The Orioles acquired starting pitcher Jeremy Hellickson in a trade late Friday night, a move made in hopes of boosting a struggling rotation and maybe keeping them in the chase for a wild-card spot.

Hellickson’s acquisition from the Phillies was announced after Baltimore’s 8-2 loss at Texas Friday, which dropped the Orioles 6½ games back for the AL’s second wild card, with five teams between them and that spot.

The veteran pitcher’s departure from Philadelphia was delayed when he was involved in a minor car accident and rear-ended on his way to the airport. Orioles manager Buck Showalter said that Hellickson was doing fine but had to go with his girlfriend to the emergency room following the accident.

Showalter said it was hoped Hellickson would be able to make it to Baltimore in time to throw a bullpen session Sunday.

Outfielder Hyun Soo Kim and Double A lefthander Garrett­ Cleavinger were dealt to the Phillies, who also will get international amateur signing bonus pool allocation. Philadelphia will send $4,617,486 to Baltimore to cover most of the $6,109,290 remaining of Hellickson’s $17.2 million salary.

‘‘Jeremy Hellickson is a solid, dependable veteran major league starter who knows how to win in the American League,’’ said Dan Duquette, the Orioles’ executive vice president for baseball operations.

Hellickson started his big league career with a 3.78 ERA for Tampa Bay from 2010-14, then spent 2015 with Arizona before going 18-15 in 52 starts for Philadelphia the past two seasons.

Hellickson was 6-5 with a 4.73 ERA in 20 starts this year for the Phillies.

Kim, a 29-year-old native of South Korea, hit .232 with one homer and 10 RBIs in 56 games for the Orioles, and had been relegated to the bench behind rookie Trey Mancini.

Nats add Kendrick

The Phillies also traded veteran Howie Kendrick, 34, on Friday night, sending the infielder/outfielder to the Nationals for minor league pitcher McKenzie Mills. . . The Mets acquired reliever A.J. Ramos from the Marlins for a pair of prospects: Single A pitcher Merandy Gonzalez and outfielder Ricardo Cespedes. Ramos­, 30, was an All-Star in 2016 and this year is 2-4 with 20 saves and a 3.63 ERA in 40 appearances.

New York is seeking stability in a bullpen that’s been a mess. The Mets had blown 13 of 36 save opportunities entering Friday and rank 26th in the majors in bullpen ERA at 4.81.

Gray pushed back

The Athletics pushed back Sonny Gray’s next scheduled start until after Monday afternoon’s trade deadline. Gray, the subject of much trade speculation, was supposed to pitch Sunday against Minnesota, but now is set to throw against San Francisco on Monday night. That game would be hours after teams must conclude any deals without waivers.

The move is ostensibly to give the 27-year-old righthander, along with the rest of the A’s starting rotation, an extra day of rest.

Gray is 6-5 with a 3.43 ERA. He’s 4-2 with a 1.38 ERA over his last six starts.

‘‘At this point in time in the season, there’s some wear and tear involved and you just want to make sure that, whenever you can, and that’s what we typically do,’’ manager Bob Melvin said.

Righthander Jharel Cotton, who’s been out with a thumb blister, will come off the disabled list to make Sunday’s start.

Kershaw improving

Clayton Kershaw played catch for the second day in a row, giving the Dodgers another positive sign that their ace is closer to pitching again than they originally speculated. The 10-minute session came after manager Dave Roberts said Kershaw’s activities would depend upon how he felt after Friday night’s throwing session. The lefthander went on the disabled list July 24 with lower back stiffness. The Dodgers­ originally put a 4-6 week time frame on Kershaw’s return . . . The Diamondbacks placed All-Star lefty Robbie Ray on the seven-day concussion DL, a day after he was hit in the head by a line drive during his start in St. Louis. Manager Torey­ Lovullo said Ray had symptoms of a concussion, but his cognitive testing and balance were good. ‘‘I am still recovering, but feeling much better already,’’ Ray wrote on his Twitter account . . . The Braves placed outfielder Matt Kemp on the 10-day DL with a strained right hamstring.

In 88 games, he is batting .290 with 14 homers and 48 RBIs.

The Hall grows

Hall of Fame weekend in Cooperstown, N.Y., got underway as Claire Smith accepted the J.G. Taylor Spink Award for meritorious contributions to baseball writing. Rachel Robinson, the widow of Hall of Famer Jackie Robinson, was honored with the John J. ‘‘Buck’’ O'Neil Lifetime Achievement Award. The late Bill King was honored with the Ford C. Frick Award for excellence in broadcasting. Sunday’s enshrinees are Jeff Bagwell, Tim Raines, Ivan Rodriguez, John Schuerholz, and Bud Selig.

Travel plans set

Major League Baseball plans to start the 2019 and 2020 seasons in Asia and play regular-season games in England in June of both years. The collective bargaining agreement reached in November was finalized and sent to the clubs Friday, and it contains a schedule for international play through 2021 along with how much extra money each player will receive for making the trips. A two-game series between the Indians and Twins in San Juan already has been announced for next April 17-18, and the agreement calls for an additional series in Puerto Rico or the Dominican Republic in May 2020.