By Andrew Hendriks

Canadian Baseball Network

Hours removed from recording his first major league hit — a ringing double off the base of the centre field wall in last night’s 4–3 win over the Milwaukee Brewers — outfielder Anthony Alford has been placed on the 10-day disabled list with a hamate fracture in his left wrist.

In a corresponding move, Dwight Smith Jr. was recalled to assume Alford’s vacated spot on the Blue Jays' 25-man roster.

After making his debut in Baltimore, Alford, 22, appeared in parts of four games with Toronto prior to his injury. Recently ranked the No. 3 prospect within the Blue Jays' minor league system by MLBPipeline.com, the former third-round draft pick has combined to produce an overall OPS of .782 across 252 minor league games since signing in 2012.

Generally speaking, this injury is caused by a direct blow to the palm and can be amplified by swinging a bat, sliding into a base or laying out to make a catch in the outfield.

In 2015, the Miami Marlins lost Giancarlo Stanton to a hamate fracture on June 26. Originally forecasted to miss somewhere in the neighborhood of four to six weeks, the hard-hitting right fielder did not return to the Marlins lineup until the following April.

Alford’s untimely injury allowed Smith Jr., who was optioned to Buffalo on May 21, to skip the 10-day wait time before returning to the active big league roster. Through 38 games with triple-A Buffalo, the 24-year-old outfielder has hit .316 with seven doubles, four home runs and 21 RBI, second-most among Bisons hitters in 2017.

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