Orioles right-hander Bud Norris said he is "a little bummed out" about being placed on the 15-day disabled list Friday with a right groin strain, but he said he understands that the club is best served when he is healthy.
"I want to do my job. I just want to pitch every fifth day and win as many ballgames as I can and stay healthy," Norris said. "I'm a little bummed out about it, but I've got to take care of it and get back out there as soon as I can."
Norris, who has been the club's most consistent and effective starter this season, left Saturday's game at Yankee Stadium before the sixth inning with tightness in his right groin. He threw a bullpen Wednesday in front of pitching coach Dave Wallace and again felt the pain.
"It definitely didn't feel as good as I wanted it to and I was grimacing a little bit and (Wallace) made the decision to shut it down," said Norris, who is 7-5 with a 3.62 ERA in 14 starts this season.
An MRI was taken Thursday and a strain was confirmed, sending Norris to the DL, retroactive to June 22. He'll be shut down from baseball activities for five days, and there is no set timetable for his return. But if all goes well, he could be back when eligible July 7 – the first game in Washington.
"I've got to get this thing right, we've still got a lot of season left, we are not even at the break yet," Norris said. "So hopefully I can let kind of this thing get calmed down and get back to 100 percent and get back out there."
Norris said he has had some groin issues in the past, but that was on the left side. This is something, on the right, that he hadn't experienced previously.
In a corresponding move, the Orioles recalled right-hander Evan Meek from Triple-A Norfolk and he will be in the bullpen for both games of Friday's doubleheader.
The club also recalled right-hander Kevin Gausman as the "26th man," since they are playing a day-night doubleheader. Gausman will start the first game and then be sent back to the minors, where he will stay for four more days before likely being recalled again.
More pregame updates
** Showalter said Gausman won't start Tuesday on three days' rest, explaining that the option wasn't feasible this early in the season. Instead, the club will select a starter from their bullpen or from Double-A Bowie or Norfolk. Showalter mentioned long reliever T.J. McFarland as a possibility, though if he's needed by the Orioles before then, Bowie left-hander Tim Berry could also be promoted for a start.
Baltimore Orioles Insider
** Because of the uncertainty surrounding when third baseman Manny Machado will be handed his impending suspension, the Orioles are prepared to make a roster move for an extra infielder before tonight's game. Though Showalter declined to mention who they might promote, Triple-A second baseman Jemile Weeks posted on his Instagram account last night that he was flying to Baltimore.
The Norfolk Tides play in Pawtucket tonight.
Weeks has 13 plate appearances with the Orioles this year and had two hits against the Kansas City Royals on April 26.
This afternoon's lineups
Orioles: Markakis RF, Pearce LF, Jones CF, Davis 1B, Cruz DH, Hardy SS, Machado 3B, Schoop 2B, Joseph C, Gausman P
Tampa Bay Rays: Jennings CF, Kiermaier RF, Zobrist SS, Longoria 3B, Loney 1B, Guyer LF, Joyce DH, Rodriguez 2B, Molina C, Colome P
Baltimore Sun reporter Alejandro Zuniga contributed.