The Orioles announcement they placed right-hander Tyler Wells on the 10-day injured list due to inflammation of the right shoulder. Right-hander Spenser Watkins was recalled from Triple-A in the corresponding movement.

Since Wells just launched on Friday, there is no retroactive placement on the IL move, and so Wells’ first major league season is officially over. Although Wells has never pitched above the Double-A level and hasn’t pitched at all since 2018, the 27-year-old has made a very impressive record of himself in his first season.

Over 57 innings off the Baltimore pen, Wells posted a 4.11 ERA and very strong walk (5.4%) and strikeout (29%) rates, plus a chase rate that ranked in the 95th percentile of all pitchers. Wells allowed a lot of hard contact and enjoyed a BABIP of .226, but his SIERA of 3.37 was a bit lower than his actual ERA.

This is the second time Wells has been placed on the IL this season, as he missed just under three weeks with wrist tendonitis. As a rule 5 draft pick, Wells had to spend the entire season on the Orioles roster for the team to fully assume their rights, and he’s already well past the threshold needed for time on the active roster.

The Orioles are arguably the most aggressive baseball team on the Rule 5 front in years, and that tradition has continued under current general manager Mike Elias. Antoine Santander, TJ McFarland and Ryan Flaherty are perhaps the most prominent Baltimore Rule 5 picks that have become notable big-league regulars for the Orioles and other teams, and Wells’ rookie year is a good first step to join that group.

Wells was a 15th round pick for the Twins in the 2016 draft, and he started his career primarily as a starter while posting solid numbers in the Minnesota farm system. However, his career was cut short by an operation from Tommy John which cost him the entire 2019 campaign and then he was unable to play in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season. The Twins decided to leave him exposed in last December’s Rule 5 draft, and the O’s ripped off Wells in the second round. (The Orioles also made a first-round pick with right-hander Mac Sceroler, but he was fired to the Reds in June after an injury-plagued season.)