Rays Acquire Right-Handed Pitcher Tyler Wells from Orioles
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.— The Tampa Bay Rays have acquired right-handed pitcher Tyler Wells from the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for minor league right-handed pitcher Michael Forret. To make room on the 40-man roster, right-handed pitcher Chase Solesky was designated for assignment.
Wells, 31, has gone 2-2 with a 2.67 ERA (54.0 IP, 16 ER), four saves, 11 holds, 53 strikeouts, 13 walks, a 0.96 WHIP, and a .202 (39-for-193) opponent batting average over 43 relief appearances for the Orioles this season. This includes a 1.01 ERA (26.2 IP, 3 ER) in his last 22 outings since the start of June, 19 of which were scoreless. Over that span, he leads the majors (min. 25.0 IP) in opponent average (.133) and OPS (.440), ranks second in WHIP (0.67) behind Milwaukee’s Jacob Misiorowski (0.66), and owns the majors’ third-best ERA, trailing New York-AL’s Brent Headrick (0.90) and Pittsburgh’s Yohan Ramírez (0.98).
On the year, Wells holds career bests in ERA, home runs per 9.0 IP (1.00), FIP (3.41), whiff rate (30.3 pct.), barrel rate (5.6 pct.), and hard-hit rate (31.5 pct.). Among American League (AL) pitchers with 50.0 innings pitched or more, the hard-hit rate ranks fifth behind Los Angeles-AL’s Brent Suter (30.4 pct.), New York-AL’s Max Fried (30.5 pct.), Toronto’s Spencer Arrighetti (30.6 pct.), and the Athletics Jacob Lopez (30.9 pct.). Since the beginning of 2025, he ranks fifth among AL pitchers (min. 75.0 IP) in both WHIP (0.94) and opponent on-base percentage (.250).
Over 142 career major league appearances (50 starts) with the Orioles from 2021-26, the Tulsa, Okla. native has gone 20-21 with a 3.79 ERA, nine saves, 13 holds, 342 strikeouts, 92 walks, and a 1.02 WHIP. Wells was selected by the Twins in the 15th round of the 2016 First-Year Player Draft out of California State University, San Bernardino. Wells was claimed off waivers by the Orioles on Dec. 10, 2020.
Forret, 22, was acquired from the Orioles along with catcher Caden Bodine, outfielder Slater de Brun, outfielder Austin Overn, and a 2026 Competitive Balance Round A selection (shortstop Taj Marchand) in exchange for right-handed pitcher Shane Baz on Dec. 19, 2025. The right-hander has allowed three earned runs or fewer in 16 of his 19 starts between Triple-A Durham (nine starts) and Double-A Montgomery (10 starts) this season, going 7-2 with a 3.29 ERA (93.0 IP, 34 ER), 102 strikeouts, 40 walks, and a .219 (74-for-338) opponent batting average. The Rays No. 8 prospect (MLB.com), Forret was selected by the Orioles in the 14th round of the 2023 First-Year Player Draft.