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SARASOTA—Less than seven months after Tommy John surgery on his left elbow, Jorge Mateo will return to the Orioles’ lineup Sunday. Mateo is scheduled to hit seventh and play shortstop in the Orioles’ game against the Philadelphia Phillies.
“Jorgie was a big loss for us last year, and he adds so much to our team, the versatility, the speed,” manager Brandon Hyde said. “I love his energy that he brings on a daily basis. We missed that last year.”
Mateo injured his elbow in a collision with shortstop Gunnar Henderson last July 23rd in Miami when he was playing second base. He had his surgery August 29th.
“This is his first step back, a big step back in his rehab and get a little game action,” Hyde said.
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The Orioles will leave Florida a week from now and might make a determination then on whether Mateo will be ready for the March 27th opener in Toronto.
“It’s going to be playing today. He’s off tomorrow. We’re going to see how he feels,” Hyde said. “How much he can handle, honestly. We’re going to go through, hoping he gets a couple of at-bats today and feels good tomorrow. When we get back off that offday [on Wednesday], we’ll see him playing in games.”
Notes: Infielder Ramón Urías remains out with a left hamstring injury and hopes to play on Thursday after the Orioles’ Wednesday offday. … Infielder Emmanuel Rivera is out with left shoulder soreness. Rivera injured the shoulder in Thursday’s game against Toronto in Dunedin.
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