Keegan Akin Undergoes Tommy John Surgery
The Orioles announced that left-hander Keegan Akin has undergone Tommy John surgery. He will miss the remainder of this year and possibly all of 2027 as well. He’s already on the 60-day injured list and will stay there for the rest of the season. Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com was among those to pass the news along.
It’s unsurprising-but-brutal news for the lefty. He hit the 15-day IL at the end of June due to elbow discomfort. About a week ago, it was revealed that Akin would be visiting surgeon Dr. Keith Meister for a consultation. A few days later, it became apparent that Akin’s ulnar collateral ligament had been injured and he was moved to the 60-day IL.
Now the worst-case scenario has come to pass. Given that Tommy John surgery usually requires 14 months of rehab or more, he’ll be out of action until late in 2027 and might even miss that entire campaign.
Akin had a pretty strong run for the O’s prior to this season. From 2022 to 2025, he logged 247 1/3 innings out of the Balitmore bullpen, allowing 3.64 earned runs per nine. He struck out 25.4% of batters faced and only gave out walks at a 7.7% clip. He racked up 11 saves and 28 holds in that time.
The results haven’t been as strong this season, as he posted a 5.68 ERA before landing on the injured list. A 59.2% strand rate made that ERA look a bit worse than Akin deserved but this year’s 14.9% strikeout rate was way down from his previous work.
For the Orioles, they were expecting Akin to be their primary relief lefty but instead he gave them lackluster results for the first half and will now miss the second half. Grant Wolfram is the only southpaw in the big league bullpen now. If the O’s decide to buy at the deadline, lefty relief will be a natural target area for them. Their 46-51 record isn’t great but they are only two games back of a playoff spot in this year’s weak American League field.
If they had decided to sell, Akin would have been a natural trade candidate since he’s an impending free agent. His early-season performance already wiped out a lot of his appeal. Whatever lingering chance existed of him salvaging some value is now completely gone.
He’ll head into free agency while still rehabbing and with a long road ahead. Pitchers in that situation sometimes sign two-year deals. That allows them to collect a paycheck while injured, while also allowing them to use team facilities. For the signing team, they get little to no return on investment in the first year but hope that the bet pays off when the player gets healthy for the second year.
Photo courtesy of James A. Pittman, 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
Ryan Helsley Expected To Avoid Elbow Surgery
The Orioles have been without closer Ryan Helsley for the past two weeks as he recovers from his second elbow injury of the season. Manager Craig Albernaz shed light on Helsley’s diagnosis before Saturday’s matchup against the Royals. The hard-throwing reliever has inflammation around his UCL, but the ligament isn’t torn, Albernaz told reporters, including Roch Kubatko of MASN. Helsley is expected to avoid surgery.
Baltimore inked Helsley to a two-year, $28MM deal over the winter. He was a perfect 7-for-7 in save chances through April, but hit the injured list with elbow inflammation to open May. Helsley returned to the club in mid-June, only to head back to the IL with renewed elbow discomfort in early July. The righty was ineffective between IL stints, allowing six runs (four earned) over 4 2/3 innings.
Despite the poor results, Helsley’s stuff looked intact during his five games in June. He sat at 98.7 mph with his fastball, which is exactly what it was in 12 games before the first IL stint. Helsley’s Stuff+ improved from 118 to 125 after his return. Both samples are relatively small, but Helsley didn’t seem any worse for wear after the initial elbow problem.
Injuries were a consistent theme early in Helsley’s career. He missed time with shoulder, elbow, and forearm issues over his first five seasons with the Cardinals. The reliever has been healthy over the past couple of years. He tossed a career-high 66 1/3 innings with St. Louis in 2024. Helsley led the majors with 49 saves that year. He made 58 appearances between the Cardinals and Mets last season.
The injury update for left-hander Keegan Akin wasn’t as positive. The reliever is dealing with a UCL injury and will visit Dr. Keith Meister next week for a second opinion, per Albernaz. Those appointments don’t typically end well. Akin went down with elbow discomfort at the end of June. Albernaz declined to say whether surgery was an option.
Akin opened the season on the injured list with a groin strain. He returned in late April and was pummeled for six earned runs in his first outing. Another six-run clunker hurt his overall numbers, but Akin has been serviceable outside of the two blowups. His 3.68 xERA is two runs lower than his actual mark.
