Jonathan Schoop Placed on DL with Oblique Injury; Orioles Recall Alex Cobb

Baltimore Orioles second baseman Jonathan Schoop was placed on the 10-day disabled list Saturday.

The team announced Schoop has a strained right oblique, and starting pitcher Alex Cobb was called up to take his spot on the 25-man roster.

Schoop was removed from Friday's 7-3 loss against the Boston Red Sox in the bottom of the eighth inning. He had struck out swinging to end the top of the seventh.

He has been extremely durable in recent years, missing only two games over the previous two seasons.

In that time, he has also developed into one of the best in the majors at his position. He finished last season leading all second basemen with 105 RBI and ranking second with 32 home runs. He also set new career highs with a .293 batting average and .841 OPS while playing above-average defense.

He not only earned his first All-Star appearance in 2017, he also ranked 12th in MVP voting.

Schoop was off to a slow start in 2018 with a .230/.266/.344 slash line and one home run in 14 games.

While Schoop has made a positive impact for the Orioles at the plate and in the field, his injury could create a giant hole in the lineup. Baltimore has other top hitters like Manny Machado and Adam Jones, but depth is certainly an issue.

With Schoop unavailable, the Orioles could turn to Engelb Vielma.

Cobb, who signed a four-year, $57 million contract last month, will make his first start of the season against the Red Sox on Saturday. The veteran right-hander started 29 games for the Tampa Bay Rays in 2017, recording 12 wins, 128 strikeouts, a 3.66 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP in 179.1 innings.