Depending on whom you speak with, the return of Orioles catcher Matt Wieters tonight is either way behind or slightly ahead of schedule.
Optimists will remind you that it typically takes at least one full year to recover from Tommy John surgery, so Wieters is slightly ahead of schedule given the fact that his surgery was last June 16.
Others might point to the fact that the Orioles initially hoped Wieters would be in their Opening Day lineup. During spring training, the focus was squarely placed on a March 17 date for when Wieters would be cleared to throw in a game and still be ready for the start of the regular season.
But since the Orioles shelved Wieters with elbow discomfort after playing catcher in that one game, there have been few timetables.
Now, as Wieters is set to make his season debut behind the plate Friday night against the Cleveland Indians, we're still not exactly sure what his limitations are. Orioles manager Buck Showalter has made it clear that Wieters won't step in right away and catch six days a week.
Even over the course his minor league rehabilitation assignment, he didn't catch on back-to-back days.
"I feel good about the [catching] depth and Matt feeling like he doesn't have to play every day," Showalter said. "It will be a work in progress, like when J.J. [Hardy] got back and when [Jonathan Schoop] will get back. They're just not going to walk in and be Johnny Bench. It's tough, but Matt will be a welcome addition as much for his presence as anything else."
Caleb Joseph has done a good job filling in for Wieters. Some would argue that he's positioned himself to be the full-time starter if Wieters is lost to free agency this offseason. But it appears that Joseph and Wieters will split time behind the plate initially.
Showalter said Thursday that he has also been impressed with Steve Clevenger's work behind the plate in his brief time with the major league club.
"Caleb's done a good job and so has Steve Clevenger," Showalter said. "Steve has really been impressive here catching and that's what we wanted to see."
Showalter, however, has said he likely won't carry three catchers. Even if he wanted to, it would be difficult with Brian Matusz's pending suspension, which would force the bullpen to be one man down. The Orioles roster already has little flexibility since none of the team's five outfielders have options and there's a need for middle-infield depth with starting shortstop Hardy again on the mend.
Wieters is one of the team's unquestioned leaders, so like Showalter said, his presence alone will make the team better. Joseph has shown he can hold his own behind the plate, so a Wieters-Joseph combination by no means sets you back defensively. Pitchers like throwing to both and they both have a solid track record managing the running game.
What the Orioles might need the most is Wieters' bat. Before he was injured, Wieters was off to the best offensive start of his career in 2014, hitting .308/.339/.500 with 10 extra-base hits (five doubles and five homers) and 18 RBIs in 26 games.
And adding him to the lineup gives the Orioles another valuable middle-of-the-order option – and one that hits from both sides of the plate.
Still, the addition of Wieters alone will not cure the Orioles' recent struggles. You can't throw him into the lineup and expect the Orioles to score 10 runs per game.
"We've got to play better," Showalter said. "It's not like it's been one phase the whole time. We've just got to play better. We knew this was going to be a tough stretch with the teams we're playing and the number of games we're playing."
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