Orioles manager Buck Showalter’s fears were realized Monday as shortstop J.J. Hardy will be sidelined with a hairline fracture in his left foot.
According to MASN, Hardy is expected to miss six to eight weeks after fouling a ball off his left foot in the fourth inning of Sunday’s loss to the Chicago White Sox. The 33-year-old infielder temporarily stayed in the game before leaving in the sixth inning as Pedro Alvarez took his place in the lineup and Manny Machado shifted from third base to shortstop.
It remains to be seen how the Orioles will handle Hardy’s absence, but it appears likely that utility infielder Ryan Flaherty will be recalled from Triple-A Norfolk to take his place on the 25-man roster. Baltimore could move Machado to shortstop with Flaherty serving as the primary third baseman, but Chris Davis and Pedro Alvarez have also played at the hot corner in the past.
Another option would be 33-year-old infielder Paul Janish, who is currently hitting .318 at Triple-A Norfolk and plays superb defense at shortstop. However, he owns a career .216 average in the majors with a .574 on-base plus slugging percentage in 1,242 plate appearances over seven seasons.
Regardless of what the Orioles decided to do, the injury is a definite blow from both offensive and defensive perspectives.
In other injury-related news, pitching prospect Hunter Harvey is expected to undergo sports hernia surgery this week and will be sidelined for several weeks.
On the positive side, MASN reports that Zach Britton’s left ankle continues to feel better and the All-Star closer could even be available to pitch at some point during the three-game series with the New York Yankees beginning Tuesday night.
