BALTIMORE — Returning to Camden Yards to begin a long homestand in the midst of a four-game losing streak, the Orioles have lost another infielder as Ryan Flaherty was placed on the 15-day disabled list Friday afternoon.
Flaherty suffered a right groin strain in Wednesday’s loss to the Toronto Blue Jays and did not play in the series finale at Rogers Centre. Infielder Rey Navarro has been recalled from Triple-A Norfolk to take Flaherty’s place on the 25-man roster to begin a weekend series against the Boston Red Sox.
Manager Buck Showalter said Flaherty was projected to miss five to seven days, but this would have been too much time for the club to endure with a shortage of middle infielders. After Jonathan Schoop suffered a right knee injury last weekend that landed him on the DL, Flaherty had been filling in as the starting second baseman. The 28-year-old is hitting .300 with two home runs and four RBIs in 35 plate appearances this season.
Flaherty joins Schoop, shortstop J.J. Hardy, catcher Matt Wieters, and left-handed reliever Wesley Wright as the latest member of the Orioles’ regular 25-man roster to visit the DL.
The 25-year-old Navarro signed with the Orioles in the offseason after spending time in the Cincinnati, Kansas City, and Arizona organizations. Making his major league debut on Friday, Navarro was batting seventh and playing second base after being activated from the minor-league disabled list earlier this week. Like Flaherty, Navarro was nursing a groin injury.
In 885 games over nine minor-league seasons, Navarro is a career .265 hitter with 47 homers, 363 RBIs, and 74 stolen bases.
In other injury-related news, Hardy took live batting practice with Triple-A Norfolk for the second straight day on Friday. Showalter wants Hardy to hit live without any left shoulder discomfort in consecutive days before he begins a rehab assignment, making Friday’s session an important one. The Orioles manager confirmed that Flaherty’s injury would not change how the Orioles view Hardy’s timetable.
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Wieters caught a few innings in extended spring training for the second consecutive day. He made throws to second and third base on Thursday, and Showalter was anxious to hear how the catcher fared on Friday as he moves closer to potentially starting a minor-league rehab assignment.
On Friday, Norfolk catcher Steve Clevenger has been placed on the minor-league seven-day DL with a bruised left thumb.
Showalter will not be with the club Saturday as he attends the memorial service of his father-in-law in Nashville.
Below are Friday night’s lineups:
BOSTON
CF Mookie Betts
2B Dustin Pedroia
DH David Ortiz
LF Hanley Ramirez
1B Mike Napoli
3B Pablo Sandoval
RF Daniel Nava
SS Brock Holt
C Ryan Hanigan
SP Rick Porcello (1-2, 6.63 ERA, 1.47 WHIP)
BALTIMORE
LF Alejandro De Aza
3B Manny Machado
DH Jimmy Paredes
CF Adam Jones
1B Chris Davis
RF Delmon Young
2B Rey Navarro
C Caleb Joseph
SS Everth Cabrera
SP Gonzalez (2-1, 2.55 ERA, 1.25 WHIP)
