Steve Johnson X-rays negative, and other notes

Steve Johnson X-rays negative, and other notes
SARASOTA, Fla. - The X-rays on pitcher Steve Johnson's right middle finger today came back clean. It's just a bruise and he's day-to-day like the rest of us. Johnson can resume throwing once the discomfort subsides. Today's workout was cut short, ending at 11 a.m., so the Orioles could play in the annual charity golf tournament. Bullpen sessions were thrown by Dane De La Rosa, Brian Matusz and Wesley Wright in Group 1, Oliver Drake and Chaz Roe in Group 2, Tim Berry, Eddie Gamboa and...

Steve Johnson sidelined with bruised finger (with videos and photos)

Steve Johnson sidelined with bruised finger (with videos and photos)
SARASOTA, Fla. - Orioles pitcher Steve Johnson didn't throw his bullpen session this morning after jamming his right middle finger yesterday during a fielding drill. Johnson said the finger is feeling better after two days of icing it, though it's noticeably bruised and swollen. He's headed to a local hospital for X-rays later today. Johnson, signed to a minor league deal, was hit on the tip of his finger while trying to grab a high chopper to the mound. Manager Buck Showalter is listing him...

Nix on his new opportunity, Lough on his fresh start

Nix on his new opportunity, Lough on his fresh start
SARASOTA, Fla. - Infielders Jayson Nix and Rey Navarro have reported to camp, leaving outfielder Delmon Young and infielder Michael Almanzar as the only Orioles still marked absent. Position players aren't due in camp until Tuesday. If memory serves, Almanzar was the last Oriole to report in 2014. Catcher Caleb Joseph returned to camp this morning after leaving yesterday to be with his wife, Brooke, who's expecting their first child. She's fine and the couple is still waiting for their...

Webb hoping changes lead to more gems in 2015

Webb hoping changes lead to more gems in 2015
SARASOTA, Fla. - When I rule the world, the Oscar statue is going to look like Jack Klugman. Orioles reliever Ryan Webb looks like a slimmed down version of himself. He reported to camp at 228 pounds, compared to 245 last spring. The right-hander says he ended the 2014 season at 236 pounds. How did he do it? "I ate better," he said, instantly losing me. (I kid.) "I started eating healthy foods and trying to just cut down on breads and fats," he continued while I felt even worse about...

Hearing from Showalter after the third workout (with video and photos)

Hearing from Showalter after the third workout (with video and photos)
SARASOTA, Fla. - Orioles manager Buck Showalter didn't eliminate the possibility that Dylan Bundy could pitch in the majors this season. Bundy is full-go in camp after recovering from ligament-reconstructive surgery on his right elbow in June 2013. He threw a bullpen session today and looked better as it progressed. "Like I said all along, the governors are off on him," Showalter said following today's workout. "If you pitch good enough to be in the mix and there's a need, yes, so it's...

De Aza putting arbitration loss behind him (with videos)

De Aza putting arbitration loss behind him (with videos)
SARASOTA, Fla. - Outfielder Alejandro De Aza walked out of the clubhouse today and headed to one of the back fields around 11:40 a.m., stopping to hug a few teammates along the way. De Aza has reported to camp after losing his arbitration hearing, insisting that the process is behind him and there are no hard feelings. I'd guess that earning $5 million this season eases some of the pain. "I'm happy and excited to be here, a fresh start to spring training with the team," said De Aza, who...

Ward hoping defense gives him edge in catching competition

Ward hoping defense gives him edge in catching competition
SARASOTA, Fla. - The Orioles' bullpen sessions today will feature many of the top pitchers on the roster. Ubaldo Jimenez, Darren O'Day and Bud Norris are in Group 1, Tommy Hunter, Chris Tillman and Ryan Webb are in Group 2, Miguel Gonzalez, Wei-Yin Chen and Zach Britton are in Group 3, Brad Brach, T.J. McFarland and Kevin Gausman are in Group 4, and Dylan Bundy and Mark Hendrickson are in Group 5. Alejandro De Aza is in Sarasota and should be in camp later today. Jayson Nix has a locker...

Goals for Gonzalez include rotation spot and 200 innings

Goals for Gonzalez include rotation spot and 200 innings
SARASOTA, Fla. - Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette continues his search for another bullpen arm, hoping that one of the free agents will settle for a minor league deal as more time passes. It's been known to happen. Miguel Gonzalez has no idea whether he's going to begin the 2015 season in the rotation or bullpen. He has no idea whether the Orioles will option him to Triple-A Norfolk. Posting a 2.19 ERA in his final 11 starts last year didn't necesarily put him on more solid...

Hearing from Janish and Showalter following today's workout

Hearing from Janish and Showalter following today's workout
SARASOTA, Fla. - Infielder Paul Janish said the surgery to remove bone chips from his right elbow took place eight days ago and he's hoping to be ready for the second half of camp. "Surgery went well," he said. "It was just a few bone chips. Nothing serious. They were cleaned out pretty efficiently. They didn't have to look around a whole lot, so not very invasive, if you will. Hopefully, it will be a three or four week time frame and I'll be able to play the second half of camp ideally....

Concluding the second day of workouts (with videos and photos)

Concluding the second day of workouts (with videos and photos)
SARASOTA, Fla. - The Orioles just concluded their second workout and are heading into the clubhouse. Rule 5 pick Jason Garcia and Triple-A Norfolk right-hander Mike Wright were especially impressive today during their bullpen sessions. Outfielder Alejandro De Aza, who lost his arbitration hearing, is expected to report later today. He wants to get comfortable in a new spring training facility. The Orioles are still hoping to finalize their deal next week with infielder Everth Cabrera. The legal...

