Riley

O'Brien

O’Brien won a spot in the Cardinals bullpen this spring, only to suffer an injury to his flexor tendon in his first major league appearance. He’ll probably spend at least a couple of weeks in the minors working his way back.

O’Brien was placed on the injured list by the Cardinals on Sunday with his flexor tendon strain, and the right-hander will be shut down from throwing while recovering. It’s good news for the 29-year-old that he appears to have avoided a long-term injury for now, but it’ll likely be a while before he’s back on the mound.

O’Brien will be out indefinitely while recovering from the injury. The right-hander earned a spot on the Cardinals’ pitching staff after a strong showing the Grapefruit League. John King is coming up from Triple-A Memphis to take O’Brien’s place.

O’Brien seems poised to claim a spot in the Cardinals’ pen. The 29-year-old was picked up from the Mariners in November after Seattle deemed him unworthy of a spot on the 40-man. He had a 2.29 ERA and an 86/31 K/BB ratio in 55 innings as a Triple-A reliever last season.

It’s presumably for cash or a low-level minor leaguer. O’Brien, 28, pitched briefly in the majors with the Reds in 2021 and the Mariners in 2022. Last season was his second since being moved to the pen, and he had a 2.29 ERA and an 86/31 K/BB ratio in 55 innings for Triple-A Tacoma. It wasn’t enough to get the Mariners to put him back on the 40-man, but the Cardinals thought it was worth grabbing him here instead of hoping to sign him as a minor league free agent.

O’Brien went unclaimed on waivers after being designated for assignment back on May 27. He’ll remain with the Mariners as extra relief depth this season. The 27-year-old righty made just one relief appearance this season at the big-league level.

The move clears a spot on the 40-man roster for Roenis Elias. O’Brien had been acquired from the Reds last month after Cincinnati designated him for assignment, and he’ll now go through the waiver process again.

O’Brien will go down to Triple-A to make room on the active roster for top pitching prospect George Kirby. The 27-year-old right-hander made one appearance for Seattle, tossing a scoreless inning with one strikeout.

O’Brien was claimed off waivers from the Reds last month and will join the Seattle bullpen ahead of Thursday night’s game against the visiting Rays. To date, the 27-year-old has made just one career MLB appearance.

O’Brien, 27, was designated for assignment by the Reds on Wednesday. The right-hander will provide organizational depth for Seattle in 2022.