Orioles place Jonathan Schoop on DL with right knee injury

Just as he was poised to take another big step in his development, Jonathan Schoop is going to have to make his way through a potentially lengthy spell on the sidelines.

The Orioles placed their starting second baseman on the 15-day disabled list on Saturday after an MRI revealed Schoop had a partially torn PCL and sprained MCL in his right knee.

Schoop suffered the injury Friday night when he tripped over first base in a 3-2 loss to Boston. He was also dinged up at second on a takeout slide by Pablo Sandoval earlier in the game.

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It's unclear when Baltimore could get Schoop back. However, Orioles manager Buck Showalter is optimistic Schoop will play again as the 23-year-old does not require surgery and he'll begin his rehab at the team facility in Sarasota, Fla., soon.

Utility man Ryan Flaherty takes over at second base for the time being while infielder Jimmy Paredes was activated from the DL to take Schoop's place on the 25-man roster.

Losing Schoop is a tough blow for the Orioles, who are already without starting shortstop J.J. Hardy and unsure when he'll return. Already a strong fielder, it looked like Schoop was coming into his own at the plate, hitting 259/.310/.630 with three home runs and seven RBIs in nine games this season.

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Israel Fehr is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at israelfehr@yahoo.ca or follow him on Twitter. Follow @israelfehr