Orioles closer Ryan Helsley heads to injured list with elbow inflammation

NEW YORK — The Orioles will be without their closer for this series against the Yankees. Right-hander Ryan Helsley was placed on the 15-day injured list with right elbow inflammation.

After the game, manager Craig Albernaz said there is a low level of concern and an MRI came back clean.

“Level of concern is not high at all,” Albernaz said after the Orioles’ 7-2 loss to the Yankees. “Imaging came back, happy with it. So he’s getting on some anti-inflammatories to knock that out, and he should be ready to go.”

The Orioles selected the contract of right-hander Albert Suárez, who had his new minor league deal approved by MLB only a few hours earlier.

Helsley’s injury designation is retroactive to Wednesday. He pitched a clean ninth inning Tuesday in a win against the Houston Astros. Albernaz said Helsley felt the discomfort about a week ago but figured it would go away. When it didn’t, the Orioles opted to put him on the injured list to ensure Helsley’s long-term health.

Since joining this offseason, Helsley has been a lockdown force at the back end of the bullpen. He’s 7-for-7 in save attempts. Helsley carries a 2.53 ERA in 10 2/3 innings.

The Orioles are once more buffeted by injuries. They have 12 players on the injured list, and 16 have been on the shelf this season.

Suárez was designated for assignment late last month, and although he elected free agency rather than an outright assignment to Triple-A once he cleared waivers, he quickly agreed to a new minor league deal. On Thursday night, Suárez prepared to head to Nashville, Tennessee, to meet up with Triple-A Norfolk. Instead, Baltimore rerouted him to New York.

This was the second roster move Baltimore made ahead of the series opener at Yankee Stadium. The Orioles activated left-hander Cade Povich to start the series opener and optioned right-hander Cameron Foster.

There is an opening in the rotation Sunday. Right-hander Kyle Bradish is scheduled to pitch Saturday, and right-hander Shane Baz will take the bump Monday in the finale of this four-game series. Suárez could be the bulk option Sunday, but he pitched 2 2/3 innings of Friday night’s game.

Without Helsley for at least two weeks, the bullpen loses an experienced back-end option. When Helsley has been unavailable this year after pitching back-to-back days, the Orioles have turned to right-hander Anthony Nunez for late-game moments. Nunez, 24, picked up his first career save against the Kansas City Royals on April 22.

Right-hander Rico Garcia is also a high-leverage option, along with right-hander Tyler Wells.

This article has been updated.