Trumbo hopes he can still play this year; Cashner’s blister means multiple moves

BALTIMORE—Mark Trumbo still wants to play for the Orioles, but he’s not sure if he will.

Trumbo, who had surgery on his right knee last September, halted his rehab assignment with Triple-A Norfolk and had a platelet-rich plasma shot on his knee on Thursday.

“I’ve given what I’ve had so far,” Trumbo said on Friday. “And there was just enough discomfort. The production wasn’t really at a level that it’s ready to go at the top.

“Some of the moves in the batter’s box, the swings weren’t quite what we were looking for yet. [Playing] first base was a bit much. We’re trying to do this in the right manner. I’ve tried to give it a shot a few times to play, but I think we’re going to take a couple of weeks and then kind of re-evaluate things.”

Trumbo played during spring training, but reduced his rehab in late March when the Orioles put him on the 60-day injured list. He’s played eight games with Triple-A Norfolk and Double-A Bowie, hitting .214. Trumbo wants to be optimistic.

“I’d like to be,” Trumbo said. “We’re trying to figure out exactly what’s in the cards. In addition to the surgery that gets talked about more often than not, some of the arthritic stuff is trending towards a tougher outlook. We’re trying to figure out what I can do to help the team and when … when’s that’s going to be possible.”

Trumbo,33,  is in the final year of a three-year, $37.5 million contract.

“You do this as long as you can,” Trumbo said. “You try to remain relatively healthy, but there’s probably some tradeoffs that I’ll have to talk about with my family and the people here.

“I’ve been fortunate to play quite a few years with relatively good health. These last couple of years have been a little more challenging. I think you have to weigh the risks and the upside. We haven’t quite gotten that far along yet, but sooner or later, we’re going to have to talk about it.”

With the season nearly half over and Trumbo’s body not cooperating, thoughts of his career coming to an end could be present. Trumbo led the majors in home runs with 47 in 2016

“That’s pretty tough. You want to remain optimistic as long as you can until things tell you it’s just not in the cards,” Trumbo said

“I’m hopeful the PRP shot will provide some of the relief we’re looking for. Some of the things are unknowns, and they can trend in the right direction pretty quickly. Sometimes, they don’t.

“I’m going to anticipate some sort of return in the near future. We’ll deal with whatever else happens … I’m going to exhaust all of the options and try and play when things seem to permit.”

Cashner’s blister means multiple moves: Andrew Cashner left the Orioles game on June 8 in Houston with a blister on his right middle finger. He didn’t think it would be an issue until throwing his bullpen in advance of his scheduled start on Friday.

“It came back after the bullpen,” Cashner said. “Now, it’s just kind of day-to-day and be ready for this road trip.”

The Orioles begin a seven-game trip to Oakland and Seattle on Monday, and Cashner hopes to pitch on it.

“It should just be pushed back a couple of days, I think,” Cashner said. “I’ll probably test it in the next couple of days, on Sunday, and see where we’re at and pitch somewhere on the road trip.”

The Orioles decided not to put Cashner on the 10-day injured list.

“I don’t think it’s that serious by any means,” Cashner said. “When I threw the bullpen the other day, it’s when it got bad. I’ve never had that happen. It needs a few more days.”

The Orioles recalled Luis Ortiz to start against Boston. Ortiz, who was acquired from Milwaukee in the trade for Jonathan Schoop, is 2-6 with a 7.01 ERA in 11 starts with Norfolk. He was recalled for a day in April but wasn’t used.

“He’s thrown the ball fairly well the last three starts,” manager Brandon Hyde said. “He was on the [40-man] roster, and hopefully he’ll make the most of his opportunity tonight …I  don’t think he’s happy with his numbers, but he has given them length the last three starts.

“… I have no idea what to expect. This is his first start [in the majors this season] on Friday night against the Boston Red Sox.”

Ortiz was scheduled to start Friday for the Tides, and left-hander Josh Rogers was supposed to start Saturday. Rogers, who was 2-6 with an 8.51 ERA with Norfolk, gives the Orioles three left-handers in the bullpen. He pitched one game for the Orioles in April and has a 12.27 ERA.

The Orioles placed right-hander Josh Lucas on the 10-day injured list with a strained right shoulder and optioned right-hander Evan Phillips to Norfolk. Lucas pitched the final three innings of the Orioles’ 12-3 loss to Toronto on Thursday night.

Hyde said he considered using a position player to pitch the ninth against the Blue Jays.

“Sure did,” Hyde said “Josh Lucas sucked it up for us.”