Baltimore Orioles Make A Move With Pitcher Mike Wright

The Baltimore Orioles have designated Mike Wright for assignment ahead of Sunday’s game.

Before the Baltimore Orioles take the field to try and salvage a game against the Minnesota Twins, the O’s have announced a small shakeup among the pitching staff.

According to the team’s official Twitter account, the Orioles have designated relief pitcher Mike Wright for assignment and purchased the contract of pitcher Gabriel Ynoa from the Norfolk Tides.

Out of options and needing a big spring training to impress the new regime in charge of Baltimore, Mike Wright delivered in spring training. The 29-year-old pitched to a 3.32 ERA, struck out 13, and walked five in 21.2 spring innings, drawing praise for his positive performance.

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However, it was clear that Wright’s spring numbers weren’t as positive as they appeared and the same old version of Mike Wright was destined to appear once the regular season started. He allowed five home runs and a .310 batting average in spring, proving unable to keep runners off base.

In 10 regular season games, Wright has posted a 9.45 ERA (7.67 FIP), a 2.03 WHIP, and has allowed hitters to record a .345 batting average. He’s averaging 3.38 HR/9 against him and 4.73 BB/9.

Any belief that Mike Wright was going to turn things around in 2019 seemed a little far-fetched. Five seasons of major league experience have proven what type of pitcher Mike Wright is. In 101 career games, Wright has recorded a 10-12 record, 5.95 ERA, 1.55 WHIP, and has issued 43 home runs in just 242 innings.

During spring training, I wrote about Gabriel Ynoa and his opportunity to crack the Opening Day roster. Injuries have limited his major league time recently, however, the former Top 30 prospect of the New York Mets has shown positive numbers. His fastball has a lot of movement, his slider is a decent strikeout pitch, and there’s real potential for Ynoa to be a major league contributor.

He’s made three starts in AAA with the Norfolk Tides, limited hitters to a .206 average across 17 innings, including a five-inning no-hit performance against the Gwinnett Stripers to start his 2019 campaign.

I’m sure it wasn’t the best news for Mike Wright to hear on Easter Sunday morning, however, it’s about time a move was made. If Wright clears waivers, his time with the Baltimore Orioles may not be over. We’ll see what happens over the next few days.

The Orioles have also sent Branden Kline back to the Norfolk Tides. He was the extra man for Saturday’s doubleheader against the Twins.