It seems like every morning there's a new Orioles injury to discuss. And now it's pitching prospect Hunter Harvey, who will be out indefinitely with elbow tightness that forced him from his most recent start in extending spring training Sunday.
After Harvey was examined by team orthopedist Dr. Michael Jacobs and an MRI was performed, the Orioles are prescribing rest for Harvey. According to manager Buck Showalter, it doesn't appear that Harvey will need surgery.
That's the good news. The bad news is that Harvey is dealing with elbow problems for the second time in less than 10 months, and that's coming after pitching just 87 2/3 minor league innings since the beginning of 2014.
Harvey, the team's consensus No. 2 prospect, is a big part of the Orioles' future. During spring training, the talk was about whether Harvey could be an option for the major league team late in the season, much like Dylan Bundy and Kevin Gausman were before him.
Now, the question is whether he will pitch again this season.
The Orioles have handled Harvey with extreme care. Last season, he averaged five innings per start and threw more than 70 pitches just three times. He received a clean MRI in December and began throwing just a few weeks before January's minicamp. His innings limit this season was likely going to be about 110-120 innings.
His first big league spring training was a major success. He held his own in three Grapefruit League outings and was eager to learn from older pitchers. The veterans embraced him, knowing that he could be their teammate sooner than later.
And while Showalter said the team doesn't believe Harvey will need surgery, we will have to wait and see. Bundy wasn't initially expected to go under the knife before he had Tommy John surgery in 2013 and the Orioles hoped Matt Wieters could avoid surgery before he underwent Tommy John last June.
If Harvey does eventually need surgery – and right now that's still a big if – it would be a huge setback for the Orioles' player development. Bundy, the organization's top prospect, is still working his way back to the form he had before his surgery two years ago in June.
Luckily, the Orioles have some other pitching prospects on the horizon. Just-recalled Mike Wright, along with Tyler Wilson and Zach Davies have all performed well as starters at Triple-A Norfolk.
-- A lot has been made of the rivalry between Orioles right-hander Darren O'Day and Blue Jays slugger Jose Bautista, a matchup that has gone back nearly two years.
And when Bautista stepped to the plate in the eighth inning of a four-run game with two on and two outs, Showalter didn't hesitate to go with O'Day.
Bautista entered that at-bat 5-for-15 against O'Day with five strikeouts, four homers and eight RBIs. He hit a pivotal two-run blast off O'Day during the Blue Jays' last visit to Camden Yards.
"Darren's had some success against him, but not recently, I understand that," Showalter said. "He would have faced him a couple of nights ago if the situation… Darren's as good as we've got in that situation. I don't think about it. Darren's gotten some big outs that may have gotten a hit off him in the last at-bat.
"Darren's always in attack mode. He's not going to back off from a challenge, and that's why you have confidence in him. I'm not saying one guy's a leader of a pitching staff or a bullpen. Darren, he is what he is. … A lot of people on waivers told him he couldn't do this, his hip. He does things that make you have confidence in him. I think he takes great confidence in the confidence we have in him."
O'Day got Bautista out quickly on a weak grounder in front of the mound. O'Day threw to first to end the inning.
O'Day remained in the game and tossed a scoreless ninth to earn his first save of the season.
-- It was nice to see infielder Rey Navarro hit his first major league home run after playing parts of nine seasons in the minor leagues.
Navarro rejoined the Orioles on Tuesday when infielder Ryan Flaherty went on the disabled list after aggravating a right groin injury. He was up with the club when Flaherty went on the disabled list the first time April 24.
The 25-year-old Navarro signed a major league deal with the Orioles in the offseason, hoping that he could take advantage of the club's reputation for giving players opportunities.
"It was a lot of travel but I'm happy to be here again and happy to get game time," Navarro said. "That's the job, that's the business. You go down, you go up and you have to play hard every day being here or in the minor leagues."
Now that he has had the opportunity to play in the majors, it's cool to see him create his own memories. After his first hit, he was given a box with seven authenticated baseballs from his first game, including his first major league hit. He spoke excitedly about displaying that ball in his home.
Now he will have his first home run ball to add to the collection.
"Waiting for it," Navarro said. "[It will be] with the first base hit and first home run all in my house. [It] will be good."
eencina@baltsun.com
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