Kim feeling better, expects to avoid DL
OF to test hamstring today; Showalter encouraged by O’Day’s progress
ST. PETERSBURG, FLA. — The Orioles plan to decide today whether Hyun Soo Kim will need to go on the disabled list with a right hamstring strain, but the outfielder said Saturday that he is confident he can avoid the DL.
Kim strained his hamstring running to first base in his first at-bat last Sunday. He has been testing it by running and has been receiving treatment. Kim, who had started 31 of the Orioles’ past 35 games going into the All-Star break, was not in the starting lineup Saturday but might not have played anyway because the Orioles were facing Tampa Bay Rays left-hander Matt Moore.
“It feels much better than the time I got injured; it feels great,” Kim said through interpreter Danny Lee. “I want to play today, but it has to be agreed by the trainers. We’re talking with the trainers to make sure when it’s the best time for me to come back. I don’t exactly have a timetable.”
Manager Buck Showalter said Kim will test the hamstring before today’s game. The team will assess whether he should go on the DL and report to Sarasota to rehabilitate the injury or travel with the team to New York as an available player against the Yankees.
Kim tested his hamstring during Thursday’s workout at Tropicana Field, but he wasn’t at 100 percent. He will do the same routine today, which will include light running, outfield sprints and running the bases.
“There’s some back-and-forth with the interpreter finding out exactly what’s going on,” Showalter said. “The only way to know for sure is to take him out there tomorrow. [Head athletic trainer] Richie [Bancells] and I were a little skeptical about Thursday [with Kim] flying from Baltimore, coming off the plane and then coming out here running. I’m expecting some good results tomorrow.”
Kim, who was nicknamed the “Iron Man” in South Korea because he was rarely out of the starting lineup, said he believes he will avoid the DL.
“This has happened before, and the former trainers I had in Korea were also surprised by the [quick] pace I recovered,” Kim said. “So hopefully this happens again.”
Kim is hitting .329/.410./454 with three home runs and 11 RBIs in 46 games this season.
“Not to talk about how well I did, but I just love baseball,” Kim said. “I want to play baseball, even at this moment.” Still no starter for Tuesday: The Orioles still have not announced a starting pitcher to fill the team’s rotation hole for Tuesday’s game at Yankee Stadium, but Showalter said there are four candidates.
Showalter could turn to one of two right-handed relievers — Vance Worley or Odrisamer Despaigne — but only if they were not used today.
Showalter said Triple-A Norfolk right-handers Tyler Wilson and Mike Wright were considerations, but neither has pitched well enough to earn a promotion. Wilson lasted just 12⁄3 innings Friday, allowing four runs on six hits, and Wright allowed four runs on nine hits over five innings Thursday.
“They’re all in play right now,” Showalter said. “They eliminate themselves as tomorrow’s game gets played. We’ve got four options right now.”
Showalter said he even considered pulling right-hander Yovani Gallardo after two innings Friday and bringing him back on short rest Tuesday.
Right-hander Ubaldo Jimenez is not an option, as the team wants him to work through his struggles in the bullpen.
O’Day to throw simulated game
Tuesday: Darren O’Day’s pregame bullpen session Saturday went well, and the Orioles setup man is scheduled to throw a simulated game before Tuesday’s game in New York.
“It was real encouraging,” Showalter said. “Good things are going on there.”
O’Day, who hasn’t pitched in a game since June 1, has been slow in his recovery from a right hamstring strain but is making progress. On Saturday, he threw a side session and participated in his second day of pitcher’s fielding practice.
Showalter did not say how many outings O’Day would need before returning from the DL, indicating that he could be ready to return after just one simulated game, but said he likely would pitch two simulated games. The club then would decide whether he needs to go on a minor league rehab assignment. If that’s the case, Showalter said, O’Day likely would need just two rehab games before returning.
“I want to see how he feels and what he says,” Showalter said. “He was crisp today. It was coming out good. I’ll lean on him. He knows where he’s got to be to do this, and I trust him. We’re just going to take each day as it comes.” Around the horn: The Orioles and Manny Machado’s representation met early in spring training to discuss Machado’s long-term future with the team, but no extension offers were made, contrary to an ESPN report last week. … Minor league pitcher Branden Kline, a Frederick native who had Tommy John elbow ligament reconstruction in October, is scheduled to resume throwing Monday, Showalter said. … Jonathan Schoop’s game-winning homer in the eighth inning Friday was the Orioles’ 44th home run this season in the seventh inning or later, the most in the American League. The Orioles entered Saturday’s game having scored 148 runs in the seventh inning or later, third best in the AL.