After a 2015 campaign in which they fell short of the postseason, the Baltimore Orioles are looking to return to contention out in the AL East. While they’ve gotten off to a respectable 14-10 start to the 2016 season, it may become more of an uphill climb from here.
According to a report by Roch Kubatko of MASN on Monday, two-time All-Star shortstop J.J. Hardy has been diagnosed with a hairline fracture in his left foot and is expected to miss the next six to eight weeks of action.
The 33-year-old Hardy fouled a ball off his foot in the fourth inning of Sunday’s 7-1 loss to the White Sox and was forced to exit the game.
While he is only batting .244/.291/.410 with two home runs and eight RBIs so far this season, the three-time Gold Glove winner has always set the tone for the Orioles’ defense, teaming up with third baseman Manny Machado to form a fearsome duo on the left side of the infield.
With Hardy out, Baltimore has some options in-house. Kubatko also notes that the club could recall infielders Ryan Flaherty and Paul Janish. Meanwhile, Machado actually came up through the minor leagues as a shortstop, and a shift back to the position could help the O’s get more playing time for Pedro Alvarez to recoup some of the value lost from Hardy’s bat.
Image Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
H/T theScore
