The Orioles released Long (undisclosed) from his minor-league contract Aug. 16.
Long missed the first month of the minor-league season while recovering from the surgery he underwent last October to address a stress fracture in his right leg, and he found little success at Triple-A Norfolk once he debuted for the affiliate in late May. He ultimately slashed .211/.318/.276 with a 27.3 percent strikeout rate over 88 plate appearances for Norfolk before returning to the affiliate's 7-day injured list June 28. Long appears to be healthy again after starting up a rehab assignment in the rookie-level Florida Complex League earlier this month, but he'll now be in search of a new organization after hitting the open market.
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Orioles' Shed Long: Ready to debut at Norfolk
Rotowire
Triple-A Norfolk activated Long (lower leg) from its 7-day injured list Monday, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.
Long missed the first month of the minor-league season while he continued to recover from October surgery to address a stress fracture in his left leg. He was cleared to begin a rehab assignment at Single-A Delmarva on May 10 before he eventually moved on to High-A Aberdeen. Between the two affiliates, Long appeared in six games and went 3-for-16 with four walks and a run. He should get the opportunity to play on an everyday basis at Norfolk, where he'll try to impress enough to earn a promotion to the Orioles later this summer.
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Orioles' Shed Long: Rehab moves to High-A
Rotowire
Long (lower leg) had his rehab assignment transferred to High-A Aberdeen on Tuesday, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.
Long had a minor setback when he was hit by a pitch in his only plate appearance with Single-A Delmarva. He's made enough progress to take his rehab to another level. Once healthy, he's expected to report to Triple-A Norfolk.
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Orioles' Shed Long: Starting rehab assignment
Rotowire
Long (lower leg) is set to begin his rehab assignment with Single-A Delmarva, Steve Melewski of MASNSports.com reports.
Long signed a minor-league contract with the Orioles in February, but he's been nursing a lower leg injury and yet to make his season debut. The 26-year-old played in 34 games with the Mariners in 2021, producing a .198/.258/.360 slash line with four homers, 17 RBI and a stolen base. Once healthy, Long will need to impress at Triple-A Norfolk to earn another shot in the big leagues.
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Orioles' Shed Long: Goes on MiLB IL
Rotowire
The Orioles reassigned Long (lower leg) to Triple-A Norfolk on Tuesday and placed him on the affiliate's 7-day injured list, Rich Dubroff of BaltimoreBaseball.com reports.
Long is expected to stick around at the Orioles' spring training facility in Florida to continue his rehab from the surgery he underwent in mid-October to address a stress fracture in his right leg. Once he gets healthy, Long will likely need to perform well at Norfolk before he warrants consideration for a promotion to the big-league roster.
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Orioles' Shed Long: Reaches minor-league deal with O's
Rotowire
Long (lower leg) and the Orioles agreed Wednesday on a minor-league contract, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.
Upon being outrighted off the Mariners' 40-man roster in late October, Long elected free agency shortly thereafter, allowing him to explore his options elsewhere for the first time in his career. Though the 26-year-old isn't far removed from being a prospect of some repute who showed some potential during his first taste of the big leagues in 2019, Long's poor track record on the health front coupled with the MLB's ongoing lockout likely were significant factors in him settling for a minor-league deal. Even so, Long picked about the best destination possible for him to resurface in the majors, as he should have a legitimate chance to compete for a utility role with the Orioles, if not a starting job at second or third base. Ryan Mountcastle, Rougned Odor, Ramon Urias and Kelvin Gutierrez will likely head into spring training atop the depth chart at the four infield spots, but only Mountcastle looks like a lock to break camp in an everyday role. Long underwent surgery in mid-October to address a stress fracture in his right leg, so his first order of business will be proving his health this spring.
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Mariners' Shed Long: Undergoes surgery
Rotowire
Long underwent surgery in mid-October to address a stress fracture in his right leg, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.
The 26-year-old was outrighted to Triple-A Tacoma on Friday, and his agent, Nate Heisler, detailed the injury in the wake of the move. Long played through a stress fracture in both of the last two seasons, which may partially explain his .184/.250/.325 slash line in 68 games over that stretch. A similar surgery last offseason didn't wind up leading to the desired result on the field, but he'll hope for better luck this time around. He expects to be ready for spring training but will likely be suiting up for a new team, as he'll become a free agent after the World Series.
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Mariners' Shed Long: Moved to 60-day IL
Rotowire
The Mariners transferred Long (lower leg) to the 60-day injured list Saturday, Corey Brock of The Athletic reports.
The move almost certainly ends Long's season, as he was placed on the injured list Aug. 2 with a right shin stress reaction and won't be eligible to return until the beginning of October. If he's played his last game in 2021, Long will have slashed .198/.258/.360 with four home runs and 17 RBI in 121 plate appearances.
