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Orioles Claim Jose Castillo, Designate Carson Ragsdale

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The Orioles announced Monday that they’ve claimed left-handed reliever Jose Castillo off waivers from the Mariners. Righty Carson Ragsdale was designated for assignment in a corresponding move. Baltimore also placed righty Albert Suarez on the 15-day IL due to right elbow discomfort and recalled fellow righties Chayce McDermott and Yaramil Hiraldo from Triple-A Norfolk.

Castillo, 29, joins his fourth team of the 2025 season. He’s suited up for not only the Mariners but also the Mets and D-backs. The well-traveled southpaw has pitched 24 2/3 innings and turned in a 4.38 ERA with a 19.5% strikeout rate and 9.3% walk rate. He’s tallied three holds in five situations, but lefties (.390/.469/.561) and righties (.300/.377/.455) have both hit well against Castillo in limited appearances.

This marks Castillo’s first generally healthy season since his rookie year in 2018, when he pitched 38 1/3 innings of 3.29 ERA ball for the Padres. Injuries decimated the lefty’s career; he pitched only 1 2/3 big league innings combined from 2019-24 and didn’t top 37 2/3 innings at the minor league level in any season along the way. Castillo can still be controlled another two seasons beyond the current year, if he sticks on the Orioles’ 40-man roster.

Ragsdale, 27, is a longtime Giants farmhand who made his way to the O’s via waivers earlier this summer. He made his big league debut with Baltimore, tossing three innings but serving up eight runs on nine hits and a walk with two strikeouts. The 2020 fourth-rounder had solid numbers throughout much of his minor league tenure but has stumbled to a 4.87 earned run average with just a 19.7% strikeout rate and a 12% walk rate.

Ragsdale notched a 2.93 ERA in High-A and a 3.49 mark in Double-A, but he’s barely kept his ERA under 5.00 in parts of two Triple-A seasons. He’s sitting 92.6 mph on his four-seamer this year, complementing the pitch with a high-70s curveball and a splitter — the former of which has previously drawn plus grades in scouting reports. Ragsdale has two minor league option years remaining beyond the current season, which could heighten his appeal to clubs in need of pitching depth.

As for the 35-year-old Suarez, this elbow issue will end his season. He’s missed most of the 2025 campaign due to a separate shoulder injury. Suarez pitched well in 11 2/3 big league innings between injuries, logging a 2.31 ERA with a 10-to-2 K/BB ratio. The journeyman righty was a godsend for the O’s in 2024, going from a minor league signee to a key member of the staff who tossed 133 2/3 innings with a 3.70 ERA.

Suarez pitched in the majors with the Giants from 2016-17 and then spent the 2019-23 seasons starring in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball (2019-21) and the Korea Baseball Organization (2022-23). The O’s can control him for three more seasons via arbitration, but it’s not clear how severe his current elbow ailment is or how much time it might cause him to miss.

Orioles Designate Vimael Machin, Transfer Brandon Young To 60-Day IL

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The Orioles announced a series of roster moves Wednesday, designating infielder Vimael Machin for assignment and transferring right-hander Brandon Young to the 60-day injured list (thereby ending his season). Their 40-man roster spots will go to infielder Emmanuel Rivera and right-hander Roansy Contreras — the latter of whom was already known to be on his way to the majors. Their contracts have been formally selected from Triple-A Norfolk. Baltimore also optioned right-hander Yaramil Hiraldo to Norfolk.

Machin, 31, played his first four big league games since 2022 earlier this month after the O’s summoned him from Norfolk. He went  just 1-for-12 but made the most of that lone knock, depositing it over the right field wall for the second home run of his brief MLB career. He’s now played in parts of four seasons — the other three all coming with the A’s — and posted a .204/.286/.264 batting line in 373 trips to the plate.

Though he’s never fared well in the big leagues, Machin is a lifetime .289/.371/.449 hitter in just under 1400 plate appearances at the Triple-A level. He’s a lefty hitter with a good eye at the plate, experience at all four infield positions and a pair of minor league options remaining, so it’s at least feasible that another club plucks him off waivers as a depth option. If not, he’ll have the right to reject an outright assignment from the Orioles upon clearing waivers, should he prefer to explore other opportunities.

