Struggling to play through shoulder injury, Luke Scott gets cortisone injection

Luke Scott has remained in the Orioles’ lineup despite being diagnosed with a torn labrum in his right shoulder early last month, but he’s hitting just .151 in his last 17 games and Brittany Ghiroli of MLB.com reports that Scott got a cortisone injection yesterday.

According to Ghiroli he could be back in the lineup as soon as today, although given his struggles there’s really no reason for the Orioles to rush him back.

Buck Showalter indicated that shutting down Scott could be an option if he can’t get on track:

Only Luke really knows because he’s not giving it up very much, at least not to me, and I talk to him about every day in some form or fashion. He’s a tough guy. He’s going to try to play through it and we’re hoping this injection kind of frees it up a little bit. If not, then what you’re talking about is something that we might revisit.

Scott, who had a career-year in 2010 and then made headlines for his comments about Barack Obama’s birth certificate, is earning $6.4 million this season and will be arbitration eligible again in 2012.

I’d normally make some joke about needing to see proof of the torn labrum, but I suppose the .151 batting average is pretty solid evidence even by Scott’s lofty standards.