Harvey sits after hurting shoulder

Britton, O’Day move closer to return with solid rehab outings

TORONTO — Orioles pitching prospect Hunter Harvey was scratched from his scheduled start with Double-A Bowie on Friday with a sore shoulder, according to an industry source.

Harvey, the Orioles’ first-round draft pick in 2013, has a long injury history, but was finally healthy this season and poised to help the big league club. In fact, the 23-year-old received his first big-league call-up in April, but was with the team for just three days and didn’t pitch for the Orioles.

According to another source, the initial injury did not occur while Harvey was pitching but during a recent game when he made a quick move to avoid a ball that came into the dugout, causing his shoulder to pop out of its socket.

It is unclear how much time Harvey will miss, but there should be more clarity on a timetable for his return in two weeks, according to a source.

Harvey, who was being held to an innings count this season because injuries had prevented him from pitching more than 19 innings in any one year since his first full pro season in 2014, was 1-2 with a 5.57 ERA in nine starts with the Baysox.

Only two of his starts were more than four innings, and in his most recent start was supposed to only be three innings but lasted two innings after he gave up a season-high six runs.

Before that outing, Harvey had a 4.15 ERA and averaged nearly a strikeout an inning. O’Day ready to return: Reliever Darren O’Day is scheduled to be activated from the disabled list before today’s game after making his second minor league rehabilitation appearance Thursday night with High-A Frederick.

O’Day struck out the side in the seventh inning against Potomac, allowing one base runner on a hit batter, getting much better results than he did in his first rehab outing, when he walked three of the five batters he faced pitching for the Keys on Tuesday.

“The first game I went down there I didn’t pitch real well,” O’Day said. “I just couldn’t find the strike zone. I think I was just too excited that day. … I pitched better [Thursday] and I feel pretty good. I anticipate I’ll be activated here pretty soon.”

Friday marked five weeks since O’Day’s last appearance with the Orioles on May 4. His recovery from a hyperextended right elbow — a freak injury that occurred when another reliever bumped into him while he was stretching in the bullpen — took longer than anticipated, but O’Day said he took just a few more days than the 30 days reliever Tom Wilhelmsen took to recover from a hyperextended elbow in 2015.

“I’m a few days past that, but I’m pushing senior citizenship here in baseball so … Yeah, it just takes awhile,” O’Day said.

The Orioles must make roster space to add O’Day before today’s game. Harvey Britton could be back Monday: Orioles closer Zach Britton could now be activated from the DL as soon as Monday, Orioles manager Buck Showalter said before Friday night’s game.

Britton needed just seven pitches to complete a scoreless inning for Triple-A Norfolk on Thursday. Initially, Britton was scheduled to get three days off and then throw back-to-back days Monday and Tuesday before being activated.

But because Britton’s outing Thursday was so efficient, the Orioles decided to have him pitch again Friday for Norfolk to get in his back-to-back outings — the final hurdle before he could be activated.

“It’s just a perfect time for him, talking to him,” Showalter said. “It’s his idea as much as anybody else’s. So that’s a little deviation from his schedule, but that’s a little too good an opportunity.

“He’s had a game where he’s pitched and then gone out for a second inning. He’s had two-inning outings with the sim game, so the back-to-back was the last hurdle you wanted to cross, so if things go well tonight, and it’s not purely statistical. He feels great.”

Showalter said that Britton could be available for Monday night’s series opener against Boston at home, but he could also take another rehab outing if he needs that day and return Wednesday against the Red Sox.

Britton has missed the entire season recovering from surgery to repair a ruptured Achilles tendon he suffered during offseason workouts in December. Rasmus update: Outfielder Colby Rasmus had his first hit on his rehab assignment with Frederick, going 1-for-4 against Potomac on Thursday. Rasmus entered Friday 1-for-18 with seven strikeouts and a walk in five rehab games.