Working his way back to the mound, Ryan Helsley tossed his first bullpen since his injury on Sunday.
In a year that has brought many inconsistencies, the Baltimore Orioles’ bullpen has remained steady throughout most of it – even without a definitive closer for the majority of the season.
Baltimore is anticipating the return of flamethrower Félix Bautista soon, who has served as the team’s closer in prior seasons and has yet to pitch this year. He is currently with Triple-A Norfolk on a rehab assignment. However, he is not the only hard-throwing righty reliever that is working his way back to the Orioles.
Ryan Helsley tossed his first bullpen session since his elbow injury on Sunday, taking a significant step towards his return to the Orioles’ bullpen. He threw around 15 to 20 pitches and also mixed in his offspeed stuff, according to Jacob Calvin Meyer of The Baltimore Sun.
The plan is for Helsley to throw more bullpen sessions in the coming days and weeks, as he already has another bullpen set for this week. Helsley is hoping to pitch in games out of the Orioles’ bullpen before the regular season is done, per Andy Kostka of The Baltimore Banner.
A pair of injured list stints has restrained Helsley this season, as he has made only 17 appearances this year. Right elbow discomfort landed him on the injured list towards the beginning of July, which has held him out since as he was later transferred to the 60-day injured list.
In just 15 ⅓ innings of work this season, Helsley has not been entirely dominant, but has shown flashes of his high upside. The right-hander has spun a 4.11 ERA in that span and has struck out 21 batters while walking nine. In nine save opportunities this season, Helsley has earned eight saves, which remains the most by an Orioles reliever this year.
Prior to the 2026 season, Baltimore signed Helsley to a two-year, $28 million contract, with intentions to make him their closer as Bautista remained sidelined. Though he has not been consistently present in their bullpen this season, his return during a postseason push can be huge for the Orioles’ bullpen.
Helsley has been one of the league’s most consistent closers over the past few seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals before being dealt to the New York Mets at the trade deadline last year, where he had struggled down the stretch in posting a 7.20 ERA in 22 games with the Mets.
A late-inning, high-leverage tandem of Helsley and Bautista is one that Baltimore hopes can help bring it towards a postseason spot. Bautista is not far off from a return, but Helsley remains weeks away.
