Coulombe updates his rehab from elbow surgery, Kjerstad nearing return, Hyde on rotation alignment, and more

ARLINGTON, Texas – Danny Coulombe and John Means are visiting teammates at Globe Life Field this weekend, another reminder of how much they are missed.

Means is recovering from his second Tommy John surgery and has his left elbow in a brace. Coulombe underwent a procedure to remove bone chips from his left elbow.

Coulombe said his recovery is “going along really well.”

“I feel like it’s right on track. We’re pretty optimistic about it,” he said.

“We’re still just working on a little bit of range-of-motion stuff. But it’s coming along really well. And, hopefully, soon we can start some catch and then just get it rolling.”

Coulombe didn’t want to put a date on his return, but the Orioles are hopeful for September.

“We’re just taking it day-by-day,” he said. “We feel like it’s right on track. I think the timeline they gave you guys was pretty much right where we’re looking for.”

The June 18 surgery didn’t reveal any surprises. Coulombe knew he didn’t tear his ulnar collateral ligament again.

“Just some of the stuff that was going on in my arm, when it swelled up like it, we just kind of knew that there was something,” he said. “And it was just in a spot in the elbow that we knew was not a bad spot. We had a good idea it was going to be the bone chips. And then when we were just looking at what we were going to do with it, there’s obviously a few ways to go and we just thought the best way to do it was, be back for the end of the season and not risk it reoccurring six weeks down the road and missing the rest of the season.

“Just doing the best for the team and just taking it day-by-day.”

Coulombe will stay through the weekend and head back down to Sarasota, where he’s worked out the past few weeks. He has a locker set up in the visiting clubhouse at Globe Life Field.

It almost feels normal.

“Oh man, I love it,” he said. “When you’re in Sarasota you just feel a little disconnected from the team. You’re not with the team traveling with them every day. So just to get to come around here and just be around the guys and catch up with them is great. Getting to watch baseball is pretty fun.

“I haven’t missed an inning. I still want to feel connected to the team in that way. I still text with the guys all the time. It’s not fun watching from a distance. Obviously, we’re competitors. We want to go out and play and be part of the team.”

Coulombe can hang out with Kyle Bradish and Tyler Wells, who are recovering from their own elbow surgeries.

“Having each other there has been really nice,” he said. “We’ve watched some of the games together. Just really trying to feel as connected to the team as you can. They’re both doing really great. They’re both coming along well. We all live pretty close to each other, so we try to just be around each other and have our wives be around each other as much as they can.”

Outfielder Heston Kjerstad, on the seven-day concussion list, is undergoing a full workout today. He’s eligible to return on Saturday.

“He’s still getting monitored and passing all the tests and that kind of stuff,” said manager Brandon Hyde. “I’m hoping it’s soon, but you never know.”

The Rangers are starting Max Scherzer and Andrew Heaney in the last two games of the series.

Hyde had a simple explanation for opening the second half with Corbin Burnes, Grayson Rodriguez and Dean Kremer.

“We wanted to get Burnes as many opportunities as possible,” Hyde said. “Right now Grayson’s our No. 2 and Dean’s pretty much our No. 3 and kind of on turn. That’s just the way we did it.”

Triple-A Norfolk’s Jackson Holliday will play partial games at second base over the next several days as part of his rehab progression from right elbow inflammation. He hadn’t played defense since June 12 but he’s at second base tonight.

The Orioles also say Norfolk pitchers Cade Povich, Chayce McDermott, Justin Armbruester, Tucker Davidson, Carlos Tavera, Brandon Young and Bruce Zimmermann have planned shorter outings coming out of the All-Star break.

Hyde explained that sending down Povich was done to give the left-hander "a little bit of a reset." Hyde also said the rookie’s last start actually was his best.

“I thought it was his most competitive start, with multiple pitches he could throw for strikes,” Hyde said.

The club doesn’t need a fifth starter until July 28 and Povich will be eligible to return.

“We’re going to need starting pitching here shortly after this break,” Hyde said, “so I’d expect to see him up pretty soon.”

Baseball America's Carlos Collazo reported that the Orioles signed ninth-round draft pick Jack Crowder, a right-hander from the University of Illinois, for $27,500. The slot value for the 279th-overall selection was $189,000.