Orioles' third baseman Manny Machado hit a soft chopper to shortstop against the Yankees on Monday. When the camera shifted to first base for what should have been a close play, Machado was not in the picture.

There Machado lay, still in the batter's box.  After looking at the replay, his knee crumpled after he made contact with the ball. It had to be a huge scare for the Orioles and their fans, especially after his season-ending injury last season.

This injury is similar to last year's, but it is on the other leg. A post game MRI revealed that Machado has a sprained ligament in his right knee, meaning there is no structural damage and surgery will most likely not be required. While a DL stint might be imminent, it is still a relief to the O's because it is not as serious as it could have been.

The surgery he had on his left knee last year forced Machado to miss all of the offseason, as well as a good chunk of the beginning of this season.

After starting slowly, Machado's batting average currently sits at .278 -- as he's hit .306 in the last 30 days. He is one of the best defenders in the game and has showed off his cannon of an arm on multiple occasions this season.

When he left the game on Monday, Chris Davis moved across the diamond to play third base and Steve Pearce came in to play first base. It will be very interesting in the next couple of days if the Orioles pursue another infielder or if they stick with what they have.

Baltimore currently has the largest division lead in all of baseball and is on the verge of capturing its first division title in 17 years.  

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About the author
Heath Clary
I am a sports columnist and blogger. I mostly write about the MLB and college football, but I do a little of everything