The Orioles will be without one of their top bullpen arms for the near future.
Ahead of their 7-2 loss to the Yankees on Friday, the Orioles placed right-hander Ryan Helsley on the 15-Day injured list due to inflammation in his right elbow.
The extent of Helsley’s injury remains unclear, with Baltimore selecting righty Albert Suárez’s contract from Triple-A Norfolk to fill the roster void.
Helsley, 31, has experienced a solid start for the Orioles this season, boasting a 2.53 ERA with 15 strikeouts across 10⅔ innings.
Sliding into Baltimore’s closer role in place of the injured Felix Bautista, Helsley has already racked up seven saves in 12 appearances.
Helsley signed a two-year, $28 million deal with the Orioles this offseason following a disappointing stint with the Mets last year.
Helsley opened up to The Post this week about his struggles with the Mets and how he still does not really know the origin of what went wrong in Queens.
“Just for whatever reason, it just didn’t work out,” Helsley told The Post on Thursday. “I felt pretty good while I was there, and I felt like we had an insanely talented team, and for whatever reason we couldn’t win games. It was a weird, weird feeling.
“I’m sure for the guys who are there again this year, I’m sure it feels a little similar. It’s not a fun spot to be in.”
During his time in Queens, the two-time All-Star held an abysmal 7.20 ERA over 22 appearances along with blowing some key games in the season’s final stretch after they acquired him from the Cardinals at the trade deadline.
Helsley’s faults were primarily caused by a pitch-tipping issue, in which hitters could tell what pitch he was throwing based on his hand placement when he became set on the mound.
“Felt like I’d be good one outing, and then the next outing it would kind of creep back in,” Helsley added. “So I wasn’t really able to nip it out all the way completely.
“And then the last month there, I think I switched right as the calendar turned to September, and it felt weird the first few outings.”
