Orioles’ Keegan Akin Making Progress Toward Season Debut

Akin, 30, landed on the 15-day IL with a left groin strain just before Opening Day. The southpaw sustained the injury March 22 when he slipped in the bullpen while warming up during Baltimore’s Grapefruit League matchup against the Philadelphia Phillies.

For much of his six-year major league career, Akin has been a dependable option in the Orioles’ bullpen. He has appeared in 199 games (five starts) over the past four seasons, posting a 3.64 ERA and 9.4 K/9 rate during that span. In 2025, he recorded a 3.41 ERA over 63.1 innings with eight saves.

Baltimore’s bullpen is also without star closer Félix Bautista (right shoulder surgery) and veteran setup man Andrew Kittredge (right shoulder inflammation), creating uncertainty in the back end. The club does have a pair of healthy left-handers in Dietrich Enns and Grant Wolfram, but aside from new closer Ryan Helsley, no one currently in the Orioles’ relief corps has a defined high-leverage role.

On Opening Day, the Orioles turned to former starter Tyler Wells to protect a 2-0 lead in the eighth inning. The 6-foot-8 right-hander allowed one run on a sacrifice fly but set up Helsley to pick up his first save in an Orioles uniform. In Game 2 of the series, four relievers combined for 4.1 innings of one-run ball in a 4-1 loss to the Minnesota Twins.

Once Akin and Kittredge return, high-leverage roles could become more defined. Akin handled ninth-inning duties over the final two months of the 2025 season after Bautista’s injury and trade deadline moves cut into Baltimore’s bullpen depth.

While his handedness and middling velocity keep him from being an ideal closer candidate, Akin's experience in close games should make first-year manager Craig Albernaz’s job easier in the seventh and eighth innings. Akin’s 15-day IL stint is retroactive to March 22, making him eligible to return as early as April 6.

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