Baltimore placed Mike Bordick on the DL with a cracked kneecap on Tuesday. The shortstop injured his knee when he reportedly hit it on the shin of opposing shortstop Carlos Guillen, during an attempt to steal second base in the 6th inning of the Orioles' Monday night game against Seattle. Bordick remained in the game through the top of the seventh and thought that he had merely bruised the knee; initial x-rays supported that assumption. However when he experienced continued soreness in the knee, he underwent an MRI that revealed a hairline fracture.

Bordick's knee will be immobilized for the next three weeks before it's re-examined. He'll likely need at least a week after that to rehab the joint, so he shouldn't be expected back until mid-to-late August. A few hours before the game in which Bordick suffered his injury, the AP ran an article discussing the shortstop's impressive defense this season, as well as the Orioles need for him to remain healthy this season.

Baltimore called up Luis Matos to replace Bordick on the roster, though according to the Baltimore Sun, Matos was not the team's first choice. Sun Staff Writer Joe Christensen reports that the Orioles intended to recall Brian Roberts to replace Bordick, but Roberts was without his passport after he "left it with his mother." Consequently, Roberts would not have been able to make the border crossing into Canada where the Orioles were playing a series against the Blue Jays.

Of course an article by Gary Washburn of MLB.com quotes Manager Mike Hargrove as saying of Roberts, "We didn't think it was fair to bring him back in such a short notice. We went (Roberts) down to get his game together." The Orioles demoted Roberts on July 12th in order to allow him to rebuild his confidence in AAA. They also wanted him to continue to receive regular at-bats and planned to allot more playing time to Jerry Hairston in the majors. Roberts was only hitting .234 with a .317 OBP and .306 SLG in 124 AB on 29 H, 6 2B, and 1 HR with a 15:19 BB:K and 9/11 SB%.

If this move represents a change in their long-term intentions regarding their starting second baseman, they've made a mistake. Hairston is two years older than Roberts and has much weaker skills. He's not even hitting significantly better than Roberts in the majors this season. In 191 AB, Hairston has 46 H, 9 2B, 1 3B, and 1 HR with a 15:28 BB:K and 11/14 SB% for a .241 BA, .307 OBP, and .314 SLG. However, Roberts moved through AA and AAA last season before being brought directly to the majors, so he could likely use the minor league time. As long as the Orioles realize that once he's had that time Roberts should be a much better option than Hairston, they should be okay.

To fill Roberts' roster spot, Baltimore called up Luis Lopez, who they signed to a minor league contract in mid-June after he declined a minor league assignment with the Brewers and became a free agent.

The Orioles primarily plan to shift the majority of Melvin Mora's playing time from the outfield to shortstop while Bordick is out. Lopez will support Mora at short, and Mora's outfield at-bats will be absorbed by a combination of Gary Matthews Jr., Jay Gibbons, Chris Singleton, and Marty Cordova. Matos will see some time in the outfield but will primarily be used as pinch runner and occasional pinch hitter.

Chris Richard and Jeff Conine are both expected back from the disabled list before Mike Bordick. Gibbons has spent most of his games at first base recently but will need to return to the outfield when Conine rejoins the team. Bordick's DL trip will partially delay the playing time drought expected to occur in the Baltimore outfield when Richard and Conine return, but the Orioles should still look into dealing one of their outfielders before the July 31st deadline.

Despite the potential decrease in moral caused by Bordick's injury and the probable increase in errors at shortstop in his absence, the Orioles should actually be able to field a better team while he's on the DL. In his 260 AB, Bordick was only hitting .242 with a .314 OBP, and .369 SLG on 63 H, 15 2B, 3 3B, and 4 HR with a 26:44 BB:K and 6/8 SB%. Mora playing shortstop will open up room in the lineup for players with considerably more offense than Bordick.

Baltimore designated Ryan McGuire for assignment on Monday and called up Howie Clark. McGuire received infrequent playing time while in the majors, as Jose Leon took most of the first base at-bats not given to Gibbons. Baltimore drafted Clark out of California's Huntington Beach High School in the 27th round of the 1992 draft. He played in their minors through 2000, even re-signing after he became a minor league free agent. Clark split the 2001 season between the Mexican League and Chico of the independent Western League before again re-signing with the Orioles as a minor league free agent this off-season.

This promotion is Clark's first time in the big leagues in his 10-year professional career. He's shown some plate discipline over the years but little speed or power that would have caught the attention of management. While in the Mexican League, he demonstrated the best doubles power of his career. He brought that power back with him to AAA Rochester in the International League this season, where he had 117 H, 19 2B, 4 3B, and 7 HR with a 33:22 BB:K and 3/7 SB% in 355 AB for a .330 BA, .387 OBP, and .465 SLG. Baltimore has used the 28-year-old as a DH in the two games he's played since his promotion. Clark is 2 for 7 with a double and a walk. Unfortunately, he'll likely return to the minors when Baltimore needs to make room for players coming off the DL.