Connor Norby is on the verge of returning to Baltimore

In the bottom of the third inning in last nights' series opener against the Miami Marlins, Jesús Sanchez hit a ground ball right back up the middle. Both Gunnar Henderson and Jorge Mateo charged at it full speed to make the play. Henderson got the ball but the players collided in a scary moment that left Mateo on the ground, in clear agony, as he clutched his left arm.

Brandon Hyde and the Orioles all-star trainer, Brian Ebel, both rushed to Mateo. The replay clearly showed Mateo’s arm being bent violently in an unnatural position and he was removed from the game. No announcement has been made as to the severity of Mateo’s injury but it seems like a trip the IL is likely. While we hope for the best, the Birds are in a pennant race and need to continue to move forward. 

Connor Norby is on standby as Orioles deal with fallout from Jorge Mateo injury

Tuesday evening, Orioles' insider Roch Kubatko announced on X that Connor Norby would be joining the Orioles. Norby made his major league debut earlier this season in a call-up that felt long overdue. He set the single season franchise hits record last year for the Norfolk Tides and is having another stellar season this year. Even after the O’s switched Jackson Holliday to second base, Norby’s primary position, Norby moved to the corner outfield spots and just kept on producing. 

Norby was first called up on June 4, coincidentally when Mateo went of the IL after being bonked on the head by Cedric Mullins in the on deck circle. Norby’s first career major league hit was a homer in his second game and he added hits in each of the next two games. Even though his hitting was starting to come around, Norby was shipped by to Norfolk after just four games because Mateo was ready to return.

In 29 games since returning to Norfolk, Norby has been on fire. He’s slashing .316/.416/.535 with four doubles, seven homers, 21 RBI’s and six steals with a .951 OPS. It is unknown if Norby will replace Mateo as the starting second baseman or if Hyde will utilize Jordan Westburg at second and insert Ramon Urías into the starting lineup at third. If Mateo does end up spending significant time on the IL, Norby should get plenty of opportunities to show that he’s ready to stick at the major league level.