Orioles make last minute bullpen shuffle, select journeyman lefty from Triple-A

On Saturday afternoon, the Orioles announced they had selected the contract of left handed reliever Tucker Davidson from Triple-A Norfolk. Davidson was claimed off waivers at the end of last year, having spent the final few months of the 2023 season with the Royals.

Davidson spent the entirety of 2024 with the Tides, pitching to a 3.89 ERA across 115.2 innings. The lefty worked in a hybrid role throughout the year, making 32 appearances, including 17 starts, en route to one of the better seasons he's had in recent memory.

Originally drafted and developed by Atlanta, Davidson spent 7 years in the Braves system. He made his major league debut back in 2020 but pitched just 21.2 innings at the major league level between 2020-2021 combined.

Over the course of his career, the lefty has pitched to a 5.98 ERA, excluding Saturday's matchup in Minnesota. His 17.2% strikeout rate and 11.5% walk rate leave much to be desired, though he was better than those numbers would have you believe in the minors this year.

It's unlikely that Davidson will see time with the Orioles in the postseason, barring another injury. At best, Davidson is the fifth best lefty in the O's bullpen at the moment, and there's no chance they run that type of roster construction in the playoffs.

The Orioles have done some last minute bullpen shuffling with just one game left to play

In the corresponding move for Davidson, the Orioles optioned right handed reliever Bryan Baker back down to the spring training complex. It's not as bad as it sounds, considering that the minor league seasons have all been completed and there are few places for him to pitch in the meantime.

Baker has had a difficult year with the Orioles, pitching to a 5.01 ERA across 19 appearances. He's underperformed a bit, posting a 3.77 FIP but we're about out of time for his numbers to see some positive regression.

Baker has struck out a touch fewer batters this year than he had in the previous two, but his walk rate has greatly improved. After walking nearly 13% of batters faced in 2023, Baker posted a 7.5% walk rate in Baltimore this year. He'll look to carry that part of his game over to 2025, and will ideally get rewarded for it.