Baltimore has relied on Grant Wolfram and Nick Raquet as the left-handed options in the bullpen without Akin. Rico Garcia, Tyler Wells, and Andrew Kittredge have taken turns as closer with Helsley out. All-star reliever Felix Bautista is working his way back from shoulder surgery. It’s unclear if he’ll pitch this season.
Photo courtesy Steven Bisig, Imagn Images
Orioles Notes: Akin, Helsley, Selby, Detwiler
A handful of injured Orioles relievers are going for second opinions. As reflected on the MLB.com injury tracker, left-hander Keegan Akin will meet Dr. Keith Meister for evaluation on his elbow next week. Closer Ryan Helsley is going for further testing on his own elbow injury this week. Right-hander Colin Selby will visit Dr. Neal ElAttrache at the end of the month for a look at his injured shoulder (relayed by Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com).
Akin and Helsley each recently landed on the injured list. It was the second IL stint of the season for both pitchers. Akin’s first stay was for a groin strain that cost him the first month. The 31-year-old southpaw has struggled to a 5.68 ERA with a diminished 15% strikeout rate across 25 1/3 innings, a significant step back from a combined 3.36 ERA and 27% strikeout percentage of the preceding two seasons. Akin is in his final year of arbitration and playing on a $2.975MM salary. The underperformance and injury seem likely to take him off the trade market even if the 42-50 O’s wind up selling at next month’s deadline.
Helsley is sidelined by an elbow issue for the second time this year. His two-year, $28MM free agent contract hasn’t gotten out to a great start. The injuries have limited the hard-throwing righty to 15 1/3 innings of nine-run ball on the season. Helsley has fanned 21 of his 68 opponents (31%) but has also walked nine batters and thrown three wild pitches. He has a $14MM player option for next season. It’s trending towards him locking in that salary, though that could perhaps change if he’s able to make a quick return and has an excellent finish to the season.
Tyler Wells has gotten the first crack at closing in Helsley’s absence. Yennier Cano and Rico Garcia are having nice seasons and could also get a look if Wells is unavailable. Any of the three could be plausible trade candidates if the Orioles don’t right the ship. They’re all under team control beyond this year but in their 30s. The O’s were in a similar spot with Bryan Baker at this time last year and were willing to trade him to the division rival Rays for a competitive balance draft choice.
Selby has been on the 60-day injured list all season. General manager Mike Elias said a couple weeks ago that the shoulder issues were still ongoing and made it unlikely he’d be back anytime soon. The O’s won’t have an official timetable until his reexamination with ElAttrache, yet it doesn’t seem to bode well for his chance of making an impact this year. Selby is in his second full season with the O’s after being acquired from Kansas City in a July 2024 DFA trade.
In one bit of non-playing news, Andy Kostka of The Baltimore Banner reports that the O’s hired former big leaguer Ross Detwiler as a roving pitching instructor in the upper minors. Detwiler replaces Thomas Eshelman, who accepted the pitching coach job at TCU over the weekend. The 40-year-old Detwiler pitched parts of 14 seasons in the big leagues between 2007-22. The Orioles were not among the 10 teams for which he suited up at the MLB level. Detwiler spent the bulk of his career with the Nationals and pitched to a 4.56 ERA across 752 innings.
Orioles Notes: Akin, Kittredge, O’Neill, Kremer, Holliday
Injuries have (again) been a major storyline of the Orioles’ season, but the team announced today that left-hander Keegan Akin has been activated from the 15-day injured list. Akin’s return comes a day after Andrew Kittredge and Tyler O’Neill were both activated Friday from the 15-day IL and seven-day concussion IL, respectively. Right-hander Cameron Foster was optioned to Triple-A for Akin, while outfielder Johnathan Rodriguez and right-hander Jose Espada were optioned to Triple-A yesterday for Kittredge and O’Neill.
Both Akin (groin strain) and Kittredge (shoulder inflammation) had spent the entire season on the IL, and Kittredge made his season debut yesterday, tossing a 1-2-3 inning out of the bullpen in the Orioles’ 10-3 win over the Red Sox. Initially signed to a one-year, $9MM contract in the 2024-25 offseason, Kittredge was dealt to the Cubs at last summer’s trade deadline, but Chicago then swapped Kittredge back to Baltimore in early November, and the O’s exercised a $9MM club option on the reliever’s services for 2026.
