With Adam Jones ailing, Orioles add Borbon to outfield
NEW YORK (AP) With star outfielder Adam Jones nursing a tender hamstring, the Baltimore Orioles selected the contract of Julio Borbon from Double-A Bowie and optioned pitcher Mike Wright to Triple-A Norfolk.
Borbon was inserted in the starting lineup for Baltimore, batting ninth against hard-throwing New York Yankees rookie Chad Green.
''We had some other center field options,'' manager Buck Showalter said. ''Borbon is our best option at this point.''
Jones left Friday's game in the second inning with a left hamstring strain. He departed the previous night's game at Washington in the ninth inning with hamstring cramps and aggravated the injury hustling down the first base line on a soft grounder to third.
''I got a feeling that if he hadn't had that first swinging bunt, it might not have been a problem,'' Showalter indicated. ''He's not going to trot to first base as much as I talked to him about it before the game.''
Although Jones was unable to talk his way into Saturday's lineup, Showalter speculated that he might be available to pinch-hit.
The 30-year old Borbon was 2 for 9 in five games with the Orioles earlier this season, but was designated for assignment on July 26. To create room for Borbon on the 40-man roster, pitcher Logan Ondrusek was designated for assignment on Friday.