The Orioles can't catch a break in 2026. MLB Trade Rumors confirmed Friday that right-hander Colin Selby has undergone season-ending surgery, while first baseman Ryan Mountcastle is now dealing with an oblique strain that could keep him out for the rest of the year too.
Selby's year never really got started. According to reporting from Orioles president of baseball operations Mike Elias, the reliever developed shoulder inflammation early in spring training and never got past it, eventually needing surgery on his right labrum and rotator cuff. That kind of procedure typically comes with a long runway back, and it sounds like Selby is staring down a recovery that bleeds into 2027. The lone silver lining: he'll bank a year of MLB service time while parked on the injured list, which matters for his long-term earning clock even if it does nothing for Baltimore's bullpen depth right now.
Mountcastle's situation is arguably the tougher pill to swallow, because it's the second setback on top of a setback. The 29-year-old first baseman had already been limited to just 8 games in 2026 after fracturing his left foot early in the season. He was finally working his way back and gearing up for a rehab assignment with Triple-A Norfolk when he pulled an oblique muscle, and an MRI reportedly showed a significant strain.
Elias has indicated the oblique injury will sideline Mountcastle for a couple of months, with the team still hoping to get him back on the field before the season ends. But given how little time he's had in the lineup already, it's fair to wonder how much runway is actually left for a real return in 2026 — and how much rust he'd need to shake off even if he does make it back.
None of this happens in a vacuum for Baltimore. A team trying to reload around its young core doesn't need more attrition at the corner infield and in the bullpen, and losing both a reliever for the year and a middle-of-the-order bat for an extended stretch compounds the kind of depth issues that show up down the stretch. For fantasy managers and O's fans alike, it's another reminder that this roster's health has been the story of the season as much as anything happening on the field.