Orioles place Darren O'Day on DL with shoulder injury

The Orioles announced on Friday afternoon that they’ve placed right-handed reliever Darren O’Day on the 10-day disabled list with a right shoulder strain.

This development certainly isn’t an ideal one for O’Day, who is seemingly becoming a victim of Father Time at age 34. This will be the second straight season that O’Day, who is in the second season of a four-year contract worth $31 million, has spent time on the disabled list. Last season, he missed roughly six weeks with a right hamstring strain, then about a month with a right rotator cuff strain.

O’Day was of baseball’s top relievers from 2009-15, but he’s experienced a notable drop-off in performance since the beginning of 2016, and it seems quite probable that his shoulder issues have played a role in his regression. He set a career high with 3.8 walks per nine innings last season, and he’s on pace to do that again this season, having walked 4.6 batters per nine through his first 23.1 innings. O’Day has a 3.86 ERA and a 1.24 WHIP—both respectable, but high by his standards—in 24 appearances this season.

O’Day joins closer Zach Britton, who hasn’t pitched since May 4 after suffering a left forearm strain, on the disabled list. He’ll be replaced on the 25-man roster by right-hander Stefan Crichton, who was recalled from Triple-A Norfolk Friday. Crichton has a 6.48 ERA and 2.04 WHIP in 8.1 innings for the Orioles this year.