Shed Long: Cuts ties with O's

The Orioles released Long (undisclosed) from his minor-league contract Aug. 16.

Long missed the first month of the minor-league season while recovering from the surgery he underwent last October to address a stress fracture in his right leg, and he found little success at Triple-A Norfolk once he debuted for the affiliate in late May. He ultimately slashed .211/.318/.276 with a 27.3 percent strikeout rate over 88 plate appearances for Norfolk before returning to the affiliate's 7-day injured list June 28. Long appears to be healthy again after starting up a rehab assignment in the rookie-level Florida Complex League earlier this month, but he'll now be in search of a new organization after hitting the open market.