Orioles’ Keegan Akin Making Progress Toward Season Debut

Seven Baltimore Orioles players began the 2026 regular season on the injured list, including four relievers. Fortunately for the club, one of their bullpen arms is progressing toward his season debut.

On Sunday, left-hander Keegan Akin told reporters he is playing catch, running and feeling better than when he sustained his groin injury late in camp. He plans to see how he feels over the next couple of days before establishing a timeline to begin a rehab assignment.

Orioles LHP Keegan Akin (left groin strain) said he’s playing catch, running, feeling better than when he sustained the injury.

Said he’ll have to see how the next couple of days go before putting together a timeline for his progression. But trending in the right direction.
— Jake Rill (@JakeDRill) March 29, 2026

Akin, 30, landed on the 15-day IL with a left groin strain just before Opening Day. The southpaw sustained the injury March 22 when he slipped in the bullpen while warming up during Baltimore’s Grapefruit League matchup against the Philadelphia Phillies.

For much of his six-year major league career, Akin has been a dependable option in the Orioles’ bullpen. He has appeared in 199 games (five starts) over the past four seasons, posting a 3.64 ERA and 9.4 K/9 rate during that span. In 2025, he recorded a 3.41 ERA over 63.1 innings with eight saves.

Keegan Akin, Nasty 88mph Slider. 😨 pic.twitter.com/c4wcMIpcoW
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) June 12, 2025

Baltimore’s bullpen is also without star closer Félix Bautista (right shoulder surgery) and veteran setup man Andrew Kittredge (right shoulder inflammation), creating uncertainty in the back end. The club does have a pair of healthy left-handers in Dietrich Enns and Grant Wolfram, but aside from new closer Ryan Helsley, no one currently in the Orioles’ relief corps has a defined high-leverage role.

On Opening Day, the Orioles turned to former starter Tyler Wells to protect a 2-0 lead in the eighth inning. The 6-foot-8 right-hander allowed one run on a sacrifice fly but set up Helsley to pick up his first save in an Orioles uniform. In Game 2 of the series, four relievers combined for 4.1 innings of one-run ball in a 4-1 loss to the Minnesota Twins.

Once Akin and Kittredge return, high-leverage roles could become more defined. Akin handled ninth-inning duties over the final two months of the 2025 season after Bautista’s injury and trade deadline moves cut into Baltimore’s bullpen depth.

While his handedness and middling velocity keep him from being an ideal closer candidate, Akin's experience in close games should make first-year manager Craig Albernaz’s job easier in the seventh and eighth innings. Akin’s 15-day IL stint is retroactive to March 22, making him eligible to return as early as April 6.

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