Kittredge and Akin are expected to be high-leverage arms in Baltimore’s pen, and Akin is the team’s top left-handed relief option. With both Akin and Dietrich Enns out of action, Grant Wolfram had been the Orioles’ only southpaw reliever for the last several days.
O’Neill was sidelined after hitting .241/.353/.345 over his first 34 plate appearances, and since he didn’t play yesterday, April 8 remains the outfielder’s last game. The always-uncertain nature of concussion symptoms led to an absence of over two weeks, yet hopefully O’Neill has now put the issue entirely behind him.
Even with three players now back in action, Baltimore’s injured list remains 10 players deep. Dean Kremer was the latest player sidelined, as the right-hander was placed on the 15-day IL on Thursday (retroactive to April 20) due to a right quad strain. Right-hander Brandon Young was called up from Triple-A in the corresponding move, and Young started Friday’s game in Kremer’s place, getting the win while allowing three runs on seven hits and a walk over 5 2/3 innings of work.
Young will probably get an extended run as Baltimore’s fifth starter since Kremer will miss “several weeks,” as O’s president of baseball operations Mike Elias told MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko and other reporters. Elias said Kremer’s injury surfaced during his between-starts prep work, and that “our plan is to try to keep his arm in as good of shape as possible because it’s not bothering him too much to throw right now, but we’ve got to let that thing heal and get his lower body condition back.”
The injury is another setback in what has already been an unusual season for Kremer, who began the season in Triple-A simply because the Orioles had five preferred options in their starting rotation. Zach Eflin‘s Tommy John surgery created an avenue for Kremer’s return, and the righty posted a 4.09 ERA over two starts and 11 innings before his quad strain surfaced.
With Kremer out and Eflin gone for the entire season, Cade Povich is now the Orioles’ top depth arm if another injury should strike the rotation. Albert Suarez and Tyler Wells are both ex-starters turned into multi-inning relievers, and conceivably either pitcher could be stretched out again for at least a piggyback type of role if even more starting help was needed beyond Povich.
Elias provided some updates to Kubatko and company on several other O’s players, including the news that Enns (foot infection) also seems to be nearing a return from the 15-day IL. Heston Kjerstad (hamstring strain) has yet to play this season, but is participating in full baseball activities and could be close to a minor league rehab assignment.
Concerns were raised earlier this week when Jackson Holliday underwent a fresh set of tests on his injured right hand, but Elias said the MRI, CT scan, and x-rays all came back clean. Holliday underwent hamate bone surgery on February 12 and was expected to start playing within the usual four to eight weeks, but his rehab work has now been paused twice due to continued soreness in the right hand.
Holliday discussed his latest setback with reporters yesterday, saying that a foul tip in Tuesday’s rehab game left him feeling “like I broke my hand again. Obviously, kind of concerning taking a swing and having that kind of pain, but I guess it’s not normal, but obviously nothing structurally wrong, and I guess whenever a tendon rolls over a nerve it can kind of cause that.”
The plan is to keep Holliday shut down for another week before restarting the rehab process. The clean tests at least provided some evidence that Holliday’s continued hand problems aren’t anything overtly serious, and Elias described the situation as “all within the possible normal spectrum of outcomes with the hamate injury….We’ve seen these come really quick for some players, and others take a long time to feel like themselves. So we want to let him get through this on an individual basis, and we’re giving him as much time as he needs, but we’re eager to have him back and welcome back with open arms once he’s ready.”
AL East Notes: Sandoval, Lukes, Orioles
Patrick Sandoval was in Boston today to undergo some testing after felt some left biceps soreness in the aftermath of his last minor league rehab outing. Red Sox manager Alex Cora didn’t have any info on the outcome of those tests when speaking with MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo and other reporters earlier today, and it wasn’t yet known if Sandoval would even be formally pulled off his 30-day minor league rehab assignment. Sandoval has made two starts during the assignment as he continues to work his way back from an internal brace surgery in July 2024.