Jimenez on new delivery and improved outlook (De Aza loses arbitration case)

Jimenez on new delivery and improved outlook (De Aza loses arbitration case)
SARASOTA, Fla. - The Orioles have 14 pitchers throwing in the bullpen today, six more than yesterday. Dane De La Rosa, Brian Matusz and Wesley Wright are in Group 1, Oliver Drake, Steve Johnson and Chaz Roe are in Group 2, Chris Jones, Tyler Wilson and Mike Wright are in Group 3, Tim Berry, Eddie Gamboa and Rule 5 pick Jason Garcia are in Group 4, and Hunter Harvey and Rule 5 pick Logan Verrett are in Group 5. Ubaldo Jimenez used a more compact delivery during yesterday's session, the same...

Clevenger looking to get back up as the backup

Clevenger looking to get back up as the backup
SARASOTA, Fla. - The Orioles are back on their normal schedule today with physicals no longer eating up valuable hours in the morning. They won't be taking the field at noon for the pre-workout stretch. We'll find out whether outfielder Alejandro De Aza won his arbitration hearing and will be paid $5.65 million this season or if he must settle for $5 million. He made $4.25 million last season. It's not the sexiest competition in camp, but the Orioles must settle on a backup to catcher Matt...

Brault PTBNL in Snider deal

Brault PTBNL in Snider deal
SARASOTA, Fla. - The Orioles have completed last month's trade with the Pirates by sending them minor league left-hander Steven Brault as the player to be named later. Close the books on this one. The Pirates earlier had received minor league left-hander Stephen Tarpley in exchange for outfielder Travis Snider. Brault, 22, was an 11th-round pick in the 2013 First-Year Player Draft out of Regis University in Denver. He went 9-8 with a 3.05 ERA in 22 games (21 starts) with low Single-A...

Showalter after the first workout (with pictures)

Showalter after the first workout (with pictures)
SARASOTA, Fla. - The Orioles concluded their first workout and manager Buck Showalter met with the media in the prep room. A photo of a pride of lions hangs on a wall above him with the caption: "Surround Yourself With Those On The Same Mission As You." Showalter was impressed that every player who took a physical was on the field today. "That's one of the rare times when we didn't get any 'hold this guy off the field' type of thing until we get something checked out," Showalter said....

Notes on Steve Johnson and pace of game rules (plus photos and video)

Notes on Steve Johnson and pace of game rules (plus photos and video)
SARASOTA, Fla. - Center fielder Adam Jones played catch and shagged fly balls on one of the practice fields this morning before heading back indoors. He was the only visible Oriole outside of the clubhouse at 11 a.m. The sound of batters taking their swings in the indoor cage echoed in the distance. Jones struck a pose for me as a parting shot, so to speak. Pitcher Steve Johnson said his right shoulder feels good following surgery in September to shave down a bone spur. "I told them when I...

Wieters: "I've been looking forward to this spring more than any other spring"

Wieters: "I've been looking forward to this spring more than any other spring"
SARASOTA, Fla. - Matt Wieters still can't provide any assurances that he's going to be behind the plate for the Orioles on opening day at Tropicana Field. What he can do is detail his throwing progression and continue to sound optimistic about his chances. That will have to do for now. Wieters threw from 120-plus feet on back-to-back days before resting today. That's progress. "Doing good," he said this morning. "Rehab's going. It's kind of just slowly progressing, and like I said,...

The first workout, De Aza's hearing and Reimold's return

The first workout, De Aza's hearing and Reimold's return
SARASOTA, Fla. - Today marks the Orioles' first official workout of spring training at the Ed Smith Stadium complex. It's supposed to be pitchers and catchers, but the place is crawling with position players, too. It's such a common occurrence now, I didn't question why shortstop J.J. Hardy was chatting with reporters at his locker yesterday morning. Or why outfielders Adam Jones and Alex Hassan were getting dressed just a few lockers apart. Or why third baseman Manny Machado was...

Showalter on Wieters, Janish, facility improvements and more

Showalter on Wieters, Janish, facility improvements and more
SARASOTA, Fla. - Orioles manager Buck Showalter said he may allow Matt Wieters to catch the intrasquad games on the first two days of March rather than restrict him to being the designated hitter. Wieters won't be cleared to throw with maximum effort behind the plate, but the Orioles can control the running game. That's not the case in the Grapefruit League. Wieters is slated to make his exhibition debut behind the plate on March 17, exactly nine months after his elbow surgery. In the...

Hearing from Duquette

Hearing from Duquette
SARASOTA, Fla. - Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette met with reporters in the workroom for about eight minutes today and provided updates on Everth Cabrera and Paul Janish, among other topics. On Cabrera's pending deal: "I don't know that it's going to be done this week. There's a couple of issues that need to be resolved. We've had some discussions. There's not a lot that I can say about players while we're in the process. The rules don't allow it, but we've done a lot of...

Janish undergoes elbow surgery, and notes on Cabrera and Parmelee

Janish undergoes elbow surgery, and notes on Cabrera and Parmelee
SARASOTA, Fla. - Infielder Paul Janish, signed by the Orioles to a minor league deal in November, underwent surgery a few days ago to remove bone chips from his right elbow and is expected to miss six to eight weeks of camp. Janish was supposed to compete for a utility job. With Janish currently out of the mix, the Orioles signed another utility player, Jayson Nix, to a minor league deal and reached agreement with Everth Cabrera on a one-year deal. Executive vice president Dan Duquette said the...