The Baltimore Orioles have placed left-handed reliever Keegan Akin on the injured list with a back problem.
The following update comes from the Rotowire fantasy baseball portal:
Akin was placed on the 15-day injured list with lower back discomfort Friday, Steve Melewski of MASNSports.com reports.
ANALYSIS
Akin appears to have picked up a back injury when he last pitched Wednesday, getting charged with a loss after he tossed two-thirds of an inning, allowing four runs (two earned) on three hits and a walk while striking out two batters versus Cincinnati. He'll now be unavailable for at least a couple weeks while left-hander Nick Vespi was called up from Triple-A Norfolk to replace him on the major-league roster Friday.
The 28-year-old has appeared in 24 games this season, logging a 2-2 record and a 6.85 ERA. He's struck out 27 batters in 23.2 innings.
Akin has spent time both as a starter and a reliever for Baltimore. He started six games in the 2020 season and 17 in 2021 before moving to a more reliever-heavy role in 2022.
Lifetime, he's 8-17 with a 5.18 ERA.
Vespi pitched in 25 games for the Orioles in 2022, going 5-0 with a 4.10 ERA, but has not appeared at the major league level yet this year.
The Orioles are 48-31 and own the second-best winning percentage in the American League right now. They own the top the spot in the AL wild card race.
The O's will be back in action on Friday as they host the Minnesota Twins. First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m. ET.
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