Canario Heading to Baltimore After Bellinger's Departure on Wednesday

The Chicago Cubs could be without Cody Bellinger for an extended period of time. After taking a pitch off his left hand on Wednesday night, the outfielder was removed from the game. The Cubs managed to win 4-0 , but potentially at the cost of an extended Bellinger absence.

According to ESPN's Jesse Rogers, Iowa Cubs OF Alexander Canario is on his way to Baltimore to join the team. In theory, this means that Bellinger is destined for an IL stint, but the exact length of the absence remains unknown.

Bellinger isn't having the greatest season ever, but he has still been fairly productive. In 79 games, Bellinger is slashing .269/.331/.410 with nine home runs and 37 runs driven in. Bellinger hasn't been the three-hitter the Cubs need him to be, but his experience and versatility will be sorely missed if he is gone for any extended amount of time.

For Canario, the right-handed bat is slashing .238/.330/.502 with 16 home runs and 43 RBIs in 59 games with Triple-A Iowa. At the MLB level, Canario has only seen action in 13 games. That said, Canario has six hits , including one double and one home run, and four runs scored. Perhaps a long-term look for Canario could be good for the 24-year-old outfielder.

The Cubs and Baltimore Orioles finish their three-game set on Thursday. The 5:35 p.m. CDT first pitch will feature LHP Justin Steele for the Cubbies and RHP Albert Suarez for the O's.

UPDATE: Cody Bellinger has been placed on the 10-day IL with a fracture in his left middle finger. Since the injury is on his throwing hand, there is a good chance that the centerfielder will miss a good amount of time. This is a potentially huge blow to the Cubs' lineup.

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