For almost the entirety of 2026, Baltimore felt the absence of a real closer. Sometimes it’d be Tyler Wells. Sometimes Yennier Cano. They’d even sometimes throw Grant Wolfram out there in the ninth, though they should have known better. None of this was by design. In August 2025, the Mountain toppled—Félix Bautista, one of the best closers in the game, went down with shoulder problems, and missed over a year after surgery, on top of a UCL injury the year before. His intended replacement was Ryan
Helsley. The two-time All-Star with St. Louis had had a rough finish to 2025 with the Mets, plagued by accusations of pitch-tipping, but he came to Baltimore on a two-year, $28 million deal to replace the injured Bautista, and for about a month, looked like the guy was once one of the best closers in the American League. Then his right elbow started acting up, and Hellboy’s first season in the orange and black never got back on track.
Helsley made his first impression for Baltimore on Opening Day, and boy, was it a doozy. Hellboy pitched a scoreless ninth against the Twins to save a 2-1 win, striking out the side on 19 pitches. Six of those pitches hit 100 MPH, and one reached 101.9. That was the hardest pitch thrown by an Oriole since Bautista hit 102.3 in 2023. For a staff that threw only five triple-digit pitches combined in 2024 and 2025, that was a big change. Helsley also showed a new splitter to go with his fastball and slider. “That was the best we’ve seen Hels,” Craig Albernaz said afterward.
The good results continued from there. Helsley entered an April 21 game against the Royals with a 1.93 ERA and six saves. That night he had his first real dud as an Oriole. He threw only nine strikes in 22 pitches and walked two, and his second wild pitch let Maikel Garcia score the winning run. It was the first time since 2019 that Helsley had thrown two wild pitches in one outing, though it looked like a simple off night. He bounced back and saved a win over the Astros on April 28. You wouldn’t have known it then, but this would be Hellz Bellz’s last appearance for a month and a half.
At the end of April, Helsley was shelved with right elbow inflammation. He said he had felt something about a week earlier and assumed it would go away. Testing came back clean, and Albernaz said the level of concern was “not high at all.” At the time, Helsley was 7-for-7 in save chances with a 2.53 ERA and 15 strikeouts over 10.2 innings. His seven walks were higher than you’d like, but he was doing what a closer is supposed to do.
Helsley didn’t return to the mound until June 17, six weeks and two rehab outings at Norfolk later. Helsley said he felt “pain-free” and like “my normal self,” but he also said he would need “a couple outings or so” to readjust. His first appearances back were bumpy, and he had a 7.71 ERA over five games after returning. He had started to settle in, with no earned runs over his last three outings, when the elbow flared up again. On July 1, Helsley felt discomfort while warming up for a save chance against the White Sox, and he went back on the IL two days later. This time, Albernaz said the concern was “high.”
That was the end of Helsley’s season, though it took a while to become official. He was moved to the 60-day IL in July, gathered opinions on his elbow, and eventually returned to a mound for a scoreless rehab inning at Norfolk on September 12. With only a week left in the season, the Orioles decided not to rush him back and shut him down on September 19. “We decided,” said GM Mike Elias, that rushing Helsley back “might not be the wisest play,” adding that the club would “gear him toward 2027.”
Overall, Helsley finished the year with a 4.11 ERA over 15.1 innings in 17 games, going 8-for-9 in save chances. Those numbers aren’t great, but they mostly reflect the time around his injuries. Before his elbow became a problem, he was looking like just the answer the Orioles needed.
There’s no question that without him, the bullpen was certainly weaker. Albernaz went to a closer-by-committee type of thing, but this approach never really replaced Helsley’s ability to close out a game. This was true even on, maybe especially on, September 19, when the 6’8” Bautista returned after 14 months away, the same day Helsley was shut down. It was apparent, though, that Bautista wasn’t fully “back,” either.
The question now is what happens with Helsley’s contract. His deal includes a $14 million player option for 2027. After an injury-plagued year, it would be surprising if he passed up that money to test free agency, so I expect him back. That would give the Orioles two closers with big-time stuff in Helsley and Bautista, though neither one is a sure thing health-wise. If both are healthy, Albernaz could have a strong late-inning pair, and Cano could stay in the setup role where he’s been at his best.
Helsley’s track record helps. He led the majors with 49 saves and a 2.04 ERA for the Cardinals in 2024, and he’s a two-time All-Star. His 2025 with the Mets was a mess, with a 7.20 ERA in 22 games, but his first month in Baltimore suggested that stretch was a blip and not the start of a decline.
Relievers are volatile, and elbow trouble in back-to-back half-seasons is worrying for a pitcher who relies on throwing 100 MPH. Still, the Helsley we saw in April was a real difference-maker. If the Orioles can get that version back for a full season in 2027, it would go a long way toward helping them get back into contention.
