Danny

Coulombe

Coulombe ended the season on the injured list after a procedure to remove bone spurs from his elbow, so perhaps that, plus him being 35 years old, led the Orioles to move on. It’s a bit surprising since Coulombe posted a 2.12 ERA and 0.67 WHIP in 33 games this season. Perhaps the Orioles can still bring him back, but Coulombe will now be a free agent and able to sign with any team.

Coulombe has been out since June 8 because of a procedure to remove bone spurs. The left-hander was a big part of the Baltimore bullpen before the injury with a 2.42 ERA over 29 appearances, and he should be a mid-to-late inning option now that he’s back.

Coulombe, who last pitched June 8 before surgery to remove bone spurs from his elbow, is going to need to make at least two or three appearances in the minors. He had a 2.42 ERA in 29 appearances before going down.

it’s the first time Coulombe has been able to face live pitching since being placed on the 60-day injured list. The southpaw had bone spurs removed from his left elbow in June, and there’s hope he can help the Baltimore bullpen again before the end of 2024.

The procedural move opens up a spot on Baltimore’s 40-man roster after Coulombe underwent surgery last month to remove bone chips from his left elbow. There’s optimism he’ll be ready to return in September, barring any setbacks during his rehabilitation process.

The 34-year-old southpaw is hopeful that he’ll be able to return to the Orioles’ bullpen at some point in September. Before landing on the injured list with left elbow inflammation, Coulombe had registered an outsanding 2.42 ERA, 0.62 WHIP and a 28/3 K/BB ratio over 26 innings in 29 appearances out of the O’s bullpen this season.

Coulombe will be out of action for at least two weeks, but there’s no timetable for a return just yet. The 34-year-old will be on the shelf, so the Orioles have brought up right-hander Bryan Baker to take his place in the bullpen.

Kimbrel pitched the seventh inning on Friday against the Diamondbacks and it certainly appears that the Orioles are set on giving him some lower-leverage situations to get back on track before they consider putting him back in the ninth inning role. For now, it seems like Yennier Cano will handle any save chances that arise, while Danny Coulombe and Jacob Webb could also be in the mix.

When the two sides exchanged figures in mid-January, Coulombe had filed at $2.4 million, the Orioles countered at $2.2 million — and now they’ll meet right in the middle and avoid an unnecessary hearing. The 34-year-old southpaw was a key cog in the Orioles’ bullpen in 2023 — posting a stellar 2.81 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and a 58/12 K/BB ratio across 51 1/3 innings in his 61 appearances.

The Orioles lead the way with five players that could be headed for an arbitration hearing if the two sides are unable to reach a settlement, while the Marlins have three high-profile players of their own still unresolved. Guerrero Jr.'s $19.9 million request represents the highest figure, while the Rangers and Adolis García have the largest gap ($1.9 million) in negotiations. The smallest figure belongs to Casey Mize, who could be headed to a hearing despite just a $25,000 differential. Here’s the full list of arbitration-eligible players with contractual situations, with the players requested salaries listed and their respective clubs filing in parentheses, that have yet to be settled following Thursday evening’s deadline: Taylor Ward $4.8 million ($4.3 million), Jose Suárez $1.35 million ($935,000), Mauricio Dubón $3.5 million ($3 million), Vladimir Guerrero Jr. $19.9 million ($18.95 million), Tommy Edman $6.95 million ($6.5 million), J.D. Davis $6.9 million ($6.5 million), Tanner Scott $5.7 million ($5.15 million), Luis Arraez $12 million ($10.6 million), Jazz Chisholm Jr. $2.9 million ($2.625 million), Phil Bickford $900,000 ($815,000), Danny Coulombe $2.4 million ($2.2 million), Austin Hays $6.3 million ($5.85 million), Ryan O’Hearn $3.8 million ($3.2 million), Cionel Pérez $1.4 million ($1.1 million), Jacob Webb $1 million ($925,000), Alec Bohm $4 million ($3.4 million), Adolis García $6.9 million ($5 million), Harold Ramírez $4.3 million ($3.8 million), Jason Adam $3.25 million ($2.7 million), Jonathan India $4 million ($3.2 million), Casey Mize $840,000 ($815,000) and Nick Gordon $1.25 million ($900,000).