Latest Blaze Alexander injury timeline starts ticking clock on this Orioles player

A recent injury update regarding the potential return of Orioles' utility man Blaze Alexander is coming at just the right time for Baltimore. According to the club's injury report, he is headed for a rehab assignment by the end of the week.

Alexander was in the midst of a career-best season in his first year in Baltimore. He was slashing .312/.368/.439/.807 in 82 games, good for a 128 OPS+ and a 1.4 bWAR. He's been out since July 13 with a fracture in his left hand.

The Orioles find themselves in the midst of the race for the final AL Wild Card spot, one of six teams within 1.5 games of the final playoff spot. The addition of Alexander will be very welcome back into the lineup. He was hitting .333 with an .879 OPS against righties this season. Since Alexander went down, the Orioles rank 26th in WRC+ against righties.

Baltimore will have to make a tough decision when Blaze Alexander is ready to come off the IL

Of course, Alexander's return means that someone else will have to be sent down. With Alexander's positional versatility, Baltimore will have a few options to choose from, but one option stands out from the rest.

Christian Franklin was acquired from the Washington Nationals at the trade deadline for RHP Joe Glassey. Baltimore decided to call him up and give him his MLB debut right after the trade. The 26-year-old outfielder drew a walk, stole a base, and scored a run in his debut, but wouldn't get his first hit until the fourth game of his tenure.

Franklin has struggled in his 12 major league games. He's got just four hits in 22 AB, leaving him with a .182/.357/.227/.584 slash line. His best trait to date has been his ability to draw walks, of which he has five.

While Alexander is primarily an infielder, he has played 19 games in the outfield this season. The Orioles also have four other outfielders currently on the big league squad. It doesn't make a lot of sense to carry five outfielders, plus a utility man who can play out there as well.

Franklin, a solid defender, will certainly get more chances in the big leagues, if not this year in the future. Baseball America wrote that he has "on-base skills and the ability to handle any outfield post." Skills like that will make him an intriguing fourth outfield option in the future.

He'll still have at least another week of major league playing time. Alexander is targeting a return in the series against the Athletics on Aug 28-31, though rehab assignments can always take more time than originally thought. When Jeremiah Jackson was optioned as the Samuel Basallo corresponding move, Franklin swiftly became next in line, and there's now a solid ticking clock on his first stint in the bigs.

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