Isaac

Mattson

Jefferies (elbow) and Heller (shoulder) are coming off injuries, while Mattson was a late-season call-up for the Pirates as emergency relief depth. The trio have the ability to elect free agency, but have been removed from Pittsburgh’s 40-man roster heading into the offseason.

Mattson hasn’t pitched in the major leagues since 2021. He had a 3.17 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and 89 strikeouts in 71 innings between Double-A and Triple-A this year. He’s a fresh arm for the bullpen. Jake Woodford was designated for assignment as the corresponding move.

Mattson’s lone major league experience came when he made four appearances for the 2021 Orioles. He had a 3.62 ERA and a 42/24 K/BB ratio in 32 1/3 innings as a reliever for the Twins’ Double-A affiliate last season.

Mattson last appeared in the majors for the Orioles during the 2021 campaign when he made four relief appearances. The 27-year-old righty gets another shot in affiliated ball after posting a solid 3.32 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 24/8 K/BB ratio across 19 innings (18 appearances) this season for the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs of the independent Atlantic League.

Mattson made four relief appearances last year for the Orioles and has struggled mightily this season at Triple-A Norfolk, registering a calamitous 6.62 ERA, 1.81 WHIP and 14/20 K/BB ratio across 17 2/3 innings (19 appearances). He’s still only 27 years old, so there’s a shot another organization is willing to roll the dice that he can harness his control issues.

He’s now off the 40-man roster. Mattson had a cup of coffee with the O’s last season.

Mattson was likely to open the regular season on the 10-day injured list due to shoulder discomfort, which is expected to keep him sidelined until late April or early May. However, he still has options left, so the Orioles have decided to jettison him to Triple-A Norfolk. He should be an option for Baltimore’s bullpen at some point this summer.

Mattson has resumed throwing, but remains roughly a month behind the rest of the Orioles’ pitching staff and isn’t expected to get into a Grapefruit League contest before the conclusion of spring training. He’ll open the regular season on the injured list, but shouldn’t need too much time on a minor-league rehab assignment before rejoining Baltimore’s bullpen.

Mattson came down with some right shoulder discomfort early in the offseason, but it was ultimately diagnosed as tendinitis and he’s only a bit behind the other pitchers in Orioles camp. The 26-year-old should be an option for Baltimore’s bullpen by mid-April.

He’ll replace Alexander Wells. The 26-year-old hurler has appeared in three games for the Orioles this season, posting a 9.00 ERA, 2.33 WHIP and 3/4 K/BB ratio across three innings. He’s likely to be used in middle relief.