If the
Orioles stick to their current plan and activate catcher
Taylor Teagarden from the 60-day disabled list before Friday night's game at Camden Yards, they will have to create room for him on the 40-man roster.
One solution would be to designate catcher
Ronny Paulino for assignment. Luis Exposito, who underwent surgery to remove part of a broken hamate bone in his right wrist - it's all the craze in this organization - has been playing for the Gulf Coast League Orioles and seems to be nearing a return to Triple-A Norfolk.
Otherwise, the Orioles could transfer second baseman
Brian Roberts to the 60-day disabled list if he requires surgery to repair a torn labrum in his right hip.
Here's another look at the 40-man roster:
Pitchers:
Jake Arrieta
Luis Ayala
Jason Berken
Zach Britton
Dylan Bundy
Wei-Yin Chen
Oliver Drake
Dana Eveland
Miguel Gonzalez
Kevin Gregg
Jason Hammel
Tommy Hunter
Jim Johnson
Steve Johnson
Matt Lindstrom
Brian Matusz
Darren O'Day
Troy Patton
Pedro Strop
Chris Tillman
Catchers:
Luis Exposito
Ronny Paulino
Matt Wieters
Infielders:
Ryan Adams
Robert Andino
Wilson Betemit
Chris Davis
Ryan Flaherty
J.J. Hardy
Nick Johnson
Joe Mahoney
Mark Reynolds
Brian Roberts
Steve Tolleson
Outfielders:
Xavier Avery
Endy Chavez
Adam Jones
Nick Markakis
Steve Pearce
Designated hitter:
Jim Thome
Keep in mind that players on the disabled list can't be designated for assignment.
Endy Chavez has played in two rehab games, going 0-for-4 with the GCL team and 0-for-4 with Single-A Delmarva. He's scheduled to play tonight and tomorrow for the Shorebirds before the Orioles decide whether to activate him on Friday.
Chavez is on the 15-day disabled list, so only a 25-man roster move is necessary.
Xavier Avery could be headed back to Norfolk if the Orioles want to keep Steve Pearce's right-handed bat and not risk losing him on waivers. Infielder/outfielder
Steve Tolleson is on the bubble again, and he could be optioned to make room for Chavez or pitcher
Chris Tillman, who will be recalled from Double-A Bowie and start Sunday against the Tigers.
NOTES: The Orioles have signed Cuban outfielder Henry Urrutia, 25, to a minor league deal, a transaction first reported by Baseball America. He received a $778,500 bonus.
Urrutia batted .397/.461/.597 with 12 homers, 32 walks and 23 strikeouts in 305 at-bats in his final season in Cuba.
Here's Baseball America's report on Urrutia, which was filed back in January:
"Urrutia, 24, is the son of Ermidelio Urrutia, a former Cuban national team outfielder who played in the 1992 Olympics and several other international competitions. From 2006-2010, Ermidelio was a manager in Serie Nacional for Las Tunas, the team Henry played for from his debut season in 2005-06 until his final season in 2009-10. Henry Urrutia batted .397/.461/.597 in 305 at-bats with 12 home runs and more walks (32) than strikeouts (23) his last year in Cuba, tying for ninth in the league in OBP.
A 6-foot-3, 180-pound switch-hitter, Urrutia is a corner outfielder with a solid, level stroke that produces line drives, with a better swing plane from the left side. He has solid bat-to-ball ability and average power. While there's not much projection remaining, Urrutia's body does have some room to fill out, so he could add more pop, but he doesn't have prototypical power for a corner outfielder. He's a good athlete for a corner outfielder and just around an average runner. He could begin his career in Double-A."
Also, Chavez is serving as Delmarva's designated hitter and batting first tonight. Teagarden is catching and batting third.
And finally, if you missed it,
Steve Melewski reported that the Orioles made a new offer to first-round pick Kevin Gausman.