Early notes on Britton, Janish, Paredes and Gallardo

Orioles manager Buck Showalter said today that closer Zach Britton is "very close" to being available.

Britton sprained his left ankle Saturday night. He threw in the bullpen again today and performed fielding drills without any setbacks.

Showalter really wants a four-man bench and having Britton ready to pitch would provide the green light for the Orioles to bring up another position player.

Infielder Paul Janish is in Houston for the birth of his third child on Friday. However, the Orioles didn't put him on the paternity list, allowing him to return whenever the club decides to select his contract from Triple-A Norfolk.

Janish would have been required to stay away from the team for a minimum of three days if placed on the paternity list.

Jimmy Paredes remains on his injury rehab assignment at Double-A Bowie. The assignment runs through May 15.

Showalter said he'd like for Paredes to be more productive at the plate. The veteran infielder/outfielder is 5-for-25 with one extra-base hit in the Eastern League.

Paredes, on the disabled list with a sprained left wrist, went 3-for-4 in his only game at Single-A Frederick.

"Jimmy's playing," Showalter said. "He hasn't been quite as productive as I thought he might be, but I think he's working out. It's been a long period of inactivity, so I'm going to give him the benefit of the doubt. He's got a pretty good track record of hitting.

"He's going to stay with the Bowie club. I know his last day there is the 15th if we want to carry it that far."

Showalter said Paredes' chances of finding a spot on the 25-man roster may be enhanced with shortstop J.J. Hardy on the disabled list. He could give the Orioles "some coverage."

"I'd like to see him kind of get it going a little bit (with the) bat," Showalter said. "We just know it could go as long as the 15th or it could be earlier."

Yovani Gallardo still doesn't have a timetable for picking up a ball while on the disabled list with tendinitis in his right shoulder, but he's getting much closer while continuing to do cuff exercises.

"Obviously, the main thing right now is getting as strong as I can," he said. "No point going out there and throwing and going back to square one. I think the main thing is to get the strength to 100 percent and go from there, but hopefully it's soon.

"As Buck said, I think it's definitely progressing really well. Really, really well with the exercises that I've been doing. It's right around the corner. I'm anxious. I'm anxious to get back out there and start throwing and work my way back into the rotation."

Gallardo is 1-1 with a 7.00 ERA in his first four starts with the Orioles. He lasted only two innings on April 22 in Kansas City before leaving the game and heading to the disabled list with his first shoulder injury.

Being new to this sort of injury creates challenges for Gallardo as he tries to gauge how he's feeling and when he might return.

"It's the first time I've been on the DL with an arm issue, period," he said. "I've been on the DL for other things, but I've been able to throw. I think the only one is when I pulled my oblique. That's the only other one. But the shoulder issue is always tough.

"You want to go out there and play catch and do all that sort of thing and you can't. You can't and it's a little bit frustrating, but at the same time I know the guys in the training room are doing what's best for me and the club. They're trying to get me right and like I said, I'd rather deal with it only once rather than multiple times."

Gallardo, at 30 and in his 10th major league season, is learning new tricks with an exercise program that will stay with him long after he's activated.

"I think it's something I'm going to incorporate from here on out for the rest of my career," he said. "I've never had any issues with my shoulder before. I felt like I was doing the stuff I had to do to stay in shape and keep it strong, but obviously the more innings you throw, it's a little bit different.

"It's unfortunate that I had to find out this way, but now I know that I have to incorporate it, whether it be a little bit more weight, a little bit different exercises to maintain that and stay strong."