CHICAGO—The Orioles have another left-hander in the bullpen for Tuesday’s afternoon game against the Chicago White Sox. It’s Nick Raquet, pronounced ruh-Kay, who was obtained from the St. Louis Cardinals in exchange for minor league outfielder Brayden Smith.

To make room for Raquet, the Orioles optioned right-hander Brandon Young to Triple-A Norfolk. Young pitched five shutout innings, allowing two hits, in the Orioles’ 2-1 win over the White Sox on Monday night.

To make room on the 40-man roster for Raquet, the Orioles transferred right-hander Zach Eflin from the 15-day to the 60-day injured list. Eflin is having a second opinion on his right elbow on Tuesday.

“The way it’s trending, the 60-day makes a ton of sense,” manager Craig Albernaz said. “When Eflin gets a second opinion and we get the information, we’ll let everyone knows what the reading is and how Eflin wants to go about it.”

Raquet is eager to join the Orioles.

“I’m a guy that’s going to compete,” he said. “I’m going to give it my all every single day, and I hope to show these guys that’s the case. Ready to make an impact immediately here.”

The 30-year-old rookie, who pitched two clean innings for the Cardinals in 2025, has an interesting background.

After he was released by Washington in February 2020, Raquet, who grew up near Penn State, went to work in finance for Ernst & Young in Washington. After three years out of baseball, he signed with the York Revolution in the independent Atlantic League.

“Wanted to get back into baseball, knowing that [finance] was always going to be there and that baseball probably isn’t always going to be there,” Raquet said. “It was a little bit of a passion to go out there again to see what I could do. Whether I got here or not, it was going back and doing something I believed in.”

Raquet would throw after work and sometimes his roommates, who were friends from William & Mary, where he graduated, would catch him.

“It became working a little bit and trying to do this a little bit,” he said. “It was nice to have a job that allowed me to do that.”

A year later, Raquet was signed by St. Louis, and now he’s an Oriole.

“There are bigger things out there. It’s more than just a game,” he said. “Life is crazy. I think it teaches you a ton of lessons.

“I think there are a lot of things I can take from that, experiences and bring it to baseball and realize that sometimes things aren’t that serious, and although there’s a lot that goes into this game, a lot of blood, sweat and tears, perspective is a really important thing when you want to look back and reflect.”

It’s not the first time he’s played for a Baltimore baseball team. After his freshman year of college, in 2015, he played for the Baltimore Redbirds in the Cal Ripken Collegiate League. The Redbirds were managed by Larry Sheets, a former Oriole, who coaches Gilman. They played at Calvert Hall, and it was an experience he thoroughly enjoyed.

Eleven years later, he’s with the Orioles.

“I’ve been somewhere else. Understand that this game can be taken from you in a blink of an eye,” he said. “Life can start way sooner than you think it can, and you don’t always get an opportunity to come back and see what you can do. If I never got here, I’m still happy with the decision to go back and try. We’ll see what we can do.”

Raquet suffered a weight-room accident with Triple-A Memphis last week and suffered cuts on his scalp and around his right eye, but he’s ready to pitch.

Albernaz is happy to add Raquet, who joins Grant Wolfram and Cade Povich as left-handers in the bullpen.

“You can never have enough left-handed pitching, especially relievers,” Albernaz said. “There are so many cool stories in this game, and he’s just another one.”

Starting lineups

Orioles

Taylor Ward-LF

Gunnar Henderson-DH

Pete Alonso-1B

Samuel Basallo-C

Dylan Beavers-RF

Jeremiah Jackson-2B

Colton Cowser-CF

Coby Mayo-3B

Blaze Alexander-SS

Trevor Rogers-LHP

White Sox

Chase Meidroth-2B

Lenyn Sosa-1B

Miguel Vargas-DH

Colson Montgomery-SS

Edgar Quero-C

Tanner Murray-3B

Andrew Benintendi

Luisangel Acuña-CF

Derek Hill-RF

Shane Smith-RHP

Notes: Henderson is the designated hitter for the first time this season. … Alexander is playing shortstop for the first time as an Oriole. He’s also started at second and third base. … The White Sox placed former Oriole Austin Hays on the 10-day injured list with a strained right hamstring. Hays injured the hamstring trying to catch Tyler O’Neill’s fly ball near the foul line.

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