Young, 27, made his big league debut with the O’s earlier this season. He’s made a dozen starts despite rocky results — a testament to the depleted status of the Baltimore rotation this year. An undrafted free agent in the shortened (five-round) 2020 draft, Young has pitched 57 2/3 innings in 2025. He’s been tagged for an ugly 6.24 ERA despite passable rate stats (18.4% strikeout rate, 8.6% walk rate). The long ball has been his primary undoing, as he’s served up 12 homers in his relatively small sample of work (1.87 HR/9).

A hamstring strain sent Young to the 15-day IL last week. At the time, interim manager Tony Mansolino acknowledged that the right-hander would miss more than the minimum, but it wasn’t clear until today’s move to the 60-day IL that Young’s season is formally over; there simply aren’t enough days left on the calendar for him to fulfill that 60-day minimum.

Young can be controlled for six more seasons and has two minor league option years remaining beyond the current campaign. He’ll likely stick around as a depth option for a rotation that figures to be a focal point of the Orioles’ forthcoming offseason dealings.

Rivera, 29, came to the O’s late last season and went on a tear in 27 games down the stretch. He played well enough to be tendered a contract and sign for $1MM in spite of lack of track record. His 2025 season hasn’t gone as hoped. In the same number of games as last year, Rivera has slashed .229/.299/.271. The O’s passed him through waivers earlier in the summer, and he’s hit fairly well in Norfolk, slashing .297/.362/.356 in 246 turns at the plate.

Contreras, 25, is a former top prospect who looked like a potential long-term piece in the Pirates’ rotation following a strong 2022 big league debut. He’s struggled in every subsequent campaign, however, logging a 5.47 ERA over his past 136 2/3 big league frames. He landed with the Orioles via waivers late in the offseason, and Baltimore was able to pass him through waivers themselves, removing him from the 40-man roster. He’s now been added back after tossing 91 2/3 innings of 3.73 ERA ball for the Tides. Mansolino indicated yesterday that Contreras would either start today’s game or pitch several innings of bulk relief.

Orioles Select Houston Roth, Recall Elvin Rodríguez

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After trading Seranthony Domínguez to the Blue Jays this afternoon, the Orioles have made some additional transactions to shake up their bullpen ahead of game two of a doubleheader against Toronto. They have recalled right-hander Elvin Rodríguez and selected the contract of fellow right-hander Houston Roth, both from Double-A Chesapeake. The Domínguez trade freed up one roster slot, and to open another spot on the active roster, Baltimore optioned Yaramil Hiraldo to Double-A.

While Rodríguez and Roth are coming up from the Double-A (and Hiraldo is headed down to the Chesapeake Baysox), it’s worth noting that all three pitchers have spent the majority of the season at Triple-A Norfolk. However, Chesapeake is significantly closer to Baltimore than Norfolk. So, the O’s were presumably stashing Rodríguez and Roth at Double-A in case they were needed as depth. With that in mind, Danielle Allentuck of The Baltimore Banner suggests these are likely “temporary moves” to quickly replace Domínguez and replenish the bullpen after game one of the doubleheader.

Rodríguez, 27, signed a split major league deal with the Brewers over the offseason after a strong showing in Japan in 2024. However, he gave up 18 runs in 18 2/3 innings with Milwaukee, leading the team to designate him for assignment earlier this month. Baltimore scooped him up off waivers, and if he gets in a game, he will be making his Orioles debut. Before his time overseas, the right-hander pitched for the Tigers in 2022 and the Rays in ’23. All in all, he has a career 9.23 ERA in 51 2/3 MLB innings. The O’s will hope he can look more like the pitcher who put up a 1.80 ERA over 45 innings in NPB last season.

Roth, also 27, has spent his entire professional career with the O’s, rising through their minor league ranks since the 2019 campaign. If he gets in a game, he will be making his major league debut. In 24 appearances (36 2/3 innings) between Double-A and Triple-A this year, the right-hander has a 2.21 ERA but a 4.02 FIP and 4.55 xFIP. He has posted impressive strikeout rates at High-A and Double-A over the past two seasons but struggled to miss bats upon his promotion to Triple-A earlier this year. His double-digit walk rate only exacerbates that problem.

Hiraldo, 29, was recalled earlier today for his fourth stint with the Orioles this season. He pitched two innings in game one of the doubleheader, giving up one run on a solo home run by Joey Loperfido. All told, he has pitched 4.1 MLB innings in 2025 with two strikeouts, no walks, and three hits allowed. He has a 4.19 ERA in 38 2/3 minor league innings this year, but his 32.9% strikeout rate and 5.78 strikeout-to-walk ratio are more promising. Those numbers are all the more impressive considering he spent the 2022-24 seasons in the Atlantic and Mexican Leagues. Prior to 2025, he had not pitched in affiliated ball since the Diamondbacks released him in 2021.

