Ellis signed a minor-league contract with the Diamondbacks on Thursday.
Ellis sat out the 2023 season with a shoulder injury and was set to pitch independent ball to begin 2024. He'll presumably report to Triple-A Reno and will serve as non-roster depth for the time being.
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Chris Ellis: Elects free agency
Rotowire
Ellis (shoulder) elected free agency Friday instead of reporting to Triple-A Norfolk, Nathan Ruiz of The Baltimore Sun reports.
Ellis was outrighted to Triple-A on Sunday, but he has decided to test the open market instead of reporting to Norfolk. The right-hander appeared in two games with the Orioles in 2022 before undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery, surrendering five runs over 4.1 innings. The 30-year-old will look to return to his 2021 form at his next destination after posting a 2.15 ERA over seven appearances during that campaign.
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Orioles' Chris Ellis: Activated, outrighted to Triple-A
Rotowire
Ellis (shoulder) was reinstated from the 60-day injured list and outrighted to Triple-A Norfolk on Sunday, Dan Connolly of The Athletic reports.
Ellis appeared in only two games for the Orioles before he required season-ending shoulder surgery in early May, and he won't stick on the 40-man roster through the offseason. It's unclear if he's expected to be healthy for the start of spring training in February.
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Orioles' Chris Ellis: Shifts to 60-day IL
Rotowire
Ellis (shoulder) was transferred to the 60-day injured list Thursday.
Ellis had already been ruled out for the season after undergoing arthroscopic shoulder surgery in early May, so his move to the 60-day IL is simply procedural to open up a spot on the 40-man roster. The right-hander is a likely non-tender candidate this offseason.
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Orioles' Chris Ellis: Receives shoulder scope
Rotowire
Ellis underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right shoulder Wednesday and is without a clear timeline for a return from the 10-day injured list, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.
After meeting with renowned arm specialist Dr. Keith Meister in Arlington, Texas, Ellis opted to go under the knife to address the shoulder injury he sustained in his April 24 start against the Angels. Since his surgery was a scope rather than a labrum repair, Ellis should be able to return later this season, though he'll likely be sidelined for at least a month before he starts up a throwing program.
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Orioles' Chris Ellis: Getting shoulder looked at
Rotowire
Ellis left the Orioles on Tuesday to receive an evaluation on his right shoulder from a doctor in Texas, Rich Dubroff of BaltimoreBaseball.com reports.
Ellis was diagnosed with right shoulder inflammation when he was placed on the injured list April 26, but the fact that he's visiting a doctor far away from Baltimore hints that a more severe injury could be in play. The Orioles should provide an update on Ellis' condition after the checkup, but at the very least, he'll be sidelined for more than the minimum.
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Orioles' Chris Ellis: Hits IL with shoulder issue
Rotowire
The Orioles placed Ellis on the 10-day injured list Tuesday with right shoulder inflammation, retroactive to April 25.
Ellis pitched through the injury in his second start of the season in the Orioles' loss to the Angels on Sunday, when he was tagged for five earned runs on one hit and three walks while failing to record an out before he was mercifully pulled. Though the fact that the Orioles diagnosed him with shoulder inflammation rather than a strain bodes well for his chances of avoiding an extended absence, Ellis might not have a rotation spot waiting for him once he's healthy again.
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Orioles' Chris Ellis: Exits with right shoulder issue
Rotowire
Ellis was removed from Sunday's game against the Angels in the top of the first inning due to right shoulder discomfort, Rich Dubroff of BaltimoreBaseball.com reports.
Ellis started Sunday's matchup and gave up five runs on a hit and three walks while failing to record an out. He had tossed 4.1 scoreless innings in his season debut, so it's possible his injury contributed to his struggles Sunday. It's not yet clear whether he'll be able to pitch when he lines up at home against the Red Sox on Saturday.
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Orioles' Chris Ellis: Posts 4.1 scoreless innings
Rotowire
Ellis registered a no-decision during Tuesday's 2-1 loss to Oakland, allowing four hits and three walks with two strikeouts in 4.1 innings.
Ellis was called up to make his first appearance of the season and responded with a quality performance. He allowed multiple baserunners in the second, fourth and fifth innings but was able to keep Oakland off the scoreboard and Baltimore in the game. Ellis has pitched well when given the opportunity with a career 1.82 ERA through 34.2 innings and may have earned another pass through the rotation with the solid outing.
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Orioles' Chris Ellis: Headed for minors
Rotowire
The Orioles reassigned Ellis to their minor-league camp Wednesday, Zachary Silver of MLB.com reports.
Ellis was one of several pitchers competing for a back-end rotation or long-relief role with the big club, but he lost out on a spot to the likes of Dean Kremer, Keegan Akin and Mike Baumann on the Orioles' initial 28-man Opening Day roster. The 29-year-old righty, who submitted a 2.15 ERA and 1.19 WHIP in 29.1 big-league innings last season between stops with Tampa Bay and Baltimore, is expected to report to Triple-A Norfolk.
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Orioles' Chris Ellis: Slated to start Friday
Rotowire
Ellis will start Friday's spring game against the Rays, Rich Dubroff of BaltimoreBaseball.com reports.
Ellis was slated to work in relief Friday, but with fellow pitcher Jordan Lyles scratched due to an illness, he will instead open the game on the bump.
