Rico

Garcia

We’re wishing Helsley and his family the best. It’s unclear how long the Orioles will be without their closer, but he will certainly miss Wednesday’s game. Rico Garcia has also pitched in each of the last two games, so it might be Yennier Cano who gets called on if there is a save opportunity on Wednesday.

Garcia, who picked up his first career save last week, struck out Nolan Arenado to strand one in the fifth and then pitched a perfect sixth with the Orioles down by one. The relief no-hitter to start the year doesn’t set any records, but it’s pretty neat, especially for a 32-year-old journeyman still trying to establish himself.

After bouncing around and failing to establish himself in his twenties, Garcia has found some success in Baltimore, posting a 2.84 ERA in 20 appearances for the club last year and now opening this season with 5 2/3 scoreless innings. The save comes in his 65th big-league appearance since he debuted with the Rockies in 2019.

The 31-year-old Garcia, who didn’t pitch in the majors in 2024 and saw action with three teams this year, gets his 2026 deal squared away quickly after a nice run for Baltimore in which he had a 2.84 ERA in 19 innings out of the pen. The Orioles still could put him on waivers later in the offseason if they need his 40-man roster spot. It’s unusual for a pre-arbitration eligible player already under control by a team to sign a new deal in October, so we suspect that this contract has a little extra guarantee in order to make it less likely that he’d be claimed on waivers.

The Astros typically have just one lefty (Jesús Sánchez) in the top half of the lineup, so going with the right-handed opener makes some sense. It’ll be Povich’s second time pitching in a bulk role; he’s started 30 of his 31 major league appearances since debuting last year.

The 31-year-old Garcia, who spent 2022 in the Orioles system and appeared in six major league games, is back with the organization after posting a 3.52 ERA in 15 1/3 innings for the Yankees and Mets this season. He’ll be added to the active roster on Wednesday, which could result in another demotion for Yaramil Hiraldo.

Garcia has pitched extremely well for the Mets since being claimed off waivers back in late July, posting a microscopic 0.77 ERA and 15/2 K/BB ratio across 11 2/3 innings (seven appearances). The club has decided to go in a different direction with their relief mix for the final two months. There should be some interest on waivers in the coming days from contending clubs in need of bullpen help.

This reverses a move made a week ago, when the Yankees claimed Garcia from the Mets. Garcia gave up three runs in 2 2/3 innings in his one Yankees outing after pitching 4 2/3 scoreless frames for the Mets previously. He’s out of options, so he’ll join the active roster once he reports. Kevin Herget or Alex Carrillo could be sent down.

The 31-year-old hurler was only with the club for one game. He gets the boot after surrendering three runs on three hits and a pair of walks over 2 2/3 innings against the Braves on Friday evening. Allan Winans is expected to be promoted from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to take his place on the Yankees’ active roster on Saturday.

Garcia was claimed off waivers from the Mets on Monday after throwing two scoreless innings with the other New York team. He’ll now join the Yankees bullpen with Clayton Beeter being sent back to the minors.