Orioles Claim José Castillo, Designate Carson Ragsdale in Roster Moves
Baltimore, MD – The Baltimore Orioles claimed left-handed pitcher José Castillo off waivers from the Seattle Mariners on September 15, 2025, and designated right-handed pitcher Carson Ragsdale for assignment to make room on the 40-man roster. the Orioles also announced that right-handed pitcher Albert Suarez has been placed on the 15-day injured list due to right elbow discomfort, and have recalled right-handers Chayce McDermott and Yaramil Hiraldo from Triple-A Norfolk.
Castillo, 29, will join his fourth team of the 2025 season, having previously pitched for the Mariners, New york Mets, and Arizona Diamondbacks. In 24 2/3 innings pitched this season, Castillo has a 4.38 ERA with a 19.5% strikeout rate and a 9.3% walk rate. He has recorded three holds in five opportunities.Opposing hitters have a.390/.469/.561 slash line against him as a lefty, and a .300/.377/.455 line as a righty.
this marks Castillo’s first generally healthy season since 2018, when he pitched 38 1/3 innings with a 3.29 ERA for the San Diego Padres. He pitched only 1 2/3 big league innings combined from 2019-24 and did not exceed 37 2/3 innings at the minor league level in any season during that span. Castillo remains under team control for two seasons beyond 2025 if he remains on the Orioles’ 40-man roster.
Ragsdale, 27, was claimed off waivers from the San Francisco Giants earlier this summer. He made his major league debut with Baltimore, allowing eight runs on nine hits and a walk in three innings pitched, with two strikeouts.The 2020 fourth-round draft pick had previously posted solid numbers in the minor leagues, but has a 4.87 ERA with a 19.7% strikeout rate and a 12% walk rate.
ragsdale recorded a 2.93 ERA in High-A and a 3.49 ERA in Double-A, but his ERA has remained just under 5.00 in parts of two Triple-A seasons. He averages 92.6 mph on his four-seamer, and also throws a high-70s curveball and a splitter. Ragsdale has two minor league option years remaining after the current season.
Suarez,35,will miss the remainder of the season due to the elbow injury,adding to a campaign already impacted by a separate shoulder injury. he pitched 11 2/3 innings with a 2.31 ERA and a 10-to-2 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Suarez was a key contributor for the Orioles in 2024, pitching 133 2/3 innings with a 3.70 ERA after signing as a minor league free agent.
Suarez previously pitched in the majors with the Giants from 2016-17 and spent 2019-23 pitching in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball (2019-21) and the Korea Baseball Institution (2022-23). The Orioles retain control of Suarez for three more seasons via arbitration, though the severity of his current elbow ailment is unknown.
