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While he didn't win a spot in the starting rotation out of Spring Training, the Orioles decided to place Kevin Gausman in the bullpen rather than send him back to the minors. In 12 innings however, the results were less than stellar, as Gausman posted an ERA of 4.50, and FIP of 4.41.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Kevin Gausman will go on DL with right shoulder tendinitis. If T.J. McFarland can get here on time for the game from Norfolk, he's active.</p>— Rich Dubroff (@RichDubroffCSN) <a href="https://twitter.com/RichDubroffCSN/status/596774462600683520">May 8, 2015</a></blockquote>
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This certainly isn't good news, but it may help explain why Gausman was having trouble. While his strikeout rate has increased, his BB/9 and HR/9 rose by .73 and .96, respectively. Shoulder injuries are never good, but in this case, the team doesn't seem to be too worried just yet. According to Pitchf/x, his fastball velocity had actually increased over his 2014 average, and should help ease concerns about the severity of his injury.
If T.J. McFarland can't make it to the game in time, Rey Navarro will remain with the club for one more day.
Barring any setbacks, Gausman could rejoin the Orioles on May 22nd for the first game of a three game set against the Miami Marlins. While he'd likely be placed back in the bullpen, Gausman's long-term future is as a starting pitcher, and could step into that role later this year.