Mark Reynolds has hit the Baltimore Orioles 15-day disabled list with a strained oblique. According to Britt Ghiroli of MLB.com, Reynolds sustained the injury during batting practice Saturday. The Orioles called up utility player Bill Hall to take Reynolds’s roster spot.
Prior to his injury, Reynolds was off to a sluggish start with the Orioles this season. Over his first 27 games and 89 at-bats, Reynolds has only managed a line of .191/.324/.337 with two home runs and a whopping 36 strikeouts.
Though he was tabbed as the Orioles long-term solution at third base when he was acquired from the Arizona Diamondbacks before the 2011 season, Reynolds has basically split time at the hot corner with other players this season due to his defensive inefficiencies. Besides his starts at third, Reynolds has also been used at designated hitter and first base, a position many feel is better suited for the 28-year-old.
Reynolds sounded confident that he will only require two weeks on the Orioles disabled list, but manager Buck Showalter wasn’t as sure. Obliques can tend to linger, and there’s a chance that Reynolds could miss up to a month with the injury. What the Orioles don’t want to do is rush Reynolds, reaggravated the injury, and cause him to hit the DL for an even longer period of time.
Because the Orioles didn’t exactly have a primary option at third base, the team has several options to replace Reynolds. Steve Tolleson made his second start at third for the Birds last night, but Wilson Betemit and Ryan Flaherty have also seen time at the hot corner this season.
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