BALTIMORE — After designating veteran Everth Cabrera for assignment last week, the Orioles officially announced his release prior to Saturday’s game against the New York Yankees.
In 29 games this season, Cabrera batted .208 with two doubles, four RBIs, two stolen bases, and a .479 on-base plus slugging percentage. The 28-year-old was signed to a one-year, $2.4 million contract in late February and filled in for the injured J.J. Hardy for the first month of the season.
The Orioles hoped that Cabrera might provide an upgrade as a utility infielder or potential competition for the 23-year-old Jonathan Schoop at second base, but the former San Diego Padre struggled immensely at the plate and didn’t provide as much defensive versatility as utility man Ryan Flaherty. On the hook for the remainder of Cabrera’s 2015 salary, the Orioles have now parted ways with their second veteran player this month after trading outfielder Alejandro De Aza to the Boston Red Sox on June 3.
Manager Buck Showalter expects Cabrera to draw plenty of interest from other clubs as a free agent. The infielder had a minor-league option at the beginning of the season but had since accrued his fifth full year of service time, which allowed him to to refuse a minor-league assignment.
“You don’t go down that road that we went with him last week if you didn’t feel good about your replacements,” Showalter said. “He played some shortstop for us at a pretty good level until we got J.J. back. He’s capable of swinging the bat better. He’ll get an opportunity.”
In other news, Showalter reconfirmed that the plan was to start right-hander Mike Wright on Sunday if he wasn’t needed out of the bullpen in the second game of the three-game series.
Left-hander Brian Matusz returned to the Baltimore clubhouse on Saturday afternoon before serving the final contest of an eight-game ban. The Orioles were 6-1 in the first seven games of his suspension despite playing with a 24-man roster.
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The southpaw specialist will rejoin the bullpen on Sunday.
“You see how he comes out of spring when he starts out with a changeup and he pitches multiple innings every outing,” said Showalter about Matusz, who was working out in Sarasota over the last week. “I’m confident we’re going to get a pretty sharp guy tomorrow. I hope so. He’ll get a chance to pitch.”
Pitching prospect Dylan Bundy will undergo a second magnetic resonance imaging exam on his right shoulder just to confirm that he was only dealing with tendinitis.
Fellow prospect Hunter Harvey remains shut down with a flexor mass strain in his right forearm, but Showalter said the 20-year-old right-hander is progressing nicely.
Rule 5 pick Jason Garcia continues to get stronger in Sarasota while recovering from right shoulder tendinitis, but it remains unclear when he will begin a minor-league rehab assignment.
