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Craig Albernaz Gives Ryan Mountcastle Update After Awkward Injury
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- Craig Albernaz Gives Ryan Mountcastle Update After Awkward Injury
(© Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images)
The Baltimore Orioles got a much-needed 6-2 win over the San Francisco Giants on Saturday night, but it came with a painful cost.
Designated hitter Ryan Mountcastle left the game in the second inning after stumbling between first and second base on a double, and an MRI on Sunday confirmed the worst.
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What Albernaz Said Saturday Night
Before the MRI confirmed the break, manager Craig Albernaz spoke to reporters and admitted the play looked awkward from the start.
"Left foot pain right now. He's going to get an MRI tomorrow just to see what we've got," Albernaz said. "I thought it was ankle when it happened. The way he was kind of describing it, the look, just funky the way he obviously was running around first. But, yeah, it's more in his foot, so we're going to get an MRI tomorrow, same time as Adley's."
It turned out to be worse than anyone hoped.
The MRI revealed a fracture in the fourth metatarsal, a discouraging result for a player already battling an injury history.
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Catcher Adley Rutschman was also placed on the 10-day injured list with left ankle inflammation before Saturday's game, meaning Baltimore has now lost two key pieces at once.
The Orioles already have 11 players on the IL, including infielders Jackson Holliday and Jordan Westburg along with starter Zach Eflin , who underwent Tommy John surgery last week.
Why Losing Mountcastle Stings
Mountcastle was hitting .286 (4-for-14) with an RBI through eight games this season, serving as the primary DH against left-handed pitching after Baltimore signed Pete Alonso to a five-year deal in December.
He was limited to just 89 games last year because of a strained right hamstring, hitting .250 with seven home runs and 35 RBI.
A broken metatarsal typically requires six to eight weeks of recovery at minimum, meaning Mountcastle could miss a significant chunk of the first half. E
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ven in a reduced role, he brings something the Orioles badly need.
He has been one of their better hitters against lefties throughout his career, and losing that matchup weapon in a lineup already missing Holliday and Westburg takes away depth the team worked all offseason to build.
Where Baltimore Goes From Here
The Orioles sit at 7-7 through 14 games and are tied for second in the AL East, one game behind the New York Yankees .
That record feels decent considering all the bodies they've lost, but the margins are thin.
Gunnar Henderson 's MLB-leading sixth home run and a three-hit night from Jeremiah Jackson powered Saturday's win, proving Baltimore has talent that can step up when names go down.
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Holliday is at least close to returning from his rehab stint, but with Mountcastle now facing weeks on the shelf and Rutschman's status still uncertain, this roster is going to be tested in ways nobody planned for this early in the season.
