Manny Machado leaves Wednesday’s game with wrist injury
By Mike Barner
Baltimore Orioles third baseman Manny Machado leaves Wednesday’s game with a sore wrist.
Baltimore Orioles star Manny Machado was forced to depart from Wednesday’s game against the Pittsburgh Pirates due to a sore left wrist.
Machado was spiked on the wrist while trying to apply a tag to Andrew McCutchen. Although he stayed in the game after being examined by trainers, he was eventually removed in the fourth inning.
Machado has struggled so far this season as he entered Wednesday hitting only .214 with a .290 OBP. While his average has been poor, he has still been hitting for power as he has 12 home runs and 12 doubles.
Known as an excellent all-around hitter, Machado took his power game to the next level in 2015 when he belted 35 home runs. He had hit 33 home runs total from 2012 through 2014.
His numbers were even better in 2016 as he hit .294 with 37 home runs, 96 RBI and 105 runs scored.
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Durability has not been an issue for Machado of late, as he has only missed a total of five games over the last two seasons. He played in all 162 games in 2015.
The Orioles are seriously lacking depth in their infield. Machado was replaced by Ruben Tejada Wednesday, who was just acquired by the team after spending the start of this season in the New York Yankees farm system. Ryan Flaherty is also on the disabled list with a shoulder injury.
The Orioles currently sit in third place in the American League East, but things could get ugly in a hurry if Machado doesn’t rebound from this injury quickly.