Fort Lauderdale, Fla. -- Reports that Chris Ray will miss the 2008 season apparently haven't reached the Orioles' closer. He's working on a different timetable.

Ray will begin his throwing program today by doing some light tossing, another indication that he's on schedule in his recovery from ligament-reconstructive surgery on his right elbow. Ray had the procedure Aug. 16 and expects to be pitching again by his one-year anniversary.

"It's around four months or so of the throwing program, and hopefully, if everything goes well and there are no setbacks, I see myself back up there in August," he said.

Ray waited until he arrived at spring training to start throwing. He didn't trust himself to show the proper restraint without supervision.

"I'd rather do it with the trainers. They'd know if I was throwing too hard and tell me to back off. So that kind of eased my tension about throwing again," he said.

"I've been looking forward to this for a long time. I go out in my garage and see a bucket of balls sitting there, and my glove, and I just have to walk by them. It's frustrating, but it'll pay off later."

Setup man Danys Baez underwent the same surgery more than a month after Ray and hasn't been cleared to throw. He's scheduled to visit Dr. James Andrews in Birmingham, Ala., later this month.

Baez had to slow his rehabilitation because of recent inflammation in his elbow.

"It's tough," he said. "It's the first time in my career that I've been in this position. I went from nothing to one of the toughest surgeries for a pitcher. Right now, it's good to be here -- you can see your teammates -- but you can't throw or do anything. Patience is not part of my character. I've been dealing with this pretty hard and I want to be ready right now."

Sherrill eager

Yesterday's first workout for pitchers and catchers marked the beginning of reliever George Sherrill's possible conversion to closer.

Sherrill was used in a setup role with the Seattle Mariners, but Orioles manager Dave Trembley wants to give him first crack at replacing Ray.

"I'd love to close. I think it's every reliever's goal. But just being part of something is all I can ask for," he said.

Sherrill has four saves in four major league seasons, but he closed in the minors and while playing independent ball.

"I'm OK with that," he said. "Until I see what happens during the season or how they approach spring training, it's completely up to them."

Trachsel Part II

Steve Trachsel walked past a small group of reporters in the clubhouse and said, "I'm back."

It's like he never left.

The Orioles signed Trachsel, 37, to a minor league contract Monday and expect him to earn a spot in the rotation. He made 25 starts for them last season after he signed one day before spring training.

"It happened quick -- again," said Trachsel, who was traded to the Chicago Cubs on Aug. 31. "It's just a weird market. There are still a lot of guys out there. We were talking to teams the whole time and, as it got close, it was like, 'OK, where am I going to be?' I'm getting older, so everyone has questions about that. But it's just kind of strange."

Wieters takes swings

Matt Wieters, the Orioles' first pick in last year's draft, took batting practice and almost cleared the bleachers in right field on his final swing of the first session.

"He doesn't look like anything is too overwhelming [for him]," Trembley said. "It looks like he's got a chance to be very good."

Wieters eventually will be reassigned to the minor league camp, so he'll enjoy every minute that he's in Fort Lauderdale.

"It's just about getting back out there and playing," he said. "I went to Hawaii and played this winter, but that's not a real season. This is what it's about, just getting through the whole season and making strides as far as a player."

roch.kubatko@baltsun.com