masn-baseballs-orioles.jpgOrioles executive vice president Dan Duquette said Manny Machado could return to the team by the end of his disabled list stint. Machado was placed on the 15-day disabled list today, retroactive to August 12, with a right knee sprain.

“That’s possible,” Duquette said. “We’ll see how it goes. Today he’s feeling pretty good, he’s walking around.”

To fill Machado’s roster spot, the Orioles called up infielder Cord Phelps from Triple-A Norfolk.

Phelps, 27, has batted .258/.358/.380 with…Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette said Manny Machado could return to the team by the end of his disabled list stint. Machado was placed on the 15-day disabled list today, retroactive to August 12, with a right knee sprain.

Manny-Machado-holds-knee.jpg“That’s possible,” Duquette said. “We’ll see how it goes. Today he’s feeling pretty good, he’s walking around.”

To fill Machado’s roster spot, the Orioles called up infielder Cord Phelps from Triple-A Norfolk.

Phelps, 27, has batted .258/.358/.380 with 23 extra-base hits and 49 RBI in 97 games for the Tides. Cleveland drafted him in the third-round in 2008 out of Stanford University. Phelps is a lifetime .280/.368/.431 hitter in seven minor league seasons.

In 34 Triple-A games since July 1, Phelps is batting .336 with a homer and 18 RBIs. He had an OBP of .470 in July, and it is .450 this month.

“We brought up Cord Phelps who has been doing a nice job at the plate and been getting on base,” Duquette said. “He’s been with us since spring training and we’ve got an idea of how he can contribute to the team.

“He’s been getting on-base at a really productive clip for the last two months. He’s doing a good job and he knows his way around the infield and has some major league experience.”

The Orioles had some options internally to replace Machado on the roster with Steve Lombardozzi and Ivan DeJesus, who are also available at Triple-A.

“We have some players at Triple-A that have some major league experience. Cord had the advantage of being in spring training with us and the staff was familiar with what he could do. He’s played very well and has been dependable and reliable,” Duquette said.

With the Orioles holding a 6 1/2-game lead atop the American League East, does holding a big lead impact the decisions the O’s made in dealing with Machado’s injury?

“No. We’re just trying to improve our team every day,” Duquette said.