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Orioles make obvious Blaze Alexander IL move after left hand injury
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- Orioles make obvious Blaze Alexander IL move after left hand injury
Orioles make obvious Blaze Alexander IL move after left hand injury appeared first on ClutchPoints . Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
The Baltimore Orioles officially placed Blaze Alexander on the 10-day injured lis t on Thursday after he suffered a non-displaced fracture in his left hand, making the move retroactive to July 13. To fill the roster spot, Baltimore recalled Christian Encarnacion-Strand from Triple-A Norfolk ahead of its three-game series against the Houston Astros beginning on Friday.
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Alexander was injured in the seventh inning of Sunday's 8-2 win over the Kansas City Royals when he was hit on the left hand by a pitch from Lucas Erceg . The situation escalated after Alexander exchanged words with the Royals reliever, leading to a brief confrontation and both benches clearing. Before leaving the game, Alexander had turned in one of his best performances of the season, finishing 2-for-2 with a walk and two runs scored.
The 27-year-old has been one of the Orioles most productive players during his first season with the organization. Through 82 games, Alexander is batting .312 with a .807 OPS, 12 doubles, two triples, four home runs and 29 RBIs. His offensive production also includes a 123 wRC+ across 246 plate appearances. Acquired from the Arizona Diamondbacks back in February, Alexander has provided value beyond the batter's box by appearing at third base, second base, shortstop and all three outfield positions, although he had recently settled into regular playing time at third.
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Alexander was scheduled to meet with a doctor during the All-Star break, and although the fracture is non-displaced, he is expected to miss a considerable amount of time. His absence leaves Baltimore searching for production at third base, where Coby Mayo is expected to receive many of the starts. Mayo has excelled against left-handed pitching this season, batting .288 with nine home runs and a 1.092 OPS, but has been quite the opposite versus right-handers with a .147 average, three home runs and a .446 OPS.
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Encarnacion-Strand now gets his first major league opportunity with the Orioles after being acquired from the Cincinnati Reds for cash considerations on April 13. The 26-year-old spent the entire season in Triple-A, where he hit .273 with an .863 OPS, 17 home runs and 48 RBIs for Norfolk. Across 71 Triple-A games between Louisville and Norfolk, he accumulated 19 home runs while putting up solid numbers against both right-handed pitchers (.271 average, 15 home runs, .858 OPS) and left-handers (.250 average, four home runs, .817 OPS).
Before joining Baltimore, Encarnacion-Strand appeared in 128 games for the Reds from 2023-25, batting .233 with 21 home runs, 72 RBIs and a .679 OPS. His best major league season came as a rookie in 2023, when he hit .270 with 13 home runs and an .805 OPS in 63 games.
The Orioles the second half of the season with a 46-51 record after closing the first half on a four-game winning streak and sitting two games behind an American League Wild Card spot. The team still needs to complete another roster move before Friday's game after left-hander Nick Raquet was optioned to Triple-A Norfolk during the All-Star break.
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