Jorge Mateo injury update: Orioles infielder undergoes season-ending elbow surgery after June collision

If the Baltimore Orioles are to beat the New York Yankees and win their second consecutive American League East title, they will have to do so without veteran infielder Jorge Mateo. Mateo, who had not played since July 23 after suffering an elbow injury in a collision with a teammate, underwent season-ending surgery to place an internal brace in his non-throwing arm and repair his flexor tendon.

Mateo, 29, was in the midst of the best offensive season of his big league career. In 68 games before the injury, he batted .229/.267/.401 (91 OPS+), including five home runs and 13 stolen bases (on 15 attempts). According to Baseball Reference’s calculations, his contribution was an estimated 0.8 Wins Above Replacement.

In the little over a month since Mateo’s departure, the Orioles have handed the leadoff role to young Jackson Holliday, who has been the best player in baseball this year. Holliday has performed better since returning to the majors than he did in his first attempt, though perhaps he hasn’t lived up to expectations given his name and pedigree: In 26 games, he’s batted .211/.268/.422 with five home runs.

The Orioles enter Thursday with a 77-57 record, which puts them one game behind the Yankees in the quest for the AL East crown. Baltimore will close out a potential World Series preview against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Thursday before beginning a stretch that will see them play several non-contenders in a row — the Colorado Rockies, Chicago White Sox and Tampa Bay Rays. The Orioles can also rest easy knowing they’ll play three more games against the Yankees in New York during the final week.

Baltimore has a 6-4 edge in head-to-head games with the Yankees. MLB eliminated tiebreaker games as part of the expanded postseason format, meaning the winner of the head-to-head series has a built-in advantage in the event of a tie.