Orioles place starting pitcher Tyler Wells on injured list with elbow inflammation

The Orioles need to find a starting pitcher for Wednesday.

Baltimore on Tuesday placed right-hander Tyler Wells on the 15-day injured list with right elbow inflammation, the club announced shortly before its game against the Minnesota Twins at Camden Yards.

Wells, the Orioles’ No. 3 starter to begin the season, is 0-2 with a 5.87 ERA in 15 1/3 innings across three starts. He was scheduled to start Wednesday afternoon against the Twins, but now the club will have to either call someone up from Triple-A Norfolk or have its bullpen cover all nine innings.

To replace Wells on the active roster, the Orioles selected the contract of catcher David Bañuelos from Triple-A Norfolk to serve as the club’s third backstop for Tuesday’s contest. Infielder Livan Soto was designated for assignment to add Bañuelos to the 40-man roster.

Wells’ IL stint is retroactive to Saturday, meaning the earliest he could return depending on the severity of his injury is April 28. He is one of three Orioles starters on the shelf, joining right-hander Kyle Bradish and left-hander John Means, both of whom are on minor league rehabilitation assignments.

The Orioles announced Wells’ injury after manager Brandon Hyde spoke before the game.

The injury is Wells’ first since shoulder inflammation in September 2022, although the 6-foot-8 pitcher did have an unusual midseason demotion last July as he hit a wall after a stellar first half. Wells, 28, was the club’s best starter in 2023’s first half — leading the American League in WHIP — and after spending about two months in the minors returned as a dominant back-end reliever. He earned the save in Baltimore’s AL East title-clinching win in late September.

Wells entered camp this spring with the goal of being a starter and stick in Baltimore’s rotation for the full season, hoping his offseason work on his diet and in the weight room would prevent him from running out of gas in the middle of the season. In his most recent start, Wells allowed six hits and four runs in four innings in the Orioles’ 11-1 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers on Friday.

Means is scheduled to make his fourth start of his rehab assignment Wednesday for the Tides. He pitched three innings in his most recent start and is unlikely to have his build-up end prematurely to join Baltimore for Wednesday’s contest. Left-hander Bruce Zimmermann and right-hander Albert Suárez started for the Tides on Thursday and Friday, respectively, and would be rested enough to start Wednesday. Zimmermann has frequented the shuttle between Norfolk and Baltimore during the Hyde era, posting a 5.57 ERA across 158 1/3 innings for the Orioles since 2020. Suárez, a journeyman, was a surprise during spring training and has a 5.87 ERA in Triple-A this season.

Prospects Cade Povich, Justin Armbruester and Chayce McDermott are also in Norfolk’s rotation but will not be rested enough to start Wednesday. If the Orioles elect to make Wednesday a bullpen game, they would likely recall a reliever from Triple-A. Nick Vespi, Bryan Baker, Jonathan Heasley, Matt Krook and Kaleb Ort are Triple-A relievers on Baltimore’s 40-man roster.

Around the horn

• Bradish (sprained ulnar collateral ligament) began his rehab assignment Tuesday with Double-A Bowie. He pitched three scoreless innings, allowing one hit and striking out four on 44 pitches, 26 for strikes. Bradish’s rehab assignment cannot extend past 30 days, meaning if he stays healthy, he will likely return before mid-May.

• Cionel Pérez (oblique strain) is throwing bullpen sessions and is scheduled to throw live batting practice early next week. The left-hander was placed on the 15-day injured list March 31 and is eligible to return when healthy.

• Catching prospect Samuel Basallo (right elbow stress fracture) played his first game in the field Tuesday after exclusively serving as a designated hitter during spring training and early this season. He wasn’t behind the dish, though, instead playing first base. Basallo, 19, is the No. 11 prospect in the sport, according to Baseball America.

• Second baseman Tony Kemp, who will forever be the answer to the trivia question about who was removed from the roster to make room for top prospect Jackson Holliday, reportedly signed a minor league deal with the Twins on Tuesday.

• Before Tuesday’s game, Hyde had one of the funniest and strangest pregame press conferences of the season. Amid discussion about having both catchers Adley Rutschman and James McCann in the lineup and the late-game maneuvering that requires, the line of questioning veered into hypothetical-scenario territory. When asked who his emergency catcher is, Hyde said ace Corbin Burnes has said he could do it. If Hyde was forced to pinch-run a pitcher, he said he’d pick Pérez or Dean Kremer — two “really good athletes.” Hyde was thrilled when reporters stopped asking questions.

This story will be updated.