Orioles designate Wright, select contract of Ynoa
The Baltimore Orioles have finally lost patience with Mike Wright, designating him for assignment on Sunday. Wright appeared in the second game of yesterday’s doubleheader, giving up four runs in 3 1/3 innings, bringing him to 0-1 with a 9.45 ERA in 10 games on the season. Opponents had a .351 batting average against him. Wright will be placed on waivers, and if no other team claims him, could remain with the Orioles.
The 29-year-old righty was drafted in the third round of the 2011 draft out of Eastern Carolina. In 2013, he was the Orioles’ minor league pitcher of the year after going 11-3 with a 3.11 ERA and 138 strikeouts. Wright made his first major league start in May of 2015 against the Angels. With the Orioles, Wright has gone 10-12 with a 5.95 ERA in 101 games. Manager Brandon Hyde stated, “It’s command. It’s not stuff, when we saw him really good, he was 96-97 mph. The cutter was off the plate. Guys had bad swings on him. That’s the guy I think can have success in the big leagues.”
To replace Wright on the roster, the Orioles have selected the contract of 25-year-old right-handed pitcher Gabriel Ynoa from Triple-A Norfolk. Ynoa was traded to the Orioles by the Mets for cash considerations in February of 2017. Ynoa has a career 3-3 record with a 4.92 ERA. This season at Norfolk, Ynoa was 1-0 with a 4.76 ERA in three starts. Injuries to his shins and arm cost Ynoa most of last season.
Fans had grown frustrated with Mike Wright long ago, even though he was once viewed as a rotational piece by the organization. It is unclear at this time whether Ynoa will replace Wright in the bullpen or make spot starts.
