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Baltimore Orioles Minor League Player Suffers Injury
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- Baltimore Orioles Minor League Player Suffers Injury
(© Katie Stratman-Imagn Images)
The Baltimore Orioles have experienced just about as many injuries as any other team in MLB. As a result, they have had a pretty inconsistent season, and after Monday's loss in their series opener against the Seattle Mariners , they sit at 31-36, fourth place in the American League East.
It is a disappointing result for a team that had a very active offseason improving all areas of the roster. Their pitching staff has seen a majority of the setbacks, but the position player group has not been spared either, making organizational depth important.
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On Monday, they lost one of their players down at the Triple-A level to an injury. "Orioles' Jhonkensy Noel is going on the minor league 7-day IL with left wrist inflammation, the team announced," reported Matt Weyrich of The Baltimore Sun.
Noel was one of the players Baltimore added this offseason to improve their depth, claiming him off waivers from the Cleveland Guardians in January.
When he arrived, Noel was clearly seen as a project piece. He was a failed prospect in Cleveland's system, someone who always produced at the Triple-A level but struck out far too much at the big-league level despite his power potential.
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Across 136 games in MLB, Noel posted a .193 batting average, .242 on-base percentage, .643 OPS, 19 home runs and 41 RBIs. He struck out 115 times and collected just 17 walks in 351 plate appearances.
Those numbers have not improved this year at Triple-A Norfolk and he has failed to make any adjustments. Across 30 games, the 24-year-old has continued to struggle, posting a .121 batting average, .216 on-base percentage and .460 OPS with 36 strikeouts in 107 at-bats. It is a small sample size, but it is undeniably underwhelming.
However, Noel will likely get a chance to recover and receive more at-bats in Baltimore's system. Orioles manager Craig Albernaz is familiar with Noel, having previously served as Cleveland's bench coach, which could work in the young slugger's favor as he looks to get his career back on track.
Still, this is another tough setback for Noel. He entered the season with something to prove after his MLB struggles, and now a left wrist injury interrupts what was already an uphill climb. The power is still there, and Baltimore clearly saw enough to bring him aboard, but the window to make a meaningful impact at the big-league level is beginning to close.
