O's place Akin (left elbow discomfort) on IL, recall Walker from Triple-A 

BALTIMORE -- One of the longest-tenured players on the Orioles’ roster has hit the injured list and won’t be back until after the All-Star break, at the earliest.

Left-hander Keegan Akin was placed on the 15-day IL due to left elbow discomfort prior to Monday night’s series opener vs. the White Sox at Camden Yards. The 31-year-old had been one of only two lefties in Baltimore’s bullpen.

The O’s brought up another lefty to take Akin’s place, though, recalling Josh Walker from Triple-A Norfolk. Walker will join Grant Wolfram as the left-handers in the relief corps.

The severity of Akin’s ailment is not yet known. His IL placement is retroactive to Sunday.

Akin had struggled a bit this season, recording a 5.68 ERA in 24 games (including two starts as an opener). The Orioles’ 2016 second-round Draft pick is now in his seventh MLB season, all of which have been spent with Baltimore.

More recently, however, Akin had been pitching better. He hadn’t allowed an earned run in 8 2/3 innings over his past seven outings, which included two scoreless frames of relief in Saturday’s 4-3, 10-inning loss to the Nationals.

Walker is joining the O’s for the second time this season. The 31-year-old previously posted a 4.50 ERA in four innings over three appearances with Baltimore from May 12-16. He has a 4.28 ERA in 21 relief appearances this season with Norfolk.