Cardinals' Riley O'Brien: Close to starting throwing program
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O'Brien (forearm) will begin a throwing program this week, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.
An MRI on O'Brien's right forearm showed no structural damage, but the team decided to shut him down for a few weeks regardless. It sounds like O'Brien is about ready to begin ramping up his throwing, and provided he avoids any setbacks, a return in mid-to-late May seems plausible. O'Brien has made single appearances in the majors each of the past three seasons, all for different teams (Reds, Mariners, Cardinals).
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Cardinals' Riley O'Brien: Shut down from throwing
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O'Brien (forearm) underwent an MRI on his right flexor tendon Monday, John Denton of MLB.com reports.
O'Brien does not have any structural damage in his right forearm according to manager Oliver Marmol, though he will be shut down for a time being before returning to throwing down the road. The right-hander was placed on the 15-day injured list Sunday, but it sounds like he'll likely miss more than the minimum time. For the time being, southpaw John King was called up Sunday to replace O'Brien in the Cardinals' bullpen.
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Cardinals' Riley O'Brien: Out with flexor strain
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O'Brien was placed on the 15-day injured list Sunday with a flexor strain in his right forearm.
O'Brien struck out two and allowed a run on a hit and two walks over one inning during his season debut Thursday, but he'll now be sidelined for at least the next couple weeks. John King was recalled from Triple-A Memphis in a corresponding move.
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Cardinals' Riley O'Brien: Auditioning well in spring
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O'Brien has allowed three hits and struck out two without walking a batter over three scoreless innings in Grapefruit League play.
O'Brien was acquired in a trade with the Mariners in November and added to the Cardinals' 40-man roster. So far, he's making a good case for a bullpen spot in 2024. Last season was his first good one at the Triple-A level -- he had a 2.29 ERA and saved 15 games for Triple-A Tacoma, but it remains to be seen how he'll adjust to major-league hitters in a larger sample.
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Cardinals' Riley O'Brien: Acquired by Cardinals
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The Cardinals acquired O'Brien from the Mariners on Monday in exchange for cash considerations and purchased his contract, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
O'Brien, 28, posted a dominant 2.29 ERA and 86:31 K:BB over 55 frames this past season at Triple-A Tacoma. He's allowed two runs over 2.1 innings during his brief time at the major-league level, which came over two appearances between 2021 and 2022. O'Brien joins the Cardinals' 40-man roster and should get the chance to compete for a spot in the Opening Day bullpen.
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Mariners' Riley O'Brien: Outrighted to Triple-A
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O'Brien cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Tacoma on Thursday.
O'Brien struck out one in a scoreless inning during his lone relief appearance for the Mariners in early May, but he was sent down May 8 and designated for assignment Friday. However, the right-hander will remain in Tacoma, where he's posted a 2.70 ERA and 1.60 WHIP in 10 innings over 10 relief appearances this year.
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Mariners' Riley O'Brien: DFA'd by Mariners
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O'Brien was designated for assignment by the Mariners on Friday.
O'Brien had a brief stint with the major-league club in early May but was sent down after spending just three days with the Mariners. He's posted a 2.70 ERA and 1.60 WHIP in 10 innings over 10 appearances at Triple-A Tacoma this year but will lose his spot on the 40-man roster as part of a move after Roenis Elias' contract was selected by the Mariners on Friday.
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Mariners' Riley O'Brien: Returns to minors
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The Mariners optioned O'Brien to Triple-A Tacoma on Sunday.
O'Brien's stay with the big club lasted just three days. He made his Mariners debut in relief during Saturday's 8-2 loss to the Rays, striking out one over a scoreless inning. The Mariners will replace O'Brien on the active roster with pitching prospect George Kirby, who was called up from Double-A Arkansas in advance of his scheduled start in Sunday's series finale with Tampa Bay.
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Mariners' Riley O'Brien: Joins big-league club
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O'Brien was recalled from Triple-A Tacoma on Thursday, Daniel Kramer of MLB.com reports.
