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Luke Jones

Orioles set to recall Weeks while waiting on Davis’ status

Luke Jones

As they hold their breath over the status of injured first baseman Chris Davis, the Orioles will reportedly recall infielder Jemile Weeks to fill the roster spot vacated by left-handed pitcher T.J. McFarland, who was optioned to Triple-A Norfolk Friday night. According to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, Baltimore will promote Weeks and return to a 12-man pitching staff while continuing to wait on the health of Davis, who left Friday night’s game with a strained left oblique. Manager Buck Showalter and Davis expressed optimism that the injury may not be serious, but oblique strains typically take some time to fully heal. Acquired from the Oakland Athletics in the Jim Johnson trade over the winter, Weeks is hitting .296 with four doubles, three triples, and seven runs batted in for the Tides this year. While Weeks provides extra infield depth, the Orioles must still sort out the first base position in Davis’ absence after designating reserve outfielder and first baseman Steve Pearce for assignment earlier this week. Ryan Flaherty moved to first base in Friday’s 5-0 loss to the Kansas City Royals, but Showalter wouldn’t commit to the .179-hitting Flaherty handling that spot when asked about the possibility after the

Orioles recall McFarland, designate Pearce for assignment

Luke Jones

Needing an extra arm in the bullpen after a taxing four-game series at Fenway Park, the Orioles recalled left-handed pitcher T.J. McFarland prior to the start of a series with the Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday. To make room for McFarland on the 25-man roster, outfielder Steve Pearce was designated for assignment. A former Rule 5 selection who spent the entire 2013 season on the Orioles’ active roster, McFarland was scratched from his scheduled start with Triple-A Norfolk on Tuesday and traveled to Toronto to give manager Buck Showalter more length in the bullpen after lefties Zach Britton and Brian Matusz both pitched on Sunday and Monday. The move temporarily gives the Orioles a 13-man pitching staff and a short bench with shortstop J.J. Hardy still sidelined with a hamstring injury. Even if Hardy continues to avoid the 15-day disabled list, the Orioles could elect to replace McFarland in the next day or two with an extra infielder such as Jemile Weeks to improve their bench depth. McFarland has a 1.84 earned run average in three starts covering 14 2/3 innings for the Tides this season. He was 4-1 with a 4.22 ERA in 38 appearances spanning 74 2/3 innings

Ravens begin voluntary conditioning program on Monday

Luke Jones

The Ravens officially returned to work Monday to begin preparations for the 2014 season. Harbaugh and his staff, which includes new offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak and several other newcomers, began the first phase of the workout program on April 21. This portion is limited to two weeks of conditioning and strength training as well as physical rehabilitation. Many notable players and young players alike have been present on the first day in past offseasons. “Good morning y’all!” wide receiver Torrey Smith wrote on his official Twitter account. “Thankful for another day of life and the opportunity to be back with the team.” The second phase of the offseason schedule covers the next three weeks of the program. On-field workouts that include individual player instruction and drills as well as a practice conducted on a “separate” basis are permitted, but no live contact or team offense against defense drills are permitted. The final phase of the offseason program consists of the next four weeks. During this period, teams may conduct a total of 10 days of organized team practice activity, or OTAs. No live contact is permitted, but 7-on-7, 9-on-7, and 11-on-11 drills are allowed. Besides the obvious physical preparations for

Ravens, 49ers to hold joint practices in preseason

Luke Jones

As if a rematch of Super Bowl XLVII in the Ravens’ preseason opener wasn’t enough, head coach John Harbaugh will welcome brother Jim and the San Francisco 49ers for a series of training camp practices in Baltimore. The Ravens and 49ers will meet at M&T Bank Stadium on Aug. 7 to kick off the preseason schedule before the teams meet for four days of practices in Baltimore. The teams will hold a light practice at the stadium the day after the game followed by three days of joint practices at the Ravens’ training facility in Owings Mills. “I called Jim about a month ago and asked him if he wanted to do it, and I wasn’t really sure if he’d want to,” Harbaugh told the team’s official website on Friday. “And he was like, ‘Absolutely. Let’s do it.’” One of the annual themes of training camp is players growing weary of going up against their own teammates, so the decision to invite the 49ers to practice with the Ravens figures to break up the monotony of the summer. Former Ravens wide receiver Anquan Boldin will certainly be familiar returning to the training facility at which he spent three seasons. It

Drug charges dismissed against Ravens wide receiver Thompson

Luke Jones

Ravens wide receiver Deonte Thompson is no longer facing drug charges stemming from an arrest in Florida in February. The 25-year-old was arrested in Gainesville on Feb. 22 and charged with felony possession of marijuana and misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia. Thompson was a passenger in a car that was operating without headlights when it was pulled over and he and two friends were arrested and charged after marijuana was found. According to a report from The Sun, Thompson’s charges were dismissed after Alvon Summerall pleaded guilty to the same charges as well as driving with a suspended license, taking full responsibility for the incident. Thompson is entering his third season and is not assured of a roster spot after a disappointing 2013 season in which he battled a foot injury and caught only 10 passes for 96 yards.