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Orioles' Chris Ellis: Throws BP on Sunday
Rotowire
Ellis (shoulder) threw a live batting practice session Sunday and is nearing a return to game action, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.
Ellis inked a minor-league deal with the Orioles last Wednesday, though he's in competition for a spot on the big-league roster. The right-hander was solid in a limited sample with a 2.15 ERA and 1.19 WHIP across 29.1 innings with the Rays and Orioles. He's primarily served as a starter in his minor-league career, though it's unclear if he'll be in the mix for a spot in the rotation or as a long reliever with the O's if he can win a spot out of spring training.
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Orioles' Chris Ellis: Signs with Orioles
Rotowire
Ellis (shoulder) signed a minor-league contract with the Orioles on Wednesday, Dan Connolly of The Athletic reports.
Ellis declined an outright assignment to Triple-A Norfolk in early November, but he'll return to the organization for spring training. The right-hander will likely be in the mix for a major-league roster spot after he posted a 2.15 ERA and 1.19 WHIP in 29.1 innings across seven appearances (six starts) with the Rays and Orioles last year. However, it's not yet clear whether he's still dealing with his shoulder inflammation that forced him to miss the end of the 2021 campaign.
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Chris Ellis: Heads to free agency
Rotowire
Ellis (shoulder) became a free agent Friday after declining an outright assignment to the minors, Joe Trezza of MLB.com reports.
Ellis tossed 29.1 innings for the Rays and Orioles this season and posted a 2.15 ERA, though his 19.0 percent strikeout rate, 11.6 percent walk rate and 27.2 percent groundball rate were all poor. He missed the end of the year with shoulder inflammation, which may or may not still be an issue by the time spring training begins.
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Orioles' Chris Ellis: Lands on injured list
Rotowire
Ellis was placed on the 10-day injured list with right shoulder inflammation Tuesday.
Ellis was pulled after three innings Sunday against the Rangers with what was originally referred to as arm fatigue, an issue which caused his previous start to be skipped. It's now clear that the issue is serious enough to send him to the injured list, which ends his season given that there's less than a week left to play. Ellis posted a 2.15 ERA in six starts and one relief appearance this season, but his peripherals were poor across the board; his 19.0 percent strikeout rate, 11.6 percent walk rate and 27.2 percent groundball rate were all significantly worse than league average.
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Orioles' Chris Ellis: Gets early hook against Rangers
Rotowire
Ellis allowed two hits and one walk with two strikeouts over three innings, taking a no-decision in Saturday's 3-2 win over the Rangers.
Ellis allowed just a pair of singles Saturday night against Texas before getting an early hook from manager Brandon Hyde. The right-hander's spot in the rotation was skipped Sept. 21 after Ellis reported some arm fatigue, so his premature exit could be due to lingering effects or perhaps it was simply out of an abundance of caution. With the Orioles' season long over, it's unclear how (or if) the 29-year-old will be used moving forward.
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Orioles' Chris Ellis: Not starting due to arm fatigue
Rotowire
Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said Ellis won't start Tuesday's road game in Philadelphia due to arm fatigue and will be pushed back "a couple of days" in the team's pitching schedule, Joe Trezza of MLB.com reports.
The Orioles haven't confirmed any of their starting pitchers beyond Wednesday (Keegan Akin), so assuming he moves past his bout with arm fatigue quickly, Ellis could be an option to make his next start as soon as Thursday versus the Rangers. Baltimore will treat Tuesday's contest as a bullpen day, with reliever Conner Greene serving as the team's opening pitcher.
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Orioles' Chris Ellis: Struggles with control
Rotowire
Ellis allowed two earned runs on three hits and four walks while striking out three across 4.2 innings Thursday against the Yankees. He did not factor into the decision.
Ellis ran into trouble in the second inning when he allowed four runners to reach base, two of which came via walks. He was effective in preventing runs otherwise, though he was pulled with 84 pitches after an inefficient outing. While Ellis hasn't been able to work deep into games -- he's failed to finish five innings in four of his six starts -- he's also maintained a 2.39 ERA across 26.1 innings in the majors this season. However, his 21:13 K:BB suggests he's significantly overperforming and could run into some rough outings before the campaign concludes.
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Orioles' Chris Ellis: Another solid start
Rotowire
Ellis allowed one run on five hits and four walks with four strikeouts in five innings in a no-decision versus Toronto on Friday.
The right-hander walked too many batters, but it was an otherwise encouraging start yet again. He's posted a 2.08 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 18:9 K:BB across 21.2 innings in five appearances between Baltimore and Tampa Bay this year. Ellis figures to continue in the rotation with Matt Harvey (knee) ruled out for the rest of the season. Ellis projects for a home start versus the Yankees next week.
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Orioles' Chris Ellis: No-hits Yanks over five frames
Rotowire
Ellis didn't factor into the decision in Saturday's 4-3 win over the Yankees, walking three batters and striking out two over five scoreless, no-hit innings.
The right-hander kept New York off-balance for 92 pitches (53 strikes) before exiting with a 1-0 lead, but the O's bullpen cost Ellis his second win. The 28-year-old sports a 2.16 ERA and 14:5 K:BB through 16.2 innings since being picked up by Baltimore, and he's likely cemented a spot in the rotation for the rest of the season.
