HOUSTON -- Adam Jones, who has been receiving treatment for a sore left ankle, was out of Baltimore's starting lineup on Saturday, and the center fielder most likely will not play in Sunday's series finale, a day game against the Astros at Minute Maid Park.
"Adam, he's always going to want to play," Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. "We talked about it today. I felt it was best to back off of him."
Showalter said he believes Jones jammed his ankle in Detroit (May 16-18) when he was trying to cut off a ball in the gap or perhaps stepped awkwardly on a base.
"He's been favoring it some," Showalter said. "I think it's been bothering him at the plate when he tries to fire down on that leg. It makes it rotational with the upper half, and it's gotten painful. It's been a challenge at the plate too. Hopefully, we can get it cleared up."
Jones, batting .258 on the season, went 0-for-4 on Friday in the club's 2-0 loss at Houston.
"Really, it's kind of been off and on," Showalter said. "It's a little sore too, so we need to back off of him. Hopefully, it's only a day or two. We'll see. If it's not better in a couple of days, we'll see if we need to take another step.
"We got day games the next two days, so we want to try to get ahead of it."
Jones hasn't seen a doctor, but his situation is being monitored by the team. Following Sunday's 2:10 ET start against the Astros, the Orioles return to Baltimore, where they begin a nine-game homestand starting with a three-game series against the Yankees.
"We're going home tomorrow," Showalter said. "We'll talk about whether he should get [X-rays]. We'll see how it manages between today and tomorrow.
"It's just a reminder: Everybody on the field, including their guys, everybody's got something. I see the treatment sheet every day that never gets talked about."