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The biggest news for the Orioles is that short stop J.J. Hardy is ready to come back from a shoulder injury that has sidelined him for the first month of the season. He played just three games with their AA affiliate, but is ready to go and is back in the starting lineup.
Hardy: "My timing was a little bit off, but I think it went pretty well for the 3 games. After missing 5 or 6 weeks, it wasn't too bad."
— Rich Dubroff (@RichDubroffCSN) May 7, 2015
Hardy hit at least 22 HR's from 2011-2013, but had a power outage last year, hitting just nine. While his HR total's were impressive, he's posted a wRC+ of 100 and 90 over the last two seasons, respectively, and may no longer be an effective hitter. Everth Cabrera had been filling in at short, but may be placed on the DL with a foot injury, which would clear the way for Hardy to be added to the active roster. He's signed through 2017, but if Hardy struggles at the plate, the Orioles may look to trade for some reinforcements before the deadline.
Rich Dubroff also reported that while Matt Wieters is experiencing triceps inflammation, the team isn't worried about it. There isn't a set date for his return, but Wieters did catch six innings on Tuesday, and is getting closer to catching games on back-to-back days.
Buck Showalter said that Jonathan Schoop's knee is still giving him trouble, and won't be able to start a rehab assignment until it calms down.
Buck Showalter on Jonathan Schoop's sprained right knee. "It's moving pretty slow." Says rehab can't start until fluid is gone. #Orioles
— Rich Dubroff (@RichDubroffCSN) May 7, 2015
While Schoop played in 137 games last season, he wasn't particularly valuable and won't affect the Orioles trajectory in 2015.