at this year’s trade deadline and will vie for work with the likes of Dauri Moreta, Kyle Nicolas, and Yohan Ramirez.
As for Oviedo, the right-hander made his first big league appearance since 2023 yesterday in a start against the Giants but surrendered two runs in one inning of work after walking three and striking out three. Acquired from the Cardinals in the Jose Quintana trade back in 2022, Oviedo posted a solid 4.31 ERA in 31 starts for the Pirates the following year and looked like a viable #4 starter of the future for the club before being sidelined by Tommy John surgery. He has a 3.12 ERA in six rehab starts in the minor leagues this year, but judging off yesterday’s difficult return he may need some more time to build up before returning to the majors in a more permanent role. The Pirates have Paul Skenes, Mitch Keller, Andrew Heaney, and Mike Burrows holding things down at the big league level in rotation for the time being.