Orioles release pitcher Luis Lebron

The Orioles today released right-handed pitcher Luis Lebron. The 27-year-old Lebron had a mid-to-high 90s fastball before undergoing Tommy John surgery in May 2010. He never recovered his fastball velocity or command after the surgery and did not pitch at all during the 2010 season. He got into just 10 2/3 innings last year between the Gulf Coast League and short-season Single-A Aberdeen. Lebron had a breakout 2009 season before he got hurt. He went 3-3 with a 2.54 ERA and 20 saves between Single-A Frederick and Double-A Bowie, where he sported an ERA of 1.98 in 24 games. Over 60 innings that year, Lebron fanned 91 batters. For a time, Lebron was added to the Orioles' 40-man roster and after that 2009 season it looked like he was on a path that would eventually lead him to Baltimore. But that got derailed by his elbow ligament replacement surgery. Lebron was signed by the Orioles out of the Dominican Republic in 2004 and had pitched in the O's minors since 2005. He had a career record of 7-13 with an ERA of 5.13 and 303 strikeouts over 205 innings. The Orioles also today also released pitchers Luis Bernardo, Luis Ramirez and Kevin Landry. None of the three was currently on a full-season team roster or had pitched this year.