O'Brien was acquired from the Reds in mid-April and will now receive his first look in the big leagues with the Mariners. The right-hander has appeared for five games for Tacoma this season and hasn't allowed a run over 5.2 innings.
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Mariners' Riley O'Brien: Dealt to Mariners
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O'Brien was traded from Cincinnati to Seattle in exchange for a player to be named later or cash considerations Saturday.
O'Brien was designated for assignment by Cincinnati on Wednesday in order to make room on the 40-man roster for Nick Lodolo. O'Brien pitched primarily out of the rotation for Triple-A Louisville in 2021, posting a 4.55 ERA with a 1.32 WHIP and 121:55 K:BB across 112.2 innings.
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Reds' Riley O'Brien: Dropped from 40-man roster
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The Reds designated O'Brien for assignment Wednesday.
He'll cede his spot on the 40-man roster to Nick Lodolo, whose contract was selected from Triple-A Louisville in advance of his MLB debut Wednesday against the Guardians. Along with Lodolo, O'Brien was among the cadre of young pitchers who was competing for a spot in the Reds' Opening Day rotation during spring training, but the 27-year-old right-hander was quickly removed from the competition. If he clears waivers, O'Brien will stick around in the organization and should be part of the rotation at Louisville, where he turned in a 4.55 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and 121:55 K:BB across 112.2 innings in 2021.
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Reds' Riley O'Brien: Optioned to minors
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O'Brien was reassigned to minor-league camp Sunday.
O'Brien spent the majority of the 2021 season at Triple-A Louisville and worked primarily as a starter. He racked up a 4.55 ERA and 1.32 WHIP across 112.2 innings in the minors and was rewarded with a spot start in Cincinnati to close the campaign. O'Brien could return to the majors as the season progresses if the Reds suffer injuries to their rotation.
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Reds' Riley O'Brien: Sent down Thursday
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O'Brien was optioned to Triple-A Louisville on Thursday.
O'Brien made his major-league debut as the starter in Tuesday's matchup against the White Sox, and he was charged with the loss when he allowed two runs on two hits and three walks while striking out two in 1.1 innings. He won't start during the Reds' final series of the regular season, so he'll return to the minors after Luis Castillo (personal) was activated Thursday.
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Reds' Riley O'Brien: Gives up two runs in short outing
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O'Brien (0-1) allowed two runs on two hits and three walks while striking out two over 1.1 innings as he took the loss against the White Sox on Tuesday.
O'Brien's MLB debut was not a smooth one after he started in place of Luis Castillo, who was placed on the family medical emergency list Monday. Both hits he let up went for solo home runs, with Luis Robert going yard in the first and Yoan Moncada repeating the feat to lead off the second. He also scuffled with command, throwing just 22 of 42 pitches for strikes while walking three batters. The 26-year-old has also struggled with giving out free passes at Triple-A this season, so his inability to find the strike zone consistently wasn't all that surprising.
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Reds' Riley O'Brien: Scheduled to start Tuesday
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O'Brien will be recalled to start Tuesday's game against the White Sox, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.
The start will be the 26-year-old's major-league debut. He doesn't project as anything more than a back-end starter and has been unremarkable for Triple-A Louisville this season, posting a 4.55 ERA across 23 outings. Control is his main issue, as he's walked 11.2 percent of opposing batters, something his merely above-average 24.7 percent strikeout rate hasn't been enough to offset.
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Reds' Riley O'Brien: Called up ahead of start
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O'Brien was recalled as expected Tuesday ahead of his scheduled start against the White Sox.
The 26-year-old hasn't stood out at the Triple-A level this season, with an 11.2 percent walk rate inflating his ERA to 4.55, but he'll be called on for his big-league debut nonetheless. Cionel Perez was optioned to clear a spot on the roster.
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Reds' Riley O'Brien: Sent to minors
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O'Brien was optioned to Triple-A Louisville on Friday.
O'Brien's contract was selected in November but he's yet to make his big-league debut. He owns a strong 2.83 ERA in 232 minor-league innings but has yet to reach Triple-A, so he'll head there before making a serious push for a roster spot.