Kutter Crawford also hasn’t pitched since 2024 (due to wrist and knee injuries that cost him the entirety of the 2025 campaign), and the right-hander’s own rehab assignment has also been put on pause due to a new health concern. Crawford underwent an MRI today after he felt some elbow soreness following his first rehab outing, so both Crawford and Sandoval are currently in limbo as they await their next steps.
The Sox have avoided any injury setbacks within their starting five, though these setbacks for Sandoval and Crawford create more questions about the team’s rotation depth. Johan Oviedo is on the 60-day injured list due to a flexor strain, and recent call-up Tyler Uberstine is on the Triple-A injured list due to shoulder soreness. Top prospect Payton Tolle made his MLB debut last season and is Boston’s first option for a call-up if a need develops in the rotation.
Here’s more from around the AL East…
- Nathan Lukes has been battling vertigo symptoms for the last month, and visited a specialist in Phoenix on Friday to help combat the issue, Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi writes. Lukes felt greatly improved following the session, and he responded by going 7-for-11 over the Blue Jays‘ three-game series with the Diamondbacks. It was a much-needed breakout series for the outfielder, who had just two hits and an ugly .182 OPS in his first 34 plate appearances. The Jays have been dealing with a lot of injuries and slumping hitters over the first few weeks, so getting Lukes right both physically and at the plate would be a big help in getting Toronto’s season on track.
- The Orioles are another struggling team with a crowded injured list, but the O’s should be getting some reinforcements back this week. Left-hander Dietrich Enns (foot infection) started a minor league rehab assignment yesterday, and fellow southpaw Keegan Akin (groin strain) has two rehab outings under his belt. The Baltimore Sun’s Jacob Calvin Meyer wrote that Adley Rutschman (ankle inflammation) and Tyler O’Neill (concussion symptoms) were both running the bases prior to today’s game, in the latest step in their recovery processes. It isn’t yet known if either might need a brief rehab assignment before returning to the O’s, and Rutschman isn’t eligible to be activated from the 10-day IL until Tuesday at the earliest.
Orioles Designate Jackson Kowar For Assignment
The Orioles finalized their Opening Day roster, announcing that right-hander Jackson Kowar and infielder Bryan Ramos were designated for assignment. (Ramos’ DFA was originally reported last night.) Baltimore also placed Jackson Holliday and Jordan Westburg on the 10-day IL. Holliday is recovering from a hamate fracture, and Westburg is attempting to rehab a UCL tear. Righties Andrew Kittredge (shoulder inflammation) and lefty Keegan Akin (groin strain) open the season on the 15-day IL.
Outfielder Dylan Beavers will avoid an IL stint after dealing with a knee issue late in camp. He’s on the Opening Day roster. Utilityman Jeremiah Jackson also grabbed an Opening Day spot. Righties Yaramil Hiraldo and Anthony Nunez won bullpen spots, as did southpaw Grant Wolfram. Righty Albert Suarez, who had an opt-out in his minor league deal, was assigned to Triple-A Norfolk, so it seems he’ll forgo that opt-out and agree to open the season with the Orioles’ Triple-A club.
A hard-throwing former first-rounder with experience in parts of three MLB seasons, the 29-year-old Kowar allowed one run in six spring frames for the O’s. He walked four and struck out four. The former Florida Gator has an ERA north of 8.00 in 91 MLB frames, though he posted a 4.24 mark in 17 innings with Seattle last year. He’s still looking for his first real opportunity post-Tommy John surgery and has been regularly bounced around the waiver/DFA circuit dating back to last season.
Jackson had been in a battle for the final bench spot with several others, but he’s increasingly seemed like the favorite. Baltimore granted veteran Thairo Estrada his release a couple days ago, shortly after infielder Luis Vázquez suffered a broken thumb. Jackson and Ramos looked like the final two candidates for that spot, so when it was reported last night that Ramos was being DFA, Jackson’s spot looked all but secure barring a last-minute acquisition.
The 25-year-old (26 tomorrow) isn’t going to sustain the .365 BABIP that led to last year’s .276/.328/.447 debut effort, but he’s a versatile right-handed bat who can back up at multiple infield and outfield spots. With Holliday and Westburg beginning the season on the injured list, the Orioles are entrusting third base and second base to Coby Mayo and Blaze Alexander, respectively. Neither has much big league experience — not that Jackson does either — so it’s sensible to have another capable option at each spot.
