Baltimore Orioles fans were caught off guard Friday night—not just by the 11-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays, but by something else. It was the absence of a familiar voice in the booth- Ben McDonald, the former Orioles pitcher and longtime MASN broadcaster, was missing from the call.
McDonald revealed on social media that he had suffered a terrifying 25-foot fall from a deer stand early Thursday morning. The accident left him with a severe concussion and two cracked vertebrae, so pretty serious injury. In a video from his hospital, he looked confused and a little dazed, asking people around him what had happened to him- a concussion.
A voice off-camera explained that the strap or chain gave way, and that led to the fall. But despite the scary scene, McDonald has still not lost his spirits. So he shared a reassuring message to Baltimore: “I’m fine and appreciate everyone checking on me… Very lucky … I’ll be back in #Birdland soon calling @Orioles games! Thank you for all your thoughts … And thank you to the doctors! See y’all soon!”
This is what a severe concussion looks like and sounds like! (I still don’t remember anything) Apparently I fell out of a deer stand 25 feet up yesterday morning….I’m fine and appreciate everyone checking on me. Very lucky….concussion and 2 cracked vertebra’s….I’ll be back… pic.twitter.com/uvczgV1uOq
— Ben McDonald (@realbenmcdonald) July 19, 2025
Those three words, “I’ll be back,” promise a lot to the fans. During the broadcast, even the MASN crew made sure to send their thoughts to McDonald. One announcer recalled a conversation earlier that day. “I talked to him today, and he goes, ‘Well, I don’t remember the fall. He said, ‘I’ve been doing this for 35 years, and I never fell.’ He said a lot of the people that he was with … don’t like to go up 25 feet. So I think Ben’s going to join them now. I said, ‘Isn’t there a parachute or something that can, you know, [help] for 25-foot falls?” They simply joked.
Well, McDonald has long been connected to Baltimore; he was the No. 1 overall pick in the 1989 MLB Draft. He spent nearly a decade in the majors before he decided to shift to broadcasting. And since joining the Baltimore Orioles booth in 2016, he has brought a mix of his sharp analysis, his southern charm, and that passion to every game.
Now there is no confirmed timeline for his return, but the Orioles baseball sure won’t feel the same or even right without him. The boot for sure is quieter, and you have to agree that the stories are fewer and the energy is just a little bit lower. But he said he will be back soon, so you can count on it. But this is not the only bad news that has knocked the Orioles.
Baltimore Orioles face another blow with a major injury setback
Unfortunately, McDonald’s injury is not the only tough news Baltimore Orioles fans had to absorb. Right around the same time, the team revealed that pitcher Grayson Rodriguez had been shut down again! This time, it is because of his recurring elbow issue. It’s the same thing that had popped back during the spring training and sent him to the IL. Now it’s back, and it couldn’t have come at a worse time.
Interim manager Tony Mansolino didn’t sugarcoat the situation, saying, “We had to pull back a little bit on Grayson… We’re going to reevaluate, and we’ll probably have more information in the next week or so.” Now, for the Orioles fan, this is a familiar tune playing, given the rotation has been through enough. But the fact that now one of the brightest young arms is sidelined again is heart-wrenching.
Rodriguez was putting in a solid year with a 3.86 ERA with 130 strikeouts over more than 20 starts. Plus, he looked comfortable and confident. But now the situation of the O’s seems on shaky ground. He has not pitched since July 31, and while the message is not official, the chances of him returning soon or at all this season don’t look great. Plus, the injuries have taken a mental toll on him, too. Back in June, he had said, “My confidence was really high, and I think that’s one thing that I’ve struggled having to deal with is knowing that I’m where I want to be right now, but not being able to go out there and pitch every five days. Really just kills me.”
And how can anyone blame him? Baltimore’s rotation has been just a revolving one of setbacks. Plus, now the team is in a tricky spot, given the trade deadline is right around the corner. The owner, too, has been deflecting the blame. The IL is filling up, and Rodriguez, who is expected to be one of the key arms down the stretch, is now the big question mark.
Until then, all Baltimore Orioles fans can do is wait and hope. Do you think he will make a healthy return?
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