BALTIMORE — The Orioles have hit the pause button on Mark Trumbo’s rehab assignment just a day after it began at Double-A Bowie.
The right-handed slugger went 0-for-3 with a walk and two strikeouts serving as the Baysox designated hitter on Tuesday, but he didn’t feel fully confident with the quadriceps he strained last month, prompting the training staff to shut him down for the time being. Trumbo returned to Camden Yards on Wednesday and will travel with the major league club to Boston this weekend, but it remains unclear when he’ll resume his rehab assignment and be activated from the 10-day disabled list.
“He just felt like last night, he just didn’t feel like pushing it,” said manager Buck Showalter, who didn’t want to classify the shutdown as a setback. “He thought he still wasn’t comfortable with that. I’m proud that he felt comfortable telling us that because you don’t want that setback that pushes it way back.”
The Baltimore lineup has struggled mightily to open the season, but Pedro Alvarez has been very effective as the designated hitter, the job primarily occupied by Trumbo last season.
The Orioles recalled infielder Engelb Vielma from Triple-A Norfolk and optioned right-handed pitcher Hunter Harvey back to Bowie. The move once again gives Showalter a full bench after the Orioles had carried an extra pitcher in the bullpen over the last few days, a result of some short starts and two extra-inning affairs at Yankee Stadium last weekend.
Harvey, the organization’s top pitching prospect, was called up to the majors on Monday, but he did not appear in a game. He will now make his Double-A debut for the Baysox at Harrisburg on Saturday and is expected to pitch two or three innings.
According to Showalter, the results of the magnetic resonance imaging exam on outfielder Colby Rasmus’ left hip were favorable with no surprises, but it remains unclear when he’ll return from the DL.
