TORONTO -- Orioles reliever Danys Baez will get a second opinion after a magnetic resonance imaging taken Friday confirmed a partial tear in his right elbow, an injury that ends his disappointing 2007 season and could force him to miss parts if not all of next season.
Baez, whose season will end with an 0-6 record, a 6.44 ERA and three saves in 53 games, will decide shortly whether he'll try to rehabilitate the injury and be ready for spring training or have the surgery done and be out for an extended period. The worst-case scenario is that he would be out the entire 2008 season.
"The injury is significant, but he's getting a second opinion," said Orioles president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail. "We don't know which way it's going to go yet. We're just trying to sort it out."
It's the latest blow for an Orioles team that has been crushed by injuries, specifically on its pitching staff. Closer Chris Ray will be out for most if not all of next season after he had ligament transplant surgery on his right elbow. Starters Adam Loewen (stress fracture in left elbow) and Kris Benson (torn right labrum) also have had season-ending surgeries, and starters Erik Bedard (strained right oblique) and Jaret Wright (right shoulder soreness) have been shut down.
"Obviously, it's been more than what we'd ever expect realistically to happen, not just for the guys individually, but for the club collectively," Orioles manager Dave Trembley said. "You just hope it gets better."
Baez, a 30-year-old right-hander who has spent seven seasons in the bullpen and has 114 career saves, was signed in November to be the Orioles' top setup man and insurance for Ray. The Orioles gave him a three-year, $19 million deal, a contract that was heavily criticized around baseball because Baez was coming off a season in which he had a 4.53 ERA in stints with the Los Angeles Dodgers and Atlanta Braves and battled injuries throughout.
Baez silenced the critics somewhat with a 2.92 ERA in 13 April appearances. But he fell apart, going 0-4 with a 9.53 ERA in 13 games in May and 0-0 with an 8.44 ERA in five appearances in June before he was sent to the disabled list for nearly a month with a strained right forearm.
Since his return from the DL, Baez allowed runs in 10 of 22 outings, being used in several of them as the team's closer. In his last outing, Baez gave up two earned runs while allowing three walks and two hits in 1 2/3 innings against the Los Angeles Angels.
