Reimold back, praises team for its loyalty
Wieters ‘excited’ to be playing at Camden Yards after treatment
Nolan Reimold’s return to the Orioles roster, where he slotted into the lineup as the starting left fielder Tuesday night, is a call-up that means a little more than a typical June summons from Triple-A.
A neck injury suffered in 2012 that lingered into 2013 and 2014 made it so that his last four years have been, in some way, limited by injury. Reimold is a long way from the player who debuted with 15 home runs as a rookie in 2009, but a return to the Orioles roster in any form was always the goal.
“It’s been a long, winding road, I guess,” Reimold said. “I made it back. It’s been a goal of mine to get back here for a long time. I made it, and it feels good to be here. I’m really happy things worked out.”
Reimold credits the Orioles with sticking with him and helping him reach full health this year.
“There’s not too much loyalty in professional sports, but I feel a sense of loyalty here in Baltimore,” he said.
But he and manager Buck Showalter are on the same page as to why he’s back with the Orioles, and that has nothing to do with loyalty.
“We all like Nolan and his story, but this isn’t some charity,” Showalter said. “We think he can help us.
“We’ve been looking for a way to get him here, and [he’s] just a good fit in the time being. We hope he finishes the year with us. We think he’s got a chance to help us. ... [He’s a] right-handed bat and a guy that’s capable of doing a lot of things, can play a lot of places. He’s performing and running really good, just like we know what Nolan can do. He did everything we asked him to do and then some.”
Reimold took the 25-man roster spot of left-handed pitcher Cesar Cabral.
Tuesday was Reimold’s first start for the Orioles since July 13, 2013. He had two major league stints in 2014 — with the Toronto Blue Jays and Arizona Diamondbacks — after the Orioles tried to remove him from the 40-man roster after his rehabilitation assignment ended.
Hewas re-signed in the offseason and hit well in spring training this year for the Orioles, but was sent to Norfolk and waited for a place in the Orioles’ crowded, if not entirely productive, outfield corps.
At Norfolk, Reimold hit .286/.351/.389 with 12 doubles, two home runs and 13 RBIs in 46 games. Over his past 14 games, Reimold batted .422 (19-for-45).
Reimold said he wasn’t thinking about a call-up, instead appreciating the fact that he was getting everyday at-bats for the first time in several seasons.
“Norfolk is not a very easy place to hit at,” Reimold said. “You can ask anybody down there. The wind had been howling in nine out of10 days. The biggest thing for me had been to play consistently and get some consistent at-bats while being healthy. Eventually, things started to click in and I went on a little run there.”
Now, he said, he’s ready to jump into the lineup and help the Orioles in a manner many have expected of him for years.
“Like everybody says, it’s a cliche, but I want to go out there and contribute to the team and help the team win,” Reimold said. “I really feel like I’m at the point where I can do that. The key for me is to stay on the field. So far I’ve been able to do that, knock on wood, so hopefully it goes well.”