After weighing the options with the Orioles medical staff, starting pitcher Chris Tillman will receive a cortisone injection for the right shoulder that’s given him problems since last August.
The right-hander was shut down last weekend because of lingering shoulder discomfort that scrapped what was supposed to be a pivotal bullpen session. Already ruled out for the start of the 2017 regular season after receiving a platelet-rich plasma injection in his shoulder in December, Tillman had hoped to be ready to join the major league rotation by April 15 when the Orioles need a fifth starter for the first time.
Manager Buck Showalter expressed optimism to reporters in Florida on Wednesday that the shot could allow Tillman to resume throwing in the near future, which would mean he wouldn’t have to start from the beginning of his throwing progression. However, this is the second cortisone injection Tillman has received since August, leading one to wonder how serious the issue might be with his right shoulder. Showalter told reporters earlier this week that surgery is not an option now.
Placed on the disabled list with the shoulder problem last August, Tillman missed the better part of a month before returning to make five starts at the end of the 2016 season. He then began experiencing discomfort when he began his throwing program in December, leading to him receiving a PRP injection. Set to become a free agent next winter, the 28-year-old has made at least 30 starts in each of the last four seasons, but that streak is in clear jeopardy unless he responds very favorably to the cortisone.
Kevin Gausman is expected to be the Opening Day starter as Tillman’s streak of three straight will be snapped. It remains to be seen who might step into the No. 5 starter role with Mike Wright, Tyler Wilson, Gabriel Ynoa, Jayson Aquino, and Chris Lee being the internal candidates to slot behind Gausman, Dylan Bundy, Ubaldo Jimenez, and Wade Miley in the Baltimore rotation.
