The Orioles have placed 33-year old lefty swinging 1B/DH Nick Johnson on the 15-day disabled list due to a sprained right wrist. Johnson has played in 38 games for the Orioles so far this year and he is 18 for 87 (.207 avg, .714 OPS) with 9 runs scored, 4 homers, 11 RBIs and 2 stolen bases. The O’s have recalled 22-year old lefty swinging outfielder Xavier Avery to replace Johnson on the active roster. Avery played in 15 games earlier this year for the Orioles and he was 13 for 60 (.217 avg, .615 OPS) with 9 runs scored, 0 homers, 4 RBIs and 4 stolen bases. The Orioles hope that Avery is better this time around as he will likely get more P.T.

The Orioles are in second place in the A.L. East with a 41-31 record, just three games behind the Yankees. With that in mind, the Orioles should try to bolster their roster right now. They need a starting LF and a starting pitcher or two. Two teams offer one stop shopping for the Orioles. The Cubs would be the more high priced, high upside proposition with Matt Garza and Alfonso Soriano available. But, I think a move with the Padres would seem more practical. They likely will make lefty starting pitcher Clayton Richard and righty starter Edison Volquez available. They also likely will have righty swinging Carlos Quentin and lefty swinging Will Venable available. With that in mind I would suggest a deal for Richard & Venable.

The Orioles have released 38-year old righty swinging SS/3B Miguel Tejada, at his request. Tejada played in 38 games in AAA-ball for the O’s this year and he was 34 for 131 (.260 avg, .617 OPS) with 9 runs scored, 0 homers, 18 RBIs and 1 stolen base. He just hasn’t been the same player since Jose Canseco pointed a finger at him in one of his books. This is likely the end of the line for Tejada. He has played in 2,118 games in his 15 years in the majors and he is 2,362 of 8,278 (.285 avg, .793 OPS) with 1,215 runs scored, 304 homers, 1,282 RBIs and 84 stolen bases.

The Orioles have released 49-year old lefty starting pitcher Jamie Moyer pitcher at his request as he had an opt out date in his minor league deal. Moyer pitched in 3 games (all starts) in AAA-ball for the Orioles and he was 1-1 with a 1.69 ERA and a 0.69 WHIP. Moyer only gave up 11 hits and he whiffed 16 batters in his 16 innings in the minors for the Orioles, without walking anyone. Here’s to hoping another team will give Moyer a chance this summer.

29-year old righty starting pitcher Jason Hammel has really pitched well in June. He has pitched in 3 games (all starts) for the Orioles so far this month and he is 1-0 with a 2.25 ERA and a 1.10 WHIP. Hammel has now pitched in 13 games (all starts) in which he is 7-2 with a 2.87 ERA and a 1.16 WHIP. It is not a fluke as I have watched him many times this year. Kudos to the Orioles’ front office as Hammel came into this season with career bests of 10 wins, a 4.33 ERA and a 1.39 WHIP in his first six years in the majors. The Orioles need Hammel to keep up the good work and he looks plenty capable of doing exactly that.

35-year old righty swinging outfielder Lew Ford last played in the majors in 2007 for the Minnesota Twins, but he’s getting close to getting another chance with the O’s. Ford has played in 27 games in AAA-ball for the Orioles so far this year and he is 40 for 103 (.388 avg, 1.098 OPS) with 18 runs scored, 5 homers, 21 RBIs and 4 stolen bases. He has now played in 46 games in AAA+Independent ball so far this year and he is 65 for 178 (.365 avg, 1.067 OPS) with 34 runs scored, 9 homers, 35 RBIs and 8 stolen bases.

28-year old righty swinging 3B/1B Mark Reynolds is ripping the ball so far in June for the Orioles. He has played in 14 games for the Orioles so far this month and he is 15 for 46 (.326 avg, 1.045 OPS) with 12 runs scored, 3 homers and 9 RBIs. He has now played in 43 games for the O’s so far this year and he is 34 for 141 (.241 avg, .805 OPS) with 22 runs scored, 5 homers and 18 RBIs. Reynolds is always going to be a hot and cold hitter due to the fact that he whiffs so much, but the Orioles will live with it.

The Orioles have released 22-year old righty starter/reliever Justin Moore. Moore pitched in 13 games (9 starts) in A-ball this year and he was 1-6 with a 8.05 ERA and a 1.77 WHIP. He gave up 72 hits (8 homers) and he hit 8 batters in only 50 1/3 innings this year, so he has had some issues. Moore pitched in 85 games (43 starts) in his six years in the minors for the O’s and he was 13-15 with 2 saves, a 3.82 ERA and a 1.36 WHIP. The Orioles were a little impatient with Moore, as he will likely hook on with another team at some point this summer.

The Orioles have dealt 26-year old lefty starter/reliever Cole McCurry to the Braves for cash considerations. McCurry pitched in 13 games (9 starts) in AA+AAA-ball for the Orioles this year and he was 0-7 with 1 save, a 6.10 ERA and a 1.65 WHIP. He pitched in 152 games (85 starts) in his six years in the minors for the Orioles and he was 38-40 with 3 saves, a 3.67 ERA and a 1.26 WHIP. This wasn’t much of a loss for the Orioles as McCurry wasn’t going to help them in 2012.

The Orioles have placed 34-year old lefty swinging outfielder Endy Chavez on the 15-day disabled list due to a strained right hamstring. Chavez has played in 32 games for the Orioles so far this year and he is 17 for 105 (.162 avg, .402 OPS) with 11 runs scored, 1 homer, 4 RBIs and 1 stolen base. The O’s have recalled 28-year old righty swinging infielder Steven Tolleson from AAA-ball to replace Chavez on the active roster. Tolleson played in 12 games for the Orioles his first time around and he was 9 for 38 (.237 avg, .722 OPS) with 3 runs scored, 2 homers and 6 RBIs.