Trying to recover from a nasty bout of bronchitis, Orioles starting pitcher Bud Norris was officially placed on the 15-day disabled list on Monday night.
Right-handed pitcher Tyler Wilson was recalled from Triple-A Norfolk to take Norris’ place on the 25-man roster. Wilson had been summoned to Baltimore over the weekend in case the pitching staff had a need, but he needed to be placed on the 25-man roster or returned to the Tides by 8 p.m. Monday.
Norris hasn’t pitched since May 10 and has lost 10 pounds, according to manager Buck Showalter. The Orioles’ ability to backdate his trip to the DL made it a logical choice to give him time to recover and rebuild his strength.
With Mike Wright pitching 7 1/3 shutout innings in his major league debut on Sunday, the Orioles could give the rookie an extended audition in the rotation while sending Norris on a minor-league rehab assignment to not only get back into a rhythm but to make some adjustments after a rough start to the 2015 campaign. The 30-year-old has pitched to a 9.88 ERA in six starts spanning 27 1/3 innings this season.
Wilson is expected to work out of the bullpen with right-hander Kevin Gausman on the 15-day DL and expected to join Norfolk’s starting rotation in the near future. The 25-year-old went 2-4 with a 3.43 ERA over seven starts (39 1/3 innings) with the Tides this season. He was named the Orioles’ minor league pitcher of the year last season after leading all Baltimore minor leaguers in wins (14) and strikeouts (157) while finishing seventh in ERA (3.67).
Right-hander Chris Tillman is expected to make Thursday afternoon’s start against the Seattle Mariners after dealing with lower back issues over the weekend. Miguel Gonzalez is slated to pitch on Tuesday night with lefty Wei-Yin Chen starting Game 2 of the Seattle series.
In other injury-related news, pitching prospect Hunter Harvey visited renowned surgeon Dr. James Andrews on Monday and received a platelet rich plasma injection for a right flexor mass strain. Andrews prescribed six weeks of rest, so it remains to be seen whether Harvey will ultimately need to undergo Tommy John surgery.
Of course, skeptics will point to the similar timetables of rest prescribed for Dylan Bundy and Matt Wieters before each ultimately underwent the ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction procedure in 2013 and 2014, respectively.
The Orioles acquired left-handed pitcher Chris Lee from the Houston Astros in exchange for two international signing bonus slots. A fourth-round pick in 2011, Lee hasn’t pitched above the Single-A level and sported a 4.11 ERA in 30 2/3 innings for Quad Cities this season.
