Showalter on whether Matusz goes on DL: "There's that possibility with him" (updated)

FORT MYERS, Fla. - The news on Matt Wieters today is good. It's somewhat encouraging on Kevin Gausman. It's pretty bad on Brian Matusz and Jimmy Paredes.

As I wrote earlier, Wieters played catch from 90 feet today and his right elbow continues to improve. He also continues to take batting practice and was a consideration for the designated hitter role in Wednesday's game in Bradenton.

"That's an attendance game, so I don't want to put us in any jeopardy," said manager Buck Showalter. "If you do that, you could lose some backdate days."

Showalter said he hasn't come up with a possible replacement for Gausman if the former first-round pick isn't able to break camp with the team.

"I don't think we're going to have that decision to make," Showalter said. "I think Gaus will make it."

More on that later.

Matusz made his second spring appearance on Sunday, retiring the Rays in order in the ninth inning, but he received a cortisone injection in his lower back later in the day and may need to begin the season on the disabled list.

"There's that possibility with him. Let's see how the next week manages," Showalter said.

"We decided to inject that to clear it up completely. We're hoping that manages it."

Paredes was making progress in his recovery from a sprained left wrist, but dry swings today aggravated the injury. He's got another appointment with hand specialist Dr. Brian Schofield.

Paredes injured the wrist on March 3 when his glove bent backward while he attempted to make a sliding catch near the right field line against the Rays.

Showalter thought Yovani Gallardo looked "good" yesterday during his four innings against Single-A Charlotte at Twin Lakes Park.

"What was funny was the first couple of innings he was working on his mechanics," Showalter said. "It's a rough day to pitch on both fields. It's cold and windy. What was interesting for me to see, about the third inning, he got tired ... 'I've been working on my mechanics, I've been doing all this other stuff. Now, I want to go pitch.' He went up a notch. His tempo picked up."

One of the opposing batters apparently got under Gallardo's skin. A message was sent with an inside fastball.

"The pace he was working at, you could see the competitive part of it came out," Showalter said. "There was a different look on his face the third or fourth inning. He said, 'I'm sorry. I got tired of that.' He went into that competitive mode, which was one of the best things that happened to him. His velocity picked up two or three miles an hour. His tempo picked up."

Going back to Gausman, the Orioles will put him on the disabled list if he isn't ready to break camp. They don't need a fifth starter until April 10, but rosters must be set before the opener.

"For him to be eligible on the 10th, we have to carry (that player)," Showalter said. "It's not like you can float it. We can leave somebody back to throw, but they have to appear on the 25-man roster to be eligible on the 10th. The season starts on the (3rd), so you miss it by a day."

Showalter sounded optimistic that Gausman will avoid the DL.

"He's doing good," Showalter said. "Talked to him a little bit today. Said he already feels better, so hopefully in the next day or two we can get him back on the mound.

"I think that's the first injection he's ever had. There's some uncharted territory for him because he's never had any problems before, so he doesn't have anything to measure it against from the past."

I asked Showalter if he's concerned about Gausman having shoulder tendinitis last spring, in May and again this spring.

"It's something that we monitor," he replied. "I say it all the time, all pitchers have some form of discomfort. It's just, some of it happens the day after they pitch, some of it happens ... but it always manages. Very few times do they go out there and everything's fine.

"That's one of the things that was so appealing to us about, knock on wood, Ubaldo (Jimenez). For a guy that's pitched a lot of innings, he's got a pretty ... Same thing with (Yovani) Gallardo. Yovani makes his starts. But I guarantee you, even those two guys, if you go back to them and they really talk to you about it, they're going to say they had some discomfort. But it manages. That's why the work they do in the offseason and between starts is so important, to get as close as they can to being physically ready. Once the adrenaline takes over and they start pitching in a game, they don't think about it.

"We're always going to be on top of it. It's like my dad said years ago when I got run over in a basketball game and I was laying on the floor for a second, he said, 'If you're hurt, get up. If you're injured, let's go to the hospital.' There's a difference between being hurt and being injured, and that's what we're always going to try to stay on top of. If you're hurting we'll help you manage that. If you're injured, we're going to stop. Right now, we think he just has some discomfort and we're going to help him manage that. But if he's injured, then we'll go in a different direction. We don't think he is."

As for today's game, Joe Mauer hit a wind-blown two-run home run to left field off Mike Wright in the bottom of the first baseman. Left fielder Joey Rickard drifted back and bumped up against the fence, running out of room as Mauer registered his first homer of the spring.

The Orioles got a run back in the third on Rickard's RBI double after Dariel Alvarez doubled with one out and Caleb Joseph singled.

Rickard lined to third base leading off the game. Even his outs are impressive.

Wright retired seven in a row before Darin Mastroianni singled and Mauer walked with two outs in the third inning.

Update: Trevor Plouffe hit a two-run homer off Odrisamer Despaigne in the fifth to give Minnesota a 5-1 lead.

Wright allowed thee runs and five hits in four innings, with one walk, three strikeouts and a wild pitch.