Suarez reportedly drew interest from other clubs but will seemingly stick around as a depth option. It’s a nice luxury for the O’s to have. The 36-year-old righty has given Baltimore a 3.59 ERA in 145 1/3 frames across the past two seasons but was non-tendered in the November after a flexor strain ended his 2025 season. He returned on a minor league pact and will presumably open the year in Norfolk.
Orioles Injury Notes: Akin, Kjerstad, Vazquez, Beavers, Kittredge
The Orioles are suddenly dealing with a flurry of injury concerns less than a week before Opening Day, as left-hander Keegan Akin, outfielder Heston Kjerstad, and utilityman Luis Vazquez will all undergo imaging on Monday. (MLB.com’s Jake Rill and Paige Leckie were among those to report the news.) Akin suffered an adductor issue while warming up in the bullpen on Saturday, Kjerstad has been sidelined with right hamstring tightness for a few days, and Vazquez was hit by a pitch on his right thumb in today’s game with the Nationals.
More will be known once the testing takes place, and of the trio, Akin was the only one assured of a place on the Opening Day roster. With the exception of an injury-marred 2023 season, Akin has become a valued member of the Orioles’ pen over the last four years, able to both eat innings and deliver in high-leverage situations.
The 2024 season was Akin’s most effective campaign, and while he still had a 3.41 ERA over 63 1/3 innings in 2025, Akin’s strikeout rate (22%) and walk rate (12.3%) both declined from his previous season. Akin’s 4.44 SIERA was over a run higher than his real-world ERA, and the lefty might’ve benefited quite a bit from a .267 BABIP.
These concerns notwithstanding, Akin was still projected to be the top left-handed option in Baltimore’s relief corps. Dietrich Enns and Grant Wolfram are the team’s other left-handers, though if Akin has to miss time on the injured list, the Orioles wouldn’t necessarily replace Akin with another southpaw.
The bullpen already took a significant hit this spring with the news that Andrew Kittredge would be starting the season on the 15-day IL due to some shoulder inflammation. Though it has been almost a month since the righty’s lone game of Spring Training, Kittredge told the Baltimore Banner’s Andy Kostka that he believes he’ll miss just the minimum 15 days, as a rehab stint with Triple-A Norfolk will hopefully be enough to get Kittredge fully ramped up.
Kjerstad was expected to start the season in Triple-A, though naturally a possible stint on the IL doesn’t do him any good in terms of cost development time, as Kjerstad is still struggling to establish himself as a big leaguer. The second overall pick of the 2020 draft had a promising .248/.336/.411 slash line over 147 plate appearances with the O’s in 2023-24, but he took a step back with a .192/.240/.327 slash in 167 PA last season.
Vazquez has only a .404 OPS over 67 career PA in the majors (with the 2024 Cubs and 2025 Orioles), but his ability to play all over the infield and at least hold his own as a corner outfielder was putting him in the running to win a backup job on Baltimore’s bench. With Jackson Holliday and Jordan Westburg starting the season on the injured list, the Orioles’ infield depth has already been stretched, opening the door for Vazquez to potentially break camp with the team.
A thumb injury, of course, would make Vazquez’s endeavors all for naught. Even if the x-rays are negative, Vazquez may need a few days or even a 10-day IL stint to fully heal up, so bench candidates like Jeremiah Jackson, Weston Wilson, or others may stand a better chance of making the 26-man roster.
The position-player mix could be shaken up further if Dylan Beavers‘ right knee discomfort becomes anything serious. Beavers was a late scratch from Friday’s lineup due to his sore knee, but both Beavers and manager Craig Albernaz told Rill the outfielder was feeling improvement yesterday, so there doesn’t seem to be any concern yet that Beavers will miss any time during the regular season.
Keegan Akin Loses Arbitration Hearing
Left-hander Keegan Akin lost his arbitration hearing against the Orioles, per Mark Feinsand of MLB.com. He will earn $2.975MM in 2026. Akin filed at $3.375MM but will earn $400K less than that figure in his final trip through arbitration. Akin is a client of All Bases Covered Sports Management.
