Trumbo sees important role awaiting after knee surgery
Valera called up to fill utility role in infield
KANSAS CITY, MO. — With the Orioles a month away from their nightmare season ending, many of the team’s comments about decision to have arthroscopic knee surgery late next week has been centered around getting the veteran outfielder-designated hitter back for next year.
Working off the six-month post-surgery recovery time set out by manager on Friday, Trumbo should be nearing full health right around time for spring training in the third year of his three-year, $37.5 million contract. And he knows the team he’ll be returning to next spring is going to be taking a completely different tack than the one he signed up to be a part of two offseasons ago, casting his role and responsibilities on that club into question.
“I could probably speculate quite a bit, but my role is to be a baseball player for the Orioles,” Trumbo said. “That is, first and foremost, what my main objective is. But as someone that’s been around a little longer than quite a few of the current players, it’s going to be up to me and a few of the other guys to try and help these guys, give them some insight. There’s not a whole lot of veteran presence on the ballclub, and I think it’s even more crucial that you do have a couple guys who have been through quite a few more seasons than a lot of these guys that might be in their first.
“So, I think all the things I’ve tried to do — contribute with the bat, and if the knee responds the way I’m hoping, I’ll be able to play some outfield and first whenever that’s needed, and bring some ability to relate to some guys who are seeing a lot of pitchers for the first time in a lot of situations where I can help. I think that’s what my role is.”
Both Trumbo and the Orioles have a lot riding on the surgery, which is something of a last resort after he tried to play through knee soreness for months. It first cropped up in late May on a slide into second base, and though Trumbo missed a few games then, it’s been mostly a regular schedule for him since his return in early May from a quadriceps strain.
He hit .261/.313/.452 with 17 home runs in 90 games, but never really shook the soreness. After going on the disabled list and seeing multiple doctors, the ultimate diagnosis was described to him as a “cartilage defect,” Trumbo said. Valera recalled: Without much incentive to pry their young players away from the end of the minor league season, the Orioles added only infielder from Triple-A Norfolk on Saturday, the first day rosters expanded past the 25-man limit.
Valera, one of five players acquired from the Los Angeles Dodgers for on July 18, has already appeared in one big league game with the Orioles, collecting one hit in four at-bats.
At Norfolk, Valera, 26, batted .229 with 11 extra-base hits in 38 games while playing primarily second base with some third base, shortstop and left field mixed in.
Valera will be a switch-hitting utility complement off the bench for who has filled largely the same role as a lefthanded-hitting bench option for the Orioles this summer.
The club expects more additions in the coming days, once the minor league seasons end Monday. Rotation notes: Despite a disappointing relief outing Friday, Showalter hasn’t ruled out righthander Yefry Ramírez returning to the rotation in the season’s final month.
“We’re going to kind of play it by ear,” Showalter said. “A lot of it’s got to do with how we feel about
and
and and who else we call up who actually may not be on the roster, what we’re going to do with
There might be another opportunity for him to start before it’s over. I was a little disappointed last night, because he’d had been doing so well — he hadn’t been doing it very long — but he’d been intriguing in that [relief ] role. Last night was tough.” Showalter said left-hander
will start again Monday, possibly his last start of the season as the club monitors his innings, with Cobb following him Tuesday to allow a blister problem to heal. Right-hander who finishes out his season Saturday at Norfolk after coming over in the July 31 trade for
is an option to be added to the roster and get starts down the stretch. Around the horn: Showalter said
has a chance to provide some of the same things as
who was designated for assignment Friday, as a speedy right-handed-hitting bench outfielder. … Infielder
(hamstring) is “progressing,” Showalter said, with game action set for late next week.