WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Daniel Murphy passed another hurdle in his recovery from debridement and microfracture surgery on his right knee on Saturday morning, hitting on a field for the first time in spring training. Batting in a foursome that included Adam Eaton, Bryce Harper and Matt Wieters, Murphy and his mates hit for about 25 minutes off bullpen catcher Nilson Robledo on Field 2 at the FITTEAM Ballpark of the Palm Beaches. "It felt good.," Murphy said. "It's nice the see ball flight...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Orioles first baseman Chris Davis received a cortisone injection this morning in his right elbow in an attempt to reduce the inflammation and accelerate his return to the lineup. Manager Buck Showalter emphasized that Davis hasn't experienced a setback. "Nothing that's going to stretch that out any more, and if anything, we hope it shortens it," Showalter said. According to Showalter, he hasn't been told anything about the injection that leads him to be concerned. "Not...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Mark Trumbo is optimistic that his return to the Orioles' lineup is coming soon after a sore quadriceps muscle forced him into the training room. Trumbo felt the discomfort last weekend and it increased while he was playing in Tuesday's game against the Twins in Fort Myers. Manager Buck Showalter, after talking to head athletic trainer Brian Ebel, said the injury could sideline Trumbo for about a week. "It's showing some really good improvement. I like where it's going,"...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Anthony Santander gets another start in left field today and Colby Rasmus is leading off and playing right, as the Orioles host the Pirates. Chris Davis remains out of the lineup. Trey Mancini is starting at first base. Left-hander Jayson Aquino is making his first start as Gabriel Ynoa's replacement. Ynoa has been diagnosed with shin splints and will be unavailable for at least the next two weeks. Available relievers include Richard Bleier, Donnie Hart, Brad Brach, Jimmy...

SARASOTA, Fla. - With the season opener less than three weeks away, the Orioles aren't any closer to deciding on a fifth starter for their rotation. However, the slim chances of Gabriel Ynoa winning the job turned to zero with yesterday's news that his shin splints will keep him out for at least two weeks. The in-house candidates remain Mike Wright Jr., Miguel Castro and Rule 5 pick Nestor Cortes Jr. Any temptation to keep Hunter Harvey likely will be extinguished due to his failure to pitch...

Even if the Orioles or any other team gets one of the big three remaining free agent pitchers, can any of them even be ready for opening day at this point? We are talking about Jake Arrieta, Alex Cobb and Lance Lynn and the answer is that they probably can't be ready by March 29. Teams play nearly five weeks worth of spring training games and starting pitchers need that entire time to ramp up their innings and get their arms ready. Even at that point, some are only prepared to throw 90-100...

DUNEDIN, Fla. - Chris Tillman will make his first Grapefruit League start on Tuesday against the Twins in Fort Myers. He's thrown a couple of simulated games. Manager Buck Showalter has been shielding his main starters from division teams and the Twins, who provide the opposition on opening day at Camden Yards. With Tillman taking the mound on Tuesday, it's safe to assume that he won't debut in the regular season until the Orioles travel to Houston. Dylan Bundy, Kevin Gausman and Andrew...

DUNEDIN, Fla. - Orioles pitcher Gabriel Ynoa will be out a minimum of two weeks with a "stress reaction" in his shins, likely eliminating him from consideration for a roster spot on opening day. "It's not a stress fracture, just some inflammation," said manager Buck Showalter. "Luckily, they took the MRI and caught it. Could have turned into a stress fracture. But that's probably going to be two weeks minimum with Ynoa." Ynoa was a longshot to win the fifth starter's job, but the...

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - We're roughly halfway through the Grapefruit League schedule, which makes it a good time to revisit some of the few competitions in Nationals camp this spring. Keep in mind that with a veteran-laden roster built to three-peat in the National League East, there weren't a lot of open roster spots heading into spring training. But good camps are built on competition and there are still a few 25-man roster jobs up for grabs before the March 29 opener in Cincinnati. One of...

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - The Nationals made a pair of moves this morning, adding a little roster housekeeping to one of their two scheduled off-days this spring. Infielder Kelvin Gutierrez and right-hander Jefry Rodriguez were optioned to Double-A Harrisburg. Both players were added to the 40-man roster on the same day last fall, Nov. 20, to protect them from the Rule 5 draft, and both were farmed out of major league camp on the same morning. Gutierrez, 23, went 6-for-26 (.231) with a double and...