The 30-year-old (31 in April) has thrown 368 innings for the Orioles since debuting in 2020. He spent his first two seasons in 2020-21 as a swingman before converting to a full-time reliever in 2022. He had a 3.20 ERA in 81 2/3 innings that year and stood out with a 49.3% groundball rate and just a 6.1% walk rate. He struggled mightily in 2023, posting a 6.85 ERA in 23 1/3 innings and missing most of the season with a lower back injury. He had his best season in 2024. Akin had a 3.32 ERA in 78 2/3 innings that year while posting career-best strikeout and walk numbers (24.9% K-BB rate).
This is the first instance of a team winning an arbitration hearing this offseason. Players had been 5-for-5 before Akin’s defeat. The left-hander is in his final year of arbitration. He made $825K in his first trip through the process, then $1.475MM last season. Akin and the Orioles were able to come to an agreement before heading to an arbitration hearing the first two times.
Akin stepped into the closer’s role over the final two months of the 2025 campaign after Felix Bautista went down with a shoulder injury and Seranthony Dominguez was shipped to Toronto at the trade deadline. The lefty picked up eight saves across August and September, though he also blew three opportunities. Akin’s handedness and middling velocity don’t make him an obvious closer candidate, but he entered the offseason as the potential favorite for the role. Baltimore then added a pair of backend arms in Ryan Helsley and Andrew Kittredge, all but guaranteeing Akin will slide back into a role geared toward the 7th and 8th innings.
Last season saw Akin make a pair of pitch arsenal adjustments. He bumped his changeup usage to a career-high 19.9%. The pitch held opponents to a measly .103 batting average. It was his most effective offering in terms of Run Value (+6). Akin also tweaked the movement of his fastball, adding two inches of horizontal break and more than an inch of vertical drop. That tweak did not go so well, as hitters slugged .566 against Akin’s heater. It generated a negative Run Value for the first time in his career.
Orioles Designate Jacob Stallings For Assignment
The Orioles announced a series of roster moves today. Left-hander Keegan Akin and catcher Adley Rutschman have each been reinstated from the injured list. In corresponding moves, the O’s optioned right-hander Yaramil Hiraldo to Triple-A Norfolk and designated catcher Jacob Stallings for assignment.
Stallings, 35, was released by the Rockies last month. The O’s were dealing with a few injuries to their catching corps and brought him into the fold via a minor league deal to add some veteran depth behind the plate.
They called Stallings up to the big league squad at the start of July when Chadwick Tromp hit the injured list, joining Rutschman and Maverick Handley on the shelf. Gary Sánchez also hit the IL a few days later, which got Alex Jackson onto the roster.
Stallings got into 14 games for the O’s this month and stepped to the plate 36 times but produced a .114/.139/.143 line in that time. He has a solid reputation for his defense and work with a pitching staff but hasn’t been hitting all year. He now has a combined .134/.195/.168 line in 129 plate appearances between the Rockies and O’s this season. Jackson, meanwhile, has hit three homers in 26 plate appearances for a .269/.269/.769 line. He won’t keep that going forever but he’s been better than Stallings and is several years younger as well.
Jackson will hang onto his roster spot and form the catching duo with Rutschman while Stallings heads into DFA limbo. Given his performance this year, Stallings should clear waivers and will be able to elect free agency. The Rockies signed him to a $2.5MM deal for this year and remain on the hook for the majority of that because they released him. Any other club could sign Stallings and pay him just the prorated league minimum for any time spent on the roster, as the O’s just did.
The return of Akin is also somewhat notable as he is a theoretical trade candidate. He can be retained via arbitration for 2026 and isn’t a strict rental but the O’s could be open to trading in the next few days. Dating back to the start of 2022, Akin has thrown 222 innings for Baltimore with a 3.65 earned run average, 26.1% strikeout rate and 7% walk rate. He has earned three saves and 24 holds in that span.
That performance on its own would make Akin an attractive arm. The fact that he’s left-handed, making just $1.475MM this year and controllable for another season only adds to the appeal. On the other hand, his strikeout and walk rates are down to 23.3% and 11% this year, respectively. He’s been on the IL for almost a month due to left shoulder inflammation. Perhaps that injury explains his struggles but also might tamp down trade interest. The Orioles could put him into a few games over the next few days to demonstrate his health to potential suitors.
Photo courtesy of David Richard, Imagn Images