Rookie outfielder Joey Rickard had hoped to avoid the disabled list after he banged into the fence at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday. But the right hand injury he suffered has forced him onto the DL and will sideline him for four to six weeks, manager Buck Showalter said after Friday's game.
Rickard will have his hand in a splint, but will not need surgery. If his rehabilitation goes smoothly, he could rejoin the team in September.
"I know this: I was talking to Joey, and it don't look too good," Showalter said. "Black and blue today, and I went in and looked at the replay of it because I didn't see it live."
Rickard was hurt in the first inning trying to run down a triple by New York Yankees leadoff hitter Brett Gardner. He underwent an MRI on Friday, which revealed ligament damage in his thumb suffered either when he hit the fence or tumbled to the ground.
"Kind of strange," Showalter said. "It didn't look like it was anything. I mean, he [got a hit] later on in that game if you remember. So he's got some issues with his thumb. … It's another challenge right now."
The Orioles recalled outfielder Dariel Alvarez from Triple-A Norfolk and were hopeful he would arrive at Camden Yards in time for Friday night's game against the Cleveland Indians.
Though Rickard, who was acquired in last December's Rule 5 draft, had settled into a reserve role after getting off to a hot start this season, he still has been an important member of the Orioles bench because of his speed and versatility.
He leaves the active roster batting .268 with a .319 on-base percentage, five homers and 19 RBIs. Even though he is a Rule 5 player, he has been on the Orioles' major league roster the minimum 90 days that will allow them to retain him if he does not return from the DL this season.
"Joey's been a big contributor for us and will be again. Come at a time of need, he'll be a nice September addition," Showalter said.
Alvarez returns after making a brief appearance at the major league level earlier this month, walking in one plate appearance on July 6. He appeared in 12 major league games last year and was batting .280 with four homers and 40 RBIs in 93 games this season at Norfolk.