Orioles Designate Jacob Stallings For Assignment

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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

Orioles Option Yennier Cano

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The Orioles announced this morning that they have optioned right-hander Yennier Cano to Triple-A Norfolk. Right-hander Yaramil Hiraldo was recalled to the majors in a corresponding move.

It’s a somewhat shocking decision given Cano’s history as a key arm in the Baltimore bullpen. Acquired in the Jorge Lopez trade with the Twins at the 2022 trade deadline, Cano struggled across 18 MLB innings during his rookie season with Minnesota and Baltimore but was utterly dominant for the O’s in 2023. He formed a dynamic duo with closer Felix Bautista in the late innings and posted a sterling 2.11 ERA in 72 2/3 innings of work that year. While Cano’s 23.0% strikeout rate that year hardly jumped off the page, he walked just 4.6% of his opponents and generated an excellent 58.0% ground ball rate that season. Cano’s grounder-heavy, command-driven approach that season served as an excellent complement to Bautista’s overpowering stuff and helped to create a dominant bullpen that led Baltimore back to the playoffs for the first time since 2016.

Cano followed up that dominant 2023 campaign with another solid season last year. While his 3.15 ERA and 3.55 FIP were both a far cry from the elite results he posted the year prior, Cano generated an even more impressive 62.9% ground ball rate and watched his strikeout rate tick up to a more robust 26.1%. Those were encouraging developments, but they were offset by the fact that Cano’s walk rate more than doubled as he allowed free passes at a 9.6% clip. That helps to explain why Cano’s results were less impressive last year, but a look at underlying metrics such as xFIP and SIERA suggests that Cano’s actual performance was more or less on par with his excellent 2023 campaign.

That trend of worsening results despite strong peripherals has continued this season. Cano’s 4.73 ERA in 26 2/3 innings of work this year speaks for itself as unacceptable production from a high-leverage arm, and he’s posted an even more brutal 7.41 ERA since the calendar flipped to May. With that being said, a look at Cano’s under-the-hood numbers reveals that Cano is looking better than ever in at least some ways. His 27.4% strikeout rate is by far the best of his career, and he’s walking opponents at a 7.1% clip that stands as an improvement over 2024, even if his control isn’t quite as pinpoint as it was back in 2023. While his grounder rate has dropped substantially, down to just 52.8%, it remains above average overall. Cano’s 2.85 xFIP and 2.73 SIERA are actually both career-best figures, suggesting he’s pitching better than ever and largely being held back by a shockingly high .362 BABIP allowed.

That didn’t stop the Orioles from sending Cano to the minors in hopes of getting his results back on track, however. Shocking as the decision may be based on his excellent peripherals, it’s worth noting that Baltimore’s bullpen has precious few relief arms who can be optioned to the minors at all. Aside from Cano and Bautista, the only reliever on the Orioles’ roster with options remaining is Keegan Akin, who has a 2.70 ERA this season and is one of just two southpaws in the Baltimore bullpen. That reality might have made Cano’s leash with the Orioles shorter than it would be on a team with more flexibility built into their bullpen mix. Gregory Soto, Bryan Baker, and Seranthony Dominguez figure to handle the work of setting up for Bautista while Cano is in the minors.

As for Hiraldo, the right-hander got his start in professional ball with the Diamondbacks but departed affiliated ball for a few years following the 2021 season. He returned with the Orioles this year on a minor league pact and has put up brilliant numbers at every step of the way in the minors, with a 2.77 ERA, 1.65 FIP, and 32.7% strikeout rate across 26 MiLB innings this year. The 29-year-old has made just one appearance in the big leagues where he threw 1 1/3 scoreless innings for the Orioles earlier this year.

Orioles Select Matt Bowman

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The Orioles have selected the contract of righty Matt Bowman and optioned fellow right-hander Yaramil Hiraldo to Triple-A Norfolk, per a team announcement. Baltimore already had an open 40-man roster spot, so optioning Hiraldo is the only necessary corresponding transaction. Baltimore also announced recently that infielder/outfielder Terrin Vavra, who was designated for assignment over the weekend, cleared waivers and accepted an outright assignment to Triple-A.

