Report: Hardy to miss 6-8 weeks with foot fracture

The banged up Baltimore Orioles were dealt another blow Monday afternoon when a CT scan revealed a hairline fracture in shortstop J.J. Hardy's left foot. The injury will sideline him for six-to-eight weeks, according to MASN's Roch Kubatko.

Hardy fouled a ball off his left foot Sunday, which forced him to leave early from Baltimore's 7-1 loss to the Chicago White Sox. Although initial X-rays were negative, Peter Schmuck of the Baltimore Sun reported that team officials were still very concerned about the 33-year-old. Their fears were confirmed Monday, and the club is now expected to recall infielder Ryan Flaherty to take Hardy's spot on the active roster, notes Kubatko.

Hardy, a two-time All-Star with three Gold Glove awards, enjoyed a solid start to the 2016 campaign, managing an .809 OPS with two homers and five doubles through his first 14 games, but hit just .179/.258/.250 in his last 31 plate appearances before hurting his foot.

In his absence, the Orioles could move third baseman Manny Machado - the newly crowned AL Player of the Month - over to shortstop, the position he played throughout his minor-league career.