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Orioles closer Zach Britton recently returned from the disabled list but then was quickly right back on it again with a left forearm strain. Initially, no timetable was given, but we found out it's going to be a long road back on Tuesday: 

Two months when Britton's already missed a decent chunk of time, so that's a bummer for the Orioles. 

Britton, 29, won the Mariano Rivera AL Reliever of the Year award last season after saving 47 games in 47 chances with a 0.54 ERA, 0.84 WHIP and 74 strikeouts in 67 innings. He finished fourth in AL Cy Young voting and even got some MVP votes. 

So far this season, Britton has five saves in five chances with a 1.00 ERA and 1.78 WHIP. Though he was keeping runs off the board, he allowed 12 hits and four walks in nine innings to this point. Opposing hitters have slashed .343/.410/.343 against him, so at least he's avoided extra-base hits. 

With Britton down, the capable Brad Brach remains in the closer role with Mychal Givens and Darren O'Day in setup duty. Even with O'Day off to a bit of a rough start, this is still a threesome at the end of games that is very good. Even without full-go Britton so far, the Orioles rank 10th in bullpen ERA in all of baseball. 

Still, to go without Britton all the way until the All-Star break is a big blow for the Orioles, particularly in how it shifts everyone back a spot and affects the depth of the club. Plus, with it being a forearm injury that sidelines Britton for months, one has to wonder if it'll linger on the rest of the season. 

At 21-10, the Orioles have the look of a long-term contender this season. To be without a reliever the caliber of Britton might change their plans as they move into June and July -- that is, if they weren't looking for late-inning bullpen help to start the season, they very well might be doing so in front of the trade deadline now, given the questionable status of their biggest bullpen weapon.