Bowman, 33, is now in his second Orioles stint of the season. Baltimore designated him for assignment earlier in the month and outrighted him to Norfolk. He responded with 4 2/3 shutout innings of relief (four strikeouts, two walks) and promptly punched a ticket back to the big leagues. He’s appeared in 16 games for the O’s in 2025 and totaled 17 1/3 innings with a 5.19 ERA, a 15.2% strikeout rate and a 3.8% walk rate. That strikeout rate is nearly seven percentage points shy of league average, but Bowman’s super walk rate also checks in about five percentage points lower than average.

Baltimore is Bowman’s seventh club in seven big league seasons. He’s a former 12th-round pick who’s also spent time with the Cardinals, Reds, Yankees, Twins, Mariners and Diamondbacks since debuting with St. Louis back in 2016. In 233 1/3 innings, he sports a 4.24 ERA, 18.7% strikeout rate, 8% walk rate and 52.9% ground-ball rate.

Vavra, 28, is an organization favorite. The son of former Twins and Tigers coach Joe Vavra, Terrin was a 2018 third-rounder out of the University of Minnesota by the Rockies. Colorado traded him to Baltimore in 2020’s Mychal Givens swap, and he’s spent the majority of the past half decade calling the Orioles organization home.

The younger Vavra played in the bigs with the O’s in 2022-23 and has accepted multiple outright assignments and re-signed multiple minor league deals with the Orioles. He’s a .254/.331/.303 hitter in the majors (159 plate appearances) and a .287/.383/.418 hitter in parts of four Triple-A seasons (583 plate appearances).

Orioles Select Yaramil Hiraldo

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The Orioles have selected the contract of right-hander Yaramil Hiraldo, according to a team announcement. Southpaw Cionel Perez was designated for assignment to make room on the active and 40-man rosters.

Hiraldo, 29, signed with the Diamondbacks out of the Dominican Republic all the way back in 2018 but departed affiliated ball following a 2021 season where he struggled to a 4.13 ERA in 24 innings of work at the High-A level. He caught on with the independent Atlantic League, where he scuffled a bit in his first year outside of the minor leagues but bounced back to deliver an impressive 1.50 ERA in 18 innings of work. After once again impressing in 2024 (this time as a member of the Mexican League’s Caliente de Durango), he caught on with the Orioles this year on a minor league deal.

The right-hander has just 18 1/3 innings of work under his belt in the minors since returning to affiliated ball, but he’s dominated at every level the Orioles have put him through with a 2.43 ERA and 26.0% strikeout rate overall. Evidently, the Orioles feel he’s ready for the test of major league action, and the 29-year-old’s big league debut could come as soon as today’s game against the Red Sox. Now that he’s on the 40-man roster, Hiraldo will be an optionable bullpen piece available to Baltimore, a particularly valuable commodity given that closer Felix Bautista, top setup man Yennier Cano, and top lefty Keegan Akin are the only three pitchers besides Hiraldo will options remaining in the bullpen as things stand.

It’s been a tough year for Orioles pitching to say the least, given their MLB-worst team ERA of 5.77. The bullpen is less of a culprit in those struggles than the rotation, but their 5.67 ERA and 4.82 FIP still make them a bottom-four bullpen overall in baseball this year. Turning things around in the bullpen will primarily rely on pieces like Bautista and Cano getting right, but a dominant performance from Hiraldo in his first opportunities at the big leage level might be enough to convince the Orioles to keep him around over a struggling arm like Seranthony Dominguez, even though the latter is out of options. At the very least, a strong showing from Hiraldo in this first call-up to the majors should bode well for his ability to earn opportunities after a trade deadline where the Orioles look increasingly likely to be sellers in at least some capacity.

As for Perez, the 29-year-old has spent each of the past four seasons in Baltimore after previously pitching for the Astros and Reds over the years. Perez’s time in Baltimore has been generally successful, with a 3.72 ERA and 3.58 FIP across 212 appearances, though it must be noted that most of that success came in the 2022 and ’23 seasons. Last year was a down season for Perez, as he posted an ugly 4.53 ERA that clocked in 16% below average by ERA+ despite solid peripheral numbers. Those peripherals gave him a 3.30 FIP that suggested positive regression could be on the way, but Perez has not experienced that in 21 2/3 innings of work for the Orioles this year. Instead, he’s been torched to the tune of a 8.31 ERA with a 5.71 FIP that, while better, offers little optimism for above-average results going forward. Those deep struggles were evidently enough for Baltimore to pull the plug on the lefty, who they’ll now have one week to either work out a trade or attempt to pass through waivers.

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