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Mariners' Shed Long: Lands on 10-day IL
Rotowire
Long was placed on the 10-day injured list with a right shin stress reaction Monday, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.
Long hadn't appeared in any of the last three games, and he's apparently been dealing with an injury. Whether he's forced to miss more than the minimum of 10 days remains to be seen, but his move to the IL will clear room for Jake Fraley (illness), who was reinstated from the COVID-19 injured list Monday.
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Mariners' Shed Long: Playing time trending down
Rotowire
Long remains out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Rangers.
On the bench for the third game in a row, Long appears to have been one of the big losers following the Mariners' trade-deadline acquisition of Abraham Toro. With Toro expected to handle a near-everyday role at second base or designated hitter, Dylan Moore and Jake Bauers have been picking up more work in the corner outfield at Long's expense.
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Mariners' Shed Long: Productive night in comeback win
Rotowire
Long went 2-for-3 with an RBI single and a run in a win over the Astros on Monday.
Kyle Seager and Dylan Moore drew the headlines with their big blasts, but Long played a role in the wild comeback win with a timely sixth-inning knock that brought the Mariners within a run. The multi-hit effort was a rare taste of offensive success for the struggling second baseman, who hadn't managed more than one hit in a game since June 17.
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Mariners' Shed Long: Sitting again Sunday
Rotowire
Long is not in the lineup Sunday versus the Athletics.
Long is 2-for-16 with nine strikeouts since the All-Star break and will receive the day off Sunday with lefty Cole Irvin pitching for Oakland.. Jake Bauers will receive his second straight start in left field.
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Mariners' Shed Long: Heads to bench
Rotowire
Long will sit Saturday against Oakland.
Long had been the left fielder against the last seven righties the Mariners faced, but he'll hit the bench here against right-hander Chris Bassitt. Long hasn't made much of a case for regular at-bats thus far this season, striking out 30.3 percent of the time while hitting .180/.241/.360. Jake Bauers will start in left field in his absence.
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Mariners' Shed Long: Swipes bag in win
Rotowire
Long went 0-for-2 with a walk and a stolen base in Friday's 4-3 win over the Athletics.
Long reached in the seventh on a walk and eventually stole second for his first steal of the year. It has been a struggle at the plate all year for the 25-year-old, who currently is slashing .180/.241/.360 with four homers, 16 RBI, 12 runs scored and 8:33 BB:K over 109 plate appearances. He's striking out at a 30.3 percent rate this year and has really yet to get things going in the hitting department since the beginning of the 2020 campaign.
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Mariners' Shed Long: Sits against southpaw
Rotowire
Long isn't starting Wednesday's game against the Rockies.
Long will retreat to the bench for the second time in the last three games with left-hander Austin Gomber starting for Colorado on Wednesday. Dylan Moore will shift to left field while Luis Torrens starts at first base.
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Mariners' Shed Long: Sits versus lefty
Rotowire
Long is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Angels.
The lefty-hitting Long will take a seat with a southpaw (Patrick Sandoval) on the mound for Los Angeles. Though he's contributed a middling .194/.235/.387 slash line since being activated from the injured list in early June, Long appears well positioned to receive regular playing time in the outfield after Jake Fraley was placed on the COVID-19-related injured list Sunday.
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Mariners' Shed Long: Out of Saturday's lineup
Rotowire
Long is not in Saturday's lineup against the Angels.
He is batting .152 with two home runs in 33 at-bats this month. Jake Bauers will start in left field and bat ninth.
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Mariners' Shed Long: Takes seat Friday
Rotowire
Long isn't starting Friday against the Angels.
Long went 0-for-8 across the two games leading up to the All-Star break. He'll retreat to the bench with Jake Fraley shifting to left field while Jarred Kelenic starts in center field.
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Mariners' Shed Long: Plates two in win
Rotowire
Long went 1-for-3 with a two-run double, a walk and a run in a win over the Angels on Friday.
Long's timely fourth-inning two-bagger initiated a comeback from a three-run deficit for the Mariners, as it plated Luis Torrens and Jake Fraley with Seattle's first pair of runs. Long's .208 average and .256 on-base percentage both have ample room for improvement, but he owns a respectable .442 slugging percentage thanks in large part to the fact that nine of his 16 hits have gone for extra bases.
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Mariners' Shed Long: Cranks fourth home run
Rotowire
Long went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Sunday's 4-1 win over the Rangers.
Long slammed a solo home run off Mike Foltynewicz in the fifth inning to give the Mariners a 4-0 lead. It's his second long ball in three games and fourth in his last 10 games. Despite displaying some power, he only has five hits in his last 33 at-bats. The 25-year-old is slashing .209/.243/.463 in just 71 plate appearances since making his season debut on June 8.
