SARASOTA, FLA. — Orioles catcher Matt Wieters will take another step in his recovery from Tommy John elbow surgery when he starts behind the plate for a game Saturday afternoon against a developmental team from Puerto Rico.
Wieters caught during an intrasquad game two weeks ago, but Orioles baserunners were instructed not to steal bases because he was not cleared to throw with 100 percent effort. He still won't be cleared to do that for another three days, so the Puerto Rican team will either defer to the Orioles and hold runners or they'll have free reign on the basepaths.
"I think it might have been mentioned,'' Wieters said, "but even if they run, I can still ... get my footwork. It's just a matter of making sure the ball doesn't go to my throwing hand. ... Hopefully my ego doesn't get in the way and I start to throw after too many stolen bases.
"I think, just getting behind the plate will be really good and I can focus solely on the catching and I can start throwing in a couple of days."
Wieters said he's on schedule "depending on how the next couple days go" to play in an exhibition game without restriction Tuesday. He said he has not had any setbacks in his recovery, but that doesn't mean he doesn't feel the reconstructed elbow when he throws.
"I have soreness and have things every day that makes it not feel like a normal elbow,'' he said, "but that make it a setback as long as the strength is there. I've been fortunate to have the strength stay up and be able to throw on my throw days. Truly, the only setbacks you have is when you have to take a day off from throwing and we've been fortunate to be able to keep the throwing program going."
Though Wieters has been positive about his progress throughout, he still isn't ready to make any prediction about his prospects for starting on Opening Day.
"Until we get into the games, we'll see,'' he said. "Adrenalin's a great thing, but it's also a thing you have to monitor, so we'll see once we get in the games. I'd love to be able to make a decision right now, but I have a feeling it's going to be a decision we make when we have all of the information before us."