masn-baseballs-orioles.jpgThe Orioles cleared a spot on their 40-man roster this afternoon in preparation for opening day in two weeks.
The Giants have claimed right-hander Ashton Goudeau off waivers from the Orioles, paring the 40-man to 39 players.
Goudeau appeared in two exhibition game, the most recent on Saturday against the Blue Jays in Dunedin, and allowed two runs and one hit in four innings. He walked two batters and struck out five.
A rotation spot didn’t seem available to Goudeau, but he was a candidate to…

The Orioles cleared a spot on their 40-man roster this afternoon in preparation for opening day in two weeks.

The Giants have claimed right-hander Ashton Goudeau off waivers from the Orioles, paring the 40-man to 39 players.

Goudeau appeared in two exhibition game, the most recent on Saturday against the Blue Jays in Dunedin, and allowed two runs and one hit in four innings. He walked two batters and struck out five.

Baseballs generic.jpgA rotation spot didn’t seem available to Goudeau, but he was a candidate to break camp in a bulk relief role. However, the Orioles don’t have a shortage of long men in the bullpen.

Goudeau, 28, was a waiver claim from the Pirates on Dec. 7. The Pirates selected him two weeks earlier from the Rockies.

Goudeau was the first move made by the Orioles at the virtual Winter Meetings. They outrighted catcher Austin Wynns to Triple-A Norfolk in a corresponding transaction.

The former 27th-round draft pick of the Royals made his major league debut this summer with the Rockies. He allowed seven runs and 15 hits in four relief appearances covering 8 1/3 innings.

The uncertainty of Félix Hernández’s status didn’t prompt the Orioles to hold onto Goudeau. Hernández is receiving treatment for elbow soreness, and his roster and rotation spots are in jeopardy.

The camp roster is down to 57 players. Opening day is April 1 in Boston.

A 40-man spot already was cleared for third baseman Maikel Franco by placing reliever Hunter Harvey on the 60-day injured list. The Orioles might need to remove camp invite status from Hernández if he’s healthy as well as pitchers Matt Harvey and Wade LeBlanc.

Non-roster left-hander Fernando Abad is trying to win a job in the bullpen.