How Orioles' pitcher fared in his final rehab start

Wells continued to roll through his outing, allowing only two earned runs in 6.1 innings, striking out five and walking only one; of his 90 pitches, nearly two-thirds were for strikes. He completed his rehab assignment averaging a strikeout per inning while posting an ERA of 2.49.

The Minnesota Twins originally drafted Wells in the 15th round in 2016. He was acquired by the Orioles on December 10, 2020, in the Rule 5 Draft and made Baltimore's roster the following spring. He went 2-3 with a 4.41 ERA in 44 games out of the bullpen as a rookie before winning seven games in each of the next two seasons as a starter.

Wells appeared in only three games last season before the UCL injury, posting a record of 0-2 with an ERA of 5.87 in 15.1 innings. The 31-year-old has a career MLB record of 16-18 with an ERA of 4.06 in 294.2 innings.

Orioles to go with six-man rotation upon Wells' return

Instead of removing a player from the active roster, the Orioles plan to go with a six-man rotation when Wells returns to the team next week. In addition to Wells, the rotation will consist of Kyle Bradish, Dean Kremer, Tomoyuki Sugano, Trevor Rogers, and Cade Povich.

The move is possible since MLB rosters will expand from 26 to 28 players beginning September 1. Moving to a six-man rotation can give each starter additional rest coming down to the final few weeks of the season. This will be especially helpful for Wells and Kyle Bradish, also coming off injury.

Bradish, who was limited to only eight appearances last season, made his first start on Tuesday. He threw an impressive six innings, striking out 10 while allowing only two runs on four hits. Sugano leads the Orioles with 10 wins and an ERA of 4.06, while Kremer leads the team with 157.1 innings pitched and 127 strikeouts.