Orioles first baseman Ryan Mountcastle exited Wednesday night’s 1-0 loss against the St. Louis Cardinals with left shoulder discomfort, the team said. After the game, manager Brandon Hyde described him as “day to day right now.”
During a first-inning at-bat, Mountcastle grabbed his shoulder after swinging and fouling off a pitch before eventually earning a walk. He was assessed by training staff at first base, but remained in the game until the third inning, when Ramón Urías pinch hit and replaced him at first base. It marked the 12th time in his career that Urías has played first base, all this season. Later, Ryan O’Hearn played first as Urías moved to third.
In the locker room Wednesday night, Mountcastle said his shoulder “popped” after his first-inning swing and that he would receive some imaging Thursday. He tried to take some batting practice swings during the game but “just definitely wasn’t ready to go.”
“I mean, it doesn’t feel good. I’m just praying for the best,” he said.
The Orioles will begin an important four-game series with the Tampa Bay Rays on Thursday as the teams vie for the American League East title. Baltimore enters Thursday with a two-game lead in the division and their magic number to clinch a playoff spot is four.
“You obviously don’t wanna lose anybody right now, especially Ryan,” Hyde said. “So we’ll see. Hopefully he’s OK tomorrow.”
Mountcastle missed about a month this season after experiencing vertigo, but returned in July and has hit .328/.406/.497 in 50 games since.
During Wednesday’s Norfolk Tides game, prospect Heston Kjerstad was removed in the fifth inning for a pinch-hitter. Kjerstad, the No. 2 pick in the 2020 draft, has played both outfield and first base for Triple-A Norfolk, where he has hit .299/.371/.500 this season.
Baltimore Sun reporter Nathan Ruiz contributed to this article.
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