Baltimore Orioles: Matt Wieters In Bowie

The Baltimore Orioles officially assigned catcher Matt Wieters to double-A Bowie for last night’s game, beginning what’s expected to be a one-week (or so) rehab assignment. Wieters of course is eligible to come off of the 60-day DL on June 4th, which is next week. Aside from appearing in extended spring games, this was Wieters’ first live game action since March 17th when he appeared for the Orioles in the Florida Grapefruit League.

Wieters went 2-for-4 on the night with a run scored. He also threw out a runner at second base, which could be the most important stat of the night for Matt Wieters and thus for the Orioles. Keep in mind that Wieters could have been a DH for the duration of last season for the Orioles even with his arm condition. The decision was made to go for Tommy Johns due to the fact that he wouldn’t be able to catch and throw. 

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Courtesy of Jonathan Dyer-USA TODAY Sports

Bowie defeated Erie 4-2 on the night, with Wieters catching the entire game. The Orioles have indicated that their intention is for Wieters to catch every other day while with the Baysox. I did find it interesting that they seemingly had him catch last night, whereas Bud Norris is going to start in his own rehab assignment in Bowie tonight.

It would have made sense to me to have Wieters catch Norris, but if there’s one thing we know about the Showalter and Duquette team it’s that they know what they’re doing with players. Norris of course is making a rehab start after having bronchitis and being sent to the DL.

Incidentally, Ryan Flaherty also began a rehab assignment with the Norfolk Tides on Monday, going 0-for-3 in his first game. So the Orioles are getting close to getting a host of guys back, which should help them in their quest for more offense moving forward. It appears that Wieters will come off the DL on June 4th as expected, however Norris and Flaherty’s timetables are unclear.

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