Orioles' Ramon Urias in concussion protocol after scary HBP

Ramon Urias is in concussion protocol after a scary incident in the Orioles’ 7-6 loss to the White Sox Saturday. Urias was hit in the head by a Kendall Graveman fastball in the seventh inning of the game, but fortunately the infielder was able to leave the field under his own power.  

At the very least, Urias certainly doesn’t look like he’ll play in Sunday’s game, and it remains to be seen if a stint on the seven-day concussion-related injury list is necessary. Urias had a single and two walks prior to his HBP, boosting the Gold Glover’s slash line to a productive .250./.388/.400 over his first 49 plate appearances of the season.

Infielder Joey Ortiz would be the roster replacement if Urias is sidelined, as MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko was among the reporters who noted that Ortiz was removed from the lineup for Triple-A Norfolk Saturday. Since the Orioles don’t play on Monday, it’s possible the club might not make a roster move prior to Sunday’s game in order to give Urias more time to recover and undergo further examination in the hopes that an IL stint could be avoided. 

Ortiz has yet to make his MLB debut and is yet another talented youngster from Baltimore’s farm system — both MLB Pipeline and Baseball America included Ortiz near the end of their preseason top-100 prospect lists.

More from around the AL East…

• Jordan Romano earned a save in painful fashion Saturday, as the Blue Jays closer was hit by a hard Wander Franco comebacker to the mound in the final out of a 5-2 win over the Rays. The Jays told reporters (including The Athletic’s Kaitlyn McGrath) that Romano suffered a right rib contusion on the play, though X-rays were negative. After pitching on three of the last four days, Romano was probably already going to be unavailable for Sunday’s game, but it remains to be seen if the closer will have to miss any more time. Romano has five saves and a 3.86 ERA over seven innings this season, with all three of his runs allowed during a disastrous outing against the Angels last Sunday.
• With the Red Sox shorthanded in the middle infield, assistant GM Brian O’Halloran told MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo that the Sox are “comfortable with the group we have,” though the team is “always looking to find ways to improve the roster. Especially when you have injuries, and significant injuries. That’s even more heightened.” Enrique Hernandez has had to move from shortstop to center field to fill in for the injured Adam Duvall, subtracting from a middle infield mix that was already thin with Trevor Story and Adalberto Mondesi on the 60-day IL. Cotillo notes that it’s pretty early in the season for any significant trade to take place, though a lower-level swap or even a waiver claim could help the Red Sox fill some holes.
• Jeffrey Springs struggled to a 7.08 ERA over 20 1/3 innings with the Red Sox in 2020, and Springs told Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe that he regretting having “severely underperformed” during his lone season in a Sox uniform. “I think I put too much pressure on myself there,” Springs said. “I felt like I had to put up a zero every time and that made it harder on myself. That’s a bad mentality to have.” The Sox pivoted by dealing Springs to the Rays as part of a four-player trade during the 2020-21 offseason, yet now that deal is looking like a regret on Boston’s part, as Springs has become the latest pitcher to blossom in Tampa Bay. Springs has an outstanding 2.53 ERA in 196 innings in a Rays uniform, but his great start to the 2023 season has now been interrupted by ulnar neuritis in his left arm, resulting in what will be a lengthy IL visit.