The month of July hasn’t been kind to the Baltimore Orioles. The defending AL East champions are currently one game above .500 at 46-45, and four games behind the New York Yankees heading into a three-game series beginning tonight. The Orioles are 5-9 in July largely because of a struggling offense. Baltimore has scored only 47 runs (3.3 per game) and is batting .237 as a team this month, which rank 13th and 12th in the American League, respectively. One of the lone bright spots has been the return of Jonathan Schoop, who will be an important contributor down the stretch for the Orioles.

Schoop was off to a promising start in 2015, batting .259 in nine games before suffering a sprained PCL in mid-April. Since his return from the DL on July 4, Schoop has provided a much-needed spark to the Baltimore offense with three home runs and six RBIs in nine games. On the season, Schoop is batting .305 with six home runs in just 62 plate appearances. The 23-year-old is just beginning to tap into his talent in only his second season in MLB.

The biggest improvement Schoop has made in year two is with his plate discipline. Schoop had a free-swinging approach last season which led to 122 strikeouts and a .209 batting average in 2014. However, he displayed tremendous power potential with 16 home runs and 45 RBIs. As he becomes more selective and comfortable at the plate, his batting average will continue to increase. Though he’s unlikely to remain a .300 hitter, he could settle in the .260-.270 range and provide some pop at the bottom half of the Orioles’ lineup.

In 2011, both Schoop and Manny Machado represented the Orioles in the All-Star Futures Game. Machado has since blossomed into one of the game’s youngest superstars, and Schoop is on his way to joining him. Like Machado, Schoop is also an excellent defensive player with an incredible arm and has a career fielding percentage of .987. The future of Baltimore’s infield shines bright, as someday Machado will take over at shortstop when J.J. Hardy retires and Schoop will move to third.

Until then, all three players need to contribute for the Orioles in the second half of the season if Baltimore hopes to repeat as division champs or claim a Wild Card spot.

Ben Linton is an MLB writer for RantSports. Follow him on Twitter @Ben_Linton91, or add him to your network on Google.