NEW YORK — First baseman Ryan Mountcastle was activated by the Baltimore Orioles from the 10-day injured list on Tuesday after missing a month because of a sprained left wrist.
Baltimore also released reliever Craig Kimbrel before a series opener at the New York Yankees and optioned outfielder Eloy Jiménez to Triple-A Norfolk.
Mountcastle hurt his wrist diving into second base during a game against Houston on Aug. 22. He is hitting .265 with 13 homers and 61 RBIs.
Kimbrel, 36, had been designated for assignment on Sept. 18. A nine-time All-Star, the right-hander has 440 saves, fifth on the career list. He had a 5.33 ERA and 23 saves in 29 chances with the Orioles after agreeing to a $13 million, one-year contract.
Because he has more than five years of major league service, Jiménez could not have been optioned without his consent.