Former Ravens tight end Dickson signs one-year deal with Carolina

Luke Jones

Former Ravens tight end Ed Dickson signed a one-year deal with the Carolina Panthers on Thursday to officially end his four-year run in Baltimore. A third-round pick out of Oregon in the 2010 draft, Dickson had some discussions about remaining with the Ravens earlier in the offseason before Baltimore signed veteran tight end Owen Daniels last week. His departure follows a disappointing 2013 season in which he managed just 25 catches for 273 yards and a touchdown despite No. 1 tight end Dennis Pitta missing 12 games with a dislocated hip suffered in training camp. After spending his rookie season as the understudy to longtime Ravens tight end Todd Heap, Dickson appeared on track to becoming a staple in the Baltimore offense in 2011 when he started 16 games and caught 54 passes for 528 yards and five touchdowns. However, inconsistency catching the football and the emergence of Pitta late in the 2011 season relegated Dickson to mostly blocking duties in his final two years with the Ravens. Dickson is expected to compete to be the Panthers’ No. 2 tight end behind starter Greg Olsen, who led Carolina with 73 receptions, 816 receiving yards, and six touchdowns in 2013.

Orioles choose not to place Lough on 15-day disabled list

Luke Jones

A day after it looked like outfielder David Lough was on his way to the 15-day disabled list, the Orioles instead received good news about his status for the immediate future. The 28-year-old traveled to Baltimore on Wednesday for a round of concussion tests after he was dealing with symptoms similar to what he experienced last month in spring training, but he was cleared to return to the club. Manager Buck Showalter suggested Tuesday that Lough would be placed on the disabled list as the Orioles summoned infielder Jemile Weeks from Triple-A Norfolk to meet the club in New York, but Lough was expected to be back at Yankee Stadium for the series finale. “He had some potential concussion symptoms that we wanted to check out and we did, and we’re completely clear from that, so that was really good news,” Showalter told reporters at Yankee Stadium. “He’s heading back here. We didn’t want to proceed any further until we got that as not being a possibility. That was good news we got today in the afternoon.” It remains unclear what is causing the symptoms as Lough missed a week of action in mid-March with what was described as a

Weeks on way to New York as Orioles expected to make DL move

Luke Jones

The Orioles are expected to make a roster move Wednesday as manager Buck Showalter indicated after Tuesday’s 14-5 win over the New York Yankees that a player will be placed on the 15-day disabled list. Reports indicate that outfielder David Lough is going to the DL after he didn’t appear in Tuesday’s win. The 28-year-old dealt with a neck injury in mid-March, but it remains unclear whether the same ailment is affecting him again. Infielder Jemile Weeks is expected to be recalled from Triple-A Norfolk as he traveled to the Bronx ahead of Wednesday’s series finale. Weeks has the ability to play the outfield in a pinch and will provide Showalter an extra infielder as shortstop J.J. Hardy has dealt with lower back spasms, sidelining him for four of the last five games. Showalter said Tuesday that Hardy was close to returning to the starting lineup, but the Orioles have been forced to use the trio of Ryan Flaherty, Steve Lombardozzi, and rookie Jonathan Schoop in the infield without a bench option in Hardy’s absence. An official announcement is expected on Wednesday afternoon.

Ravens sign running back Forsett to one-year contract

Luke Jones

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — The Ravens signed veteran running back Justin Forsett to a one-year contract on Friday. The 28-year-old is a six-year NFL veteran who has appeared in 87 career games during his spent time with Seattle, Indianapolis, Houston, and Jacksonville. Forsett has carried 347 times for 1,692 yards and eight touchdowns. “He’s got great hands. He does a great job in pass protection,” head coach John Harbaugh said. “Obviously, he can run the ball as a running back [and] also contributes on special teams. He’s a very versatile football player and has had a lot of success since he came into the league.” Originally drafted by the Seahawks in the seventh round of the 2008 draft, the 5-foot-8, 194-pound running back has also proven to be a capable receiver out of the backfield, collecting 115 catches for 850 yards and a touchdown. His best season came with Seattle in 2009 when he carried 114 times for 619 yards and four touchdowns and caught 41 passes for 350 yards and a touchdown reception. Spending last season with the Jaguars, Forsett was limited to just nine games before being placed on injured reserve with turf toe and a stress fracture

Ravens set offseason workout, organized team activity dates

Luke Jones

Trying to bounce back from missing the postseason for the first time in the John Harbaugh era, the Ravens will officially return to work later this month to begin preparations for the 2014 season. Harbaugh and his staff, which includes new offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak and several other newcomers, will begin the first phase of the workout program on April 21. This portion limited to two weeks of conditioning and strength training as well as physical rehabilitation. Many notable players and young players alike have been present on the first day in past offseasons. The second phase of the offseason schedule covers the next three weeks of the program. On-field workouts that include individual player instruction and drills as well as a practice conducted on a “separate” basis are permitted, but no live contact or team offense against defense drills are permitted. The final phase of the offseason program consists of the next four weeks. During this period, teams may conduct a total of 10 days of organized team practice activity, or OTAs. No live contact is permitted, but 7-on-7, 9-on-7, and 11-on-11 drills are allowed. Nearly all workouts are considered “voluntary” by definition, but it